Frequently Asked Questions

Watch for curling or cracked shingles, granules collecting in your gutters, dark streaks running down the slope, or any visible sag. The strongest signal is in the attic: stained sheathing, soft spots, mold growth, or daylight where there shouldn't be. If your roof is 15+ years old, the polite move is to look at it now and plan — not wait until water shows up in the ceiling.

A contractor's free inspection is a sales call. They came to sell you a roof and the conversation is shaped by that goal. An independent assessment exists to tell you what's there. If your roof has years of life left, that's what you hear.

A builder-grade 30-year shingle in our climate realistically lasts 22 to 26 years. A premium 50-year laminated system goes 35 to 40 years when installed with proper ventilation and a real ice-and-water perimeter. UV exposure, moss growth, and freeze-thaw cycles push every product harder here than the marketing brochures imply.

Moss is a moisture indicator. It grows where the roof stays damp longer than it should — usually north-facing slopes, under tree cover, or in low spots where water lingers. Light moss is cosmetic. Heavy moss lifts the shingle edges, traps moisture against the mat, and accelerates granule loss. It's a sign your roof needs attention, not necessarily replacement.

Repair makes sense when the damage is localized — a wind-lifted section, a single failed pipe boot, storm damage in one area — and the rest of the roof has years of life left. Full replacement is the right call when the system has reached the end of its useful life, when multiple penetrations are failing at once, or when an attic check shows the deck itself is compromised. Patching a roof that's at end-of-life is throwing good money after bad.

Most policies cover sudden damage events — wind, hail, a falling tree — but exclude wear and age. If your roof is failing because it's old, that's a maintenance issue and you own it. If a storm caused identifiable damage, file the claim quickly and get an independent set of eyes on the roof before signing anything with a storm contractor.

I assess roofs independently. When a homeowner needs a replacement, I partner with 3D Roofing for installations under a joint-venture arrangement. I'm not on commission to push replacement. The assessment is independent — if your roof has years of life left, that's what you'll hear.

A clear understanding of what's going on with your roof, based on photos and video we go through together in person. A real conversation, not a sales pitch.

About 45 minutes on-site, plus the walkthrough conversation after.

Free. No catch, no obligation.

Ranges by tier in Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver right now: builder-grade 30-year shingles run about $11,000 to $15,000 for a typical 25-square home, premium architectural in the $16,000 to $22,000 range, presidential-class shingles $22,000 to $30,000, and standing seam metal $30,000 to $45,000. These are honest 2026 numbers including tear-off, decking repair allowance, and synthetic underlayment. The actual quote depends on roof complexity, pitch, current deck condition, and how many penetrations need new flashing.

Poor attic ventilation. We see it constantly — soffit vents blocked by insulation, no ridge vent, or a power vent that hasn't worked in years. The result is moisture trapped against the roof deck, which leads to mold, premature shingle aging, and sometimes structural rot. Most homeowners never look up there. It's the single highest-impact thing to check on a Pacific Northwest home.

About 10 to 15 years for the standard plastic-and-rubber kind. UV breaks down the rubber gasket around the vent pipe, water tracks down the stack and into the attic. It's a $50 part that prevents thousands in deck repairs. We replace these as a small upgrade during any roof work and recommend swapping them every decade even if the rest of the roof is fine.

Mostly no. Algae streaks are cosmetic — those dark vertical lines on shingles. They thrive on shade and moisture, common on north-facing slopes. The roof isn't falling apart over it. But the algae does hold moisture against the shingles and can speed up aging. Easy fix: soft-wash with an algae treatment. Long-term fix: when you replace, choose shingles with copper or zinc granules built in — algae can't grow on them.

Both — depends on how much. Light moss is mostly cosmetic. Heavy moss is a problem because it lifts the edges of shingles, traps water against the mat, and accelerates granule loss. If you see moss patches more than a couple inches across, it's worth addressing. Soft-wash and apply zinc strips at the ridge. Don't pressure-wash — that strips the granules off and shortens the life of the shingle.

Late June through early October. That's our reliable dry window. Tear-off and reroof can happen in shoulder seasons too if the weather holds, but you risk getting caught mid-job by a rain event. Worst time is November through February — too wet, too cold for adhesives to set, and sealants don't cure properly below 45°F. If you're planning a roof for next year, book a winter assessment so you're at the front of summer's schedule.

Not necessarily. Mold in the attic is almost always a ventilation problem, not a roof problem. The roof itself can be fine. Fix the ventilation — add ridge vents, clear the soffits, balance intake and exhaust — and the attic dries out. Sometimes you need to remediate the existing mold and replace damaged decking, but the shingles themselves can still have years of life. Get an honest assessment before anyone tells you the whole roof needs to come off.

Built-in algae resistance. When rainwater passes over copper or zinc, it carries trace amounts of the metal across the rest of the roof. Algae can't grow in that environment. It's why some shingles stay clean and others streak black after 5 years. If you're choosing a new roof in the Pacific Northwest, pay the small upgrade for algae-resistant granules — it's worth it.

Once a year, ideally in late winter or early spring before things dry out. Pop the hatch, climb up with a flashlight, look for: dark stains on the underside of the sheathing, frost or condensation, visible mold, daylight where there shouldn't be, blocked soffit vents, or critter damage. Most attic problems are quiet — you only catch them by looking. 15 minutes a year prevents thousands in surprise repairs.

Yes — especