Tear-off to deck
The full roof is stripped back to sheathing. This is the usual choice when more than one layer is present or when the deck shows damage in several places.
Serving San Diego County
Roof Replacement for Mid-Century Homes in San Diego, CA
Full re-roofs for single-story homes of the 1950s and 1960s, where the deck, the vents and the old layers are checked before the new covering goes on.
- Coastal and tile roofs
- San Diego County
- Roof repair and replacement
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Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Mid-Century Roofs
Mid-Century Roof Replacement: what it covers
Quick answer
A mid-century roof replacement is a full re-roof on a house of the 1950s or 1960s, usually single-story and built with a lighter deck than newer homes. In Clairemont, which was built largely in those decades, the work turns on the condition of the old deck, the number of layers already on it and the ventilation that the original design allowed.
Clairemont is a mid-city neighborhood built largely in the 1950s and 1960s, and many of its houses still carry their first or second roof. The framing and the deck were built to the standards of that time, and they often need checking before a new covering can be laid safely on top of them.
A roof of that age has usually been patched more than once. The patches are the first thing to read, because they show where the water has been and where the deck was already soft. A replacement that ignores them can leave a weak board under a new shingle.
Linda Vista, which lies on a mesa north of Mission Valley, gets the same checks, and they apply. Call (833) 751-2102 for a visit and say roughly when the house was built, if you know, and how many layers the roof carries.
- Service area
- San Diego & San Diego County
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7
- Phone
- (833) 751-2102
Warning signs
Signs you need mid-century roof replacement
Older decks can be soft or broken and will not carry a person's weight at every point. Keep to the rafters where the crew can see them, do not stand on a plank sheathing gap and leave any sagging area to the technician to make safe before the work continues.
- Two or three layers of shingle showing at the eave or on a gable edge
- A deck that gives under foot in several places across one slope
- Plank sheathing with gaps wide enough to show daylight from the attic
- Vent openings that were cut and covered over by an earlier re-roof
- Stains along the rafters that repeat at the same points each year
- A roof edge that sags slightly between the rafters when viewed from the street
Our process
How our mid-century roof replacement visit works
Count the layers and read the deck
The technician cuts a small test patch, counts the layers and checks the deck material. Plank sheathing, plywood and older board each need a different approach to fixing and to repair.
Strip to the deck and replace what has failed
All layers are removed, and soft or split boards are replaced with boards of the same thickness. Where the rafters show movement, they are sistered or braced before the new covering is laid.
Restore ventilation to the original design
Vent openings that were covered by an earlier re-roof are reopened, and the soffit intake is cleared. The ridge vent and the soffit are paired so air moves across the attic from eave to ridge.
Lay the new covering and the flashing
The new underlayment, drip edge and covering are installed in the order the deck requires. The flashing is re-made at each penetration, since older flashings are often the source of a leak that the re-roof was meant to fix.
Why is a mid-century deck different from a newer one?
Mid-century decks were often built from narrow boards or thinner panels, and the nailing and spacing reflect the practice of the day. The deck is often sound, but it has been loaded by decades of covering and by weather.
Plank sheathing shrinks and gaps over time, and a nail driven into a gap holds poorly. The technician checks each board for movement and for nails that have worked loose. A new layer of nails in the right places is the usual fix.
Plywood decks of that era may have delaminated at the edges. Where the edge of a sheet is soft, it is cut back and a new piece is fixed across the joint with the nail spacing the covering requires.
Ventilation was also planned differently in those decades. Many houses relied on gable vents and a few roof openings rather than a continuous ridge and soffit system, so the attic air moved less freely than a newer house expects. The technician measures the existing vents before deciding the new layout, because a new ridge vent added to a house with no soffit intake will draw air from the wrong place.
How many layers can a roof take before it must be stripped?
Two layers is the usual limit for a re-roof, and a third layer adds weight and hides the condition of the deck. Where the count is three or more, the roof is stripped to the deck.
Each layer adds weight to the rafters and makes the nailing harder to judge. A deck that has carried three layers may hide rot that only a full strip will show, so the full tear-off is the safer way to see what is underneath.
The count is written into the scope. Where the owner wants to keep one old layer, the technician records its condition and the reason for keeping it.
Why were old vents covered, and why reopen them?
Vents are sometimes covered during a re-roof when the installer did not understand their purpose, or when the attic was insulated over them. A covered vent traps heat and moisture in the attic and shortens the life of the new covering.
The soffit and ridge vents work as a pair, drawing air in at the eave and letting it out at the top. A single vent with no intake does little, so both are checked before the new covering is fixed.
Insulation laid over the soffit can block the intake. The technician clears a channel at each rafter bay so the air can move from the eave to the ridge.
