Laguna Niguel, CA
Storm damage, and what to do first
Storm work attracts two kinds of contractor: the ones who live here, and the ones who followed the weather in. Only one of them will answer the phone next spring.
Describe the storm damage job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Laguna Niguel contractors who do this work.
You are on the list.
No provider in Laguna Niguel is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a storm damage job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- A written scope of the work, line by line
- Whether the contractor is licensed and insured in this state
- Photographs of the damage before any work happens
- What the emergency tarp costs, separate from the repair
- A local address you could actually drive to
Photograph the outside, the inside, and the date. Then get a tarp on it. Photographs of the original damage are a record nobody can argue with; a description of what it looked like before the repair is not.
If two contractors describe the damage differently, ask each to show you on the roof or in their photographs. It changes the conversation.
A local contractor who inspects and documents properly is more use to you than a fast one who is already on the roof.
Locally
The thing roofers see most often in this market is underlayment giving out while the tile above it still looks new. Concrete tile outlives the felt beneath it by decades. The tile is fine, the roof is not, and the only way to fix it is to lift, re-felt and re-lay. Homeowners are consistently caught out by this one.
About storm damage here
Do I need a permit?
Almost certainly, for a full replacement. The contractor should pull it, and the fee should be a visible line on the quote rather than a surprise.
Are the contractors licensed and insured?
We require a licence number and current insurance from every contractor in the network. Verify it yourself anyway. Your state licensing board has a free lookup, and it takes two minutes.
Can I just put a new roof over the old one?
Codes in most places allow two layers. That does not make it wise. You lose the chance to see the deck, and the next roofer has twice as much to remove.
Do I need association approval?
Very likely, and it usually takes longer than the roof does. Get the approved colour and profile list before you gather quotes, or you will price options you are not allowed to install.
Ready for a real number?
No cost. We email you once when a provider near you can take it on.