Roof repair and replacement across Multnomah County, OR

The west side of the county holds much of the region's oldest housing, with early 1900s homes, bungalows and foursquares on board decking, often under two or three layers of past roofs. Moving east, postwar ranches and split-levels take over, many with simpler roofs that are on their second or third set of shingles. The far east side, around Gresham, Fairview and Troutdale, has more subdivisions from the 1980s on, plus townhome blocks with shared roofs. Cedar shake still shows up on scattered homes from the 1970s through the 1990s, usually near the end of its life. Metal roofing appears on some newer homes near the Gorge and on shops.

That range means the same leak can have very different causes across the county. On an older home it may be a tar-patched chimney. On a newer one it is more often a missing kickout flashing or a cracked vent boot. On a townhome it might be a shared ridge where a neighbor's older roof meets yours. A roof with three layers, gapped boards and an old chimney needs a very different plan and budget than a twenty-year-old tract roof, even when both show the same brown stain on a bedroom ceiling.

The whole county shares long, wet winters and dry summers, with steady rain that keeps shaded roofs damp and feeds moss. What changes is wind. Cold east wind from the Columbia River Gorge grows stronger the farther east you go, so Troutdale and Fairview take the hardest gusts, Gresham gets a solid share, and much of west Portland is more sheltered. Wind on the east side lifts shingle tabs, peels ridge caps and drops fir limbs. When ice storms hit, tree damage spreads across the whole county, and our phones ring from every corner.

Because we cross the river daily, we can schedule inspections and repairs throughout the county without long waits. After a storm we tarp open roofs first, then return for lasting repairs. For replacements, we match the build to the location, adding high-wind nailing and sealed edges on the east side. Each city sets its own permit rules, so we check with the right building department and pull permits where required.