Asphalt Shingle: Costs, Lifespan and Alternatives

Flashing at every penetration is replaced rather than reused on a Portola roof. Nothing is left open overnight on a Portola job — the deck is dried in the same day it is exposed.

Every Portola inspection ends with photographs and a written report rather than a verbal summary and a price. A Portola inspection starts at the flashings — chimney, vents, skylights — because they fail long before the field does.

Material choice in Portola should follow pitch and exposure first and appearance second. Tile on a Portola property outlives its underlayment by decades, and the underlayment is the part doing the waterproofing.

Ask what happens on your Portola job if the deck is worse than expected, and get the answer beforehand. A Portola roofer who will not put the assembly in writing is not quoting the same job as one who will.

A Portola property with two roof types gets two scopes, because a single lump sum hides what is being done. We inspect roofs in Portola free of charge and put the findings in writing before any price is discussed.

Cheap Portola quotes usually leave out the flashing, which is exactly where the next leak starts. Repair makes sense on a Portola roof with life left and one localised failure; beyond that it is money spent twice.

Tile on a Portola property outlives its underlayment by decades, and the underlayment is the part doing the waterproofing. Low-slope sections on Portola buildings need a membrane or coating system rather than shingle laid flatter than it is rated for.

Thermal cycling does the quiet damage in Portola — hot afternoons, cool nights, materials working against their fixings. Portola takes its rain in short heavy bursts, so drainage that sat dry collecting debris has to move everything at once.