Roofing Contractor in Ladera Heights, CA

Upper, Lower and Old Ladera: three sections, three roof ages

Ladera Heights is split by Slauson Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard into Upper Ladera to the north, Lower Ladera to the south and Old Ladera east of La Cienega. The community covers about 3.0 square miles, and Census ACS puts the median home at 1961 with 63% owner-occupied.

The sections do not share a date. Old Ladera started in the late 1940s, while New Ladera went up in the 1960s with custom homes by builders such as Valentine and Gallant. A late-1940s house has likely been re-roofed more than once, often with a low pitch. A 1960s custom house often has a broader roof with more hips, valleys and deep eaves.

Those valleys are where we look first. Flashing hides in a valley under many layers of shingle, and a worn one leaks long before the shingles around it fail.

Matching an existing roof on a view-lot home in Ladera Heights

Many owners here want a repair or partial re-roof to blend with the rest of the house. Weathered shingle and new shingle rarely match. Color fades unevenly, and a discontinued line cannot be bought at any price.

We handle this by comparing before deciding. Bring a sample to the roof, hold it against the weathered surface in daylight and look at it from the street. Reviewers in Van Nuys describe shingle samples being brought to the house, and that is the method we use. On a roof with large visible planes, ask whether a section or the whole roof reads better.

Who issues the permit: LA County or the City of Los Angeles

Ladera Heights is mostly county land, part of Los Angeles County, which sends re-roof permits to county Public Works. The sliver inside city limits goes to LADBS. The two processes differ, so confirm your address before you compare quotes.

A third covering is out of bounds under California's residential code once two applications are down. Cool-rated product rules also reach re-roofs over half the roof, and they turn on slope, so ask the building department about your parcel.

La Cienega, Slauson and Ladera Park: reading the map

La Cienega Boulevard and Slauson Avenue split the community into its sections, with Shenandoah Avenue and Wooster Avenue as the Upper and Lower Ladera edges. Wikipedia puts the elevation at about 305 feet, so this is a gentle rise above the Westside basin rather than a canyon.

Ladera Heights Shopping Center sits where La Tijera, La Cienega and Centinela boulevards meet, and the Ladera Center is just west of La Cienega. West Los Angeles College is in the community, and Ladera Park, with its amphitheatre and recreation center, adjoins View Park-Windsor Hills and Inglewood.

Those edges matter for permits. A house near the Inglewood line or the small City of Los Angeles section can answer to a different agency than its neighbor.

Getting to Ladera Heights from Van Nuys

The route runs down the 405 and across the Westside. Freeway conditions swing the timing hour to hour, so we confirm an arrival time on the day.

On a first visit we check the shingles or other surface, flashing, vents, gutters and, where we can reach it, the attic. Van Nuys customers describe getting pictures and measurements before a quote, and a written scope follows. For an active leak, call first; the earliest visit we can set comes ahead of a routine estimate, and a tarp may be the first step.

Runoff from the slope, plus skylights and ventilation on larger roofs

A roof on a sloped lot sheds water onto a hillside. Gutters and downspouts should end at a drain, swale or splash block, not at a footing. See our gutters page for how we check the full path.

Larger custom roofs often hold skylights and big attic spaces. A skylight leaks at its curb flashing, not through the glass, and a poorly placed vent can let in rain or heat. One Van Nuys reviewer mentions a poorly placed roof vent found during an inspection. Read more under skylights and ventilation.