Roofing in San Rafael, CA

Serving San Rafael and Surrounding Areas

What Roofs in San Rafael Actually Fail From

San Rafael sits in a fog belt that keeps rooftops damp most mornings from October into June, then takes atmospheric river storms that drop inches of rain in a day. The housing stock runs from 1950s mid-century modern to Spanish Colonial Revival and contemporary hillside homes, so the weak points shift from block to block.

• Step flashing and counter-flashing at sidewalls — when it is face-nailed instead of hand-sealed, water wicks behind the wall and shows up as a ceiling stain two rooms away; the sheathing below rots long before the stain appears.
• Granule loss on asphalt shingle roofs — three-tab and architectural shingle systems sitting in constant morning moisture shed granules early, and without that layer the asphalt oxidizes until the field course curls and splits.
• Dried-out underlayment — old roofing felt and tar paper turn brittle, flake at the eave, and let water through where the ice-and-water shield stops short of the valley.
• Backed-up gutters and downspouts — oak and redwood debris fills the gutter run, water pushes up under the drip edge, and the fascia and soffit behind it peel, spall, and eventually sag.
• Dead attic ventilation — blocked soffit vents and a failed attic fan trap moisture, which condenses on the underside of the roof deck, feeds mold, and erodes the vapor barrier from the wrong side.
• Cracked pipe boots and vent boots — the rubber collar around a plumbing vent splits with age, and a skylight curb resealed with mastic instead of properly flashed with apron flashing will leak again within a season.
• Storm damage at the ridge and rake — wind uplift peels ridge cap and opens the rake, and tile or metal panel roofs hide the damage until a piece of clay tile or a ridge cap lands in the yard.