Flat or low-pitched additions on a mid-century house, such as a carport roof or a porch cover, often share a deck or a ledger with the main roof. Those joints are checked in the same visit, because a leak at the ledger can show as a stain on the main roof far from the addition.
How is the flashing made good on an older house?
Original flashing is often lead, galvanised steel or a bituminous strip that was fixed by an earlier worker. It is removed where it has failed and replaced with a modern metal piece lapped under the covering.
Chimney, vent and wall junctions are the places most likely to leak on an older house. Each junction is re-made so the new covering laps over the flashing and water is sent down and out.
Where the old flashing is in good condition, the technician may leave it in place and lap the new covering over it. That choice is made on the metal and written in the scope.
Where the house has a tile or a metal roof from an earlier decade, the same logic applies in reverse: the covering is understood first, then the deck beneath it. The scope names the existing covering, the reason for any change and the detail that will carry the new layer, so the owner knows what the crew has been asked to do.
What does the owner receive at the end of the job?
A written account of the layers removed, the boards replaced, the vents reopened and the covering fitted, with photographs of the deck before the new layer went on.
The photographs are kept with the scope, so a later repair, a sale or a claim has a record of what was under the roof. The owner also gets the shingle or covering details and the underlayment type.
No warranty is given on this page. The terms of any manufacturer or workmanship promise are stated in the owner's contract and read before signing.
Options
Types and options for mid-century roof replacement
Over-deck re-roof
A new covering is laid over a single sound layer, with the deck checked and the flashing re-made. It is possible only where the deck is firm and the original layer is not failing.
San Diego County
Why mid-century roof replacement is different in San Diego County
Clairemont is a mid-city neighborhood built largely in the 1950s and 1960s, and its single-story houses are the reason the deck check comes before the covering choice.
Linda Vista sits on a mesa north of Mission Valley, in ZIP 92111, and its houses are checked for the same deck and vent faults.
Mid-century houses were built before the current ventilation practice, so the vent check is part of every re-roof here.
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If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent mid-century roof replacement, send the form and we'll call you back.
Where we work
Mid-Century Roof Replacement across San Diego County
- Mid-Century Roofs in Mission Hills
- Mid-Century Roofs in San Diego
- Mid-Century Roofs in Coronado
- Mid-Century Roofs in North Park
- Mid-Century Roofs in Kensington
- Mid-Century Roofs in Point Loma
- Mid-Century Roofs in Mission Valley
- Mid-Century Roofs in National City
- Mid-Century Roofs in Ocean Beach
- Mid-Century Roofs in Linda Vista
- Mid-Century Roofs in Encanto
- Mid-Century Roofs in Lincoln Acres
- Mid-Century Roofs in Pacific Beach
- Mid-Century Roofs in Lemon Grove
- Mid-Century Roofs in Clairemont
- Mid-Century Roofs in Bonita
- Mid-Century Roofs in La Mesa
- Mid-Century Roofs in Imperial Beach
- Mid-Century Roofs in La Jolla
- Mid-Century Roofs in Spring Valley
- Mid-Century Roofs in Chula Vista
- Mid-Century Roofs in San Ysidro
- Mid-Century Roofs in El Cajon
- Mid-Century Roofs in Santee
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Attic Heat and Ventilation
Adding or clearing soffit intake, ridge and gable vents so the attic moves air in hot weather and the roof covering runs cooler from below.
Roof Replacement Written Scope
A line-by-line scope for any roof job in San Diego, with the licence, the workers' compensation cover and the insurance certificate checked before work begins.
Pre-Sale Roof Inspection
A roof walk and attic check that records the covering, flashing, vents and deck for a seller or buyer, with the limits of the inspection stated plainly.
Composition Shingle Replacement
Tear-off and new shingle roofs for houses inland in San Diego, with the deck, the underlayment and the ventilation checked before the new shingles go on.
Guides
Read before you book
What Moves the Price of a Roof Job in San Diego
No honest price list exists for roof work in San Diego that this site can stand behind, so this guide explains what moves a quote instead.
FAQ
Mid-Century Roof Replacement FAQs
Can I simply lay a new roof over the old one?
Sometimes, if there is one sound layer and a firm deck. Two layers is usually the limit, and a third layer is not recommended because it hides the condition of the deck.
My house is from the 1950s. Do I need a full tear-off?
It depends on the count of layers, the condition of the deck and what the attic shows. The technician records those three things and recommends the option that fits them.
Why are the vents reopened during a re-roof?
A covered vent traps heat and moisture in the attic, which shortens the life of the new covering. The vents are reopened and paired so air moves from eave to ridge.