Winter Rains Threaten the Eaves With Destruction

Don Jones has weathered 31 rainy seasons as a roofing contractor in Los Angeles, and has never seen business as good as it’s been this year, after last winter’s record rainfall.

Which is bad news for homeowners who have put off thinking about their faulty roofs until now, as a new rainy season approaches.

Like other roofing companies, Jones’ United Roofing is working through a long backlog of jobs. Finding a qualified, available roofer these days can be like winning the lottery, he says.

Jones, who is 75 and uses a wheelchair, comes to work every day to oversee his business, which currently fields three roofing crews, all working overtime.

Question: How busy have you been exactly?

A: This year we’ve been booked up four to five months in advance. Lately we’ve narrowed it down some. We’re only about three months behind now. I’ve got a bunch of jobs on my desk that we just completed. There’s one dated July 16. There’s another one dated July 7. And one from June 14.

Q: Why can’t you increase the number of your crews?

A: If I could have five crews instead of three, we’d be in much better shape. I don’t know how much money I’ve spent advertising for qualified roofers. Everybody’s busy. If you can find me a roofer, I’ll give you a bonus. You give me a good roofing crew and I’ll give you a $5,000 bonus.

Q: What kind of schedules are your crews working?

A: Six days a week. Poor guys, I actually feel sorry for them. I gave them Monday (the day after Christmas) off. You can’t be Simon Legree.

Q: Is everyone in the industry as busy as you are?

A: The ones that have been in business for a good length of time and have a good reputation and following, yes, they are busy. The ones that aren’t busy are the ones who found out the roofing business has gotten very good, and got themselves a pickup truck, and suddenly they’re a roofer.

Q: What can homeowners do to protect themselves from unscrupulous roofers?

A: Get three estimates. Make sure they’re licensed. Check that they have insurance. Get their phone numbers and call them to make sure they’re not phony numbers.

Q: So there’s no hope for homeowners who decide they want to get new roofs now before winter?

A: Probably, they’re in trouble. If somebody wants a new roof by February, which is usually our rainiest month, they’re probably going to have a problem finding a roofer they can rely on.

The best time for anybody to roof a house is really May, June and July, when things are relatively slow. They’ll get the best deal, and there’s less chance that we’ll get the roof torn off and get hit by some rain.

Q: What do you charge to re-roof an average house?

A: There was a time when we could do it for $800. Now it’s more like $8,000.

Q: And how long does the work typically take?

A: We can usually do it in three days.

Q: What can homeowners do themselves to help prevent problems this winter?

A: Every year, before the rainy season, they need to check their gutters and downspouts, and if they have flat roofs, like 99% of Spanish-style stucco houses, their roof drains. Make sure they’re clear of dead leaves and pine needles, which can completely block them. Get them nice and clean.

Q: Are flat roofs more problematical than pitched roofs?

A: They’re much more apt to leak. Most flat roofs puddle water, especially if they’re on older homes; we’ve had earthquakes and everything has settled. Some years ago I took a helicopter ride and took pictures and you’d be amazed how many roofs had water on them. If a roof dries out after 48 hours, that’s probably OK, but we saw a lot of them that did not.

Q: Are you able to accommodate people who need roof repairs, as opposed to new roofs?

A: This is hard because if we have men who know how to go out and find a leak, they’re probably working on a re-roofing crew. If it’s at all possible, I’ll try to accommodate them, try to sneak them in, especially if they’re older people. On the other hand, we try to stick to a schedule based on when jobs come in.

Q: Let’s say it’s raining and a homeowner is unable to get a professional roofer to fix a leak. Is there anything he can do himself?

A: Leaks are not the easiest things to find sometimes. Most people see where it’s dripping inside the house, then go and look in that spot on the roof and don’t find anything. The leak isn’t always where it’s dripping. On a shingle roof, there’s the possibility it’s leaked in a place above that. We get many, many calls from people who have air conditioners on their roofs, and the water is getting into the ductwork. It will flow through that duct until it finds a place to get out.

Q: Let’s say a homeowner has managed to locate the source of a leak. What should he do?

A: I hesitate to have a homeowner get up on the roof, particularly when it’s wet. It can be very slippery. But in the case of ordinary pitched, shingled roofs, 99% of the time the roof is all right, but the mastic around the pipes sticking up from it has cracked over the years and pulled loose. Mastic is a derivative of tar. You can buy it by the gallon at Home Depot and similar stores. It’s soft and will stick to roofing material and pipes. If the roof does happen to be somewhat wet, they can buy what’s called “wet patch,” which sticks even in the rain. For most leaks, that should be enough.

Q: During winter when it’s raining, what do you do when someone calls and says his roof is leaking?

A: A lot of people don’t understand that when people call with that leak I don’t have someone just sitting around waiting for that call.

When it’s raining, of course, we’re not roofing. So what we try to do is find out if the water is really coming in, or is it something you can handle with a little bucket and just let it drip, drip, drip.

But if we have somebody who’s really flooding, especially if they have a flat roof and the drain is clogged in a heavy rain, there’s a possibility that roof is going to cave in. I would feel guilty if we didn’t try to help them out.