Roofing Contractor in Downey, CA

Downey building department and the Gateway Cities permit map

Downey is its own city, about 13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, so a re-roof goes to the city's building department rather than LADBS. South Gate, Bell Gardens, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, Paramount and Bellflower each run their own process too. A quote built for one of them may not match Downey's.

A tear-off is common here. State code does not allow a new roof over two existing layers or over a deteriorated one. When a re-roof reaches past half of the roof, a cool-rated product generally has to be used. Ask the city what applies to your address. Our Los Angeles County page has more on how agencies differ.

What sun does to a 1950s Downey ranch roof

Downey's climate is semi-arid, and the median home dates to 1959. Together they explain most roofs here. Shallow pitches hold heat in the afternoon, asphalt shingles dry out, and the rubber and sealant around vents give up before the shingles do.

We look for granule loss, curled tabs, cracked boots, rusting flashing and soft spots under the felt. Then we tell you if the job is a roof repair or has reached roof replacement territory. Where decking is soft or split, plywood replacement is explained and priced before we do it.

From orange groves to Firestone Boulevard: what built Downey's roofs

Downey was an orange-grove town by 1935, and it filled with houses after the war. Suburban streets and aerospace plants replaced farms, and Vultee Aircraft, then North American Aviation, drew the workers who bought the ranch houses now sitting under 1959-era roofs. The city was incorporated in 1956, so most of its building stock dates from just before and after that year.

Today Firestone Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard meet near the center, with I-5 across the north, I-605 on the east and I-105 through the south. Those freeways are how crews and dumpsters reach most Downey streets. The Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River bound the old land grant, and the flat ground between them is why so many lots have no slope to help water leave.

The world's oldest operating McDonald's, opened in 1953 at Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, marks the busiest corner of that grid. When we give directions for a crew, we use these arterials and not guesses about side streets.

Rentals, duplexes and fourplexes among Downey's owner homes

With just 51 percent of Downey homes occupied by their owners, a good share of roofs cover rentals. Small multi-unit buildings often have low-slope sections with a parapet, which means drains, seams and edges deserve a close look.

For rentals we work with the owner or manager on access and timing. Tenants get the dates, and the yard is kept covered. A Van Nuys customer describes careful cleanup each day, then a second sweep with a magnetic roller for stray nails.

Reaching Downey from Van Nuys

The drive southeast across the basin is about 55 minutes by our estimate. Freeway traffic can stretch that, so we confirm a real window when you call. On site we check the roof surface, flashing and vents, and then the attic when it can be reached. A written estimate follows.