San Fernando areas we cover
- Downtown and the San Fernando Mall
- Brand Boulevard
- Maclay Avenue
- Pico Street and the Lopez Adobe area
- San Fernando Road corridor
- Glenoaks Boulevard
- Hubbard Street
- Pacoima Wash area
What's hard on roofs around San Fernando
Older homes on small lots
Many San Fernando homes were built on the narrow lots of the original town plan, in styles from Craftsman to Mediterranean. Older roofs here can hide several layers of past roofing, original board decks and patched flashing at chimneys. Close neighbors on small lots also mean a roofer plans carefully where ladders, materials and debris will go.
Its own building department
Because San Fernando is its own city, roof permits go through its Building and Safety Division at City Hall on Macneil Street, not the City of Los Angeles. Rules and inspections can differ from the Los Angeles neighborhoods just across the street. A licensed roofer files with the right office for your address.
Valley heat
Summer highs in San Fernando average in the low 90s in August, with a record of 114°F. Long, hot summers dry out asphalt shingles and the sealant around vents and pipes. Tile roofs on Mediterranean-style homes hold up to heat, but the underlayment beneath the tiles wears out and needs replacing in time.
Earthquake country
The 1971 San Fernando earthquake cracked streets across the north side of the city and broke water, sewer and gas lines too often to count. Older brick chimneys and their roof flashing are a weak point in any quake. After shaking, or when a chimney looks out of plumb, a licensed roofer checks the flashing and the roof around it.
Many homes here are decades old, and roofs and flashing wear out with age: a licensed roofer checks the deck and underlayment, not just the surface.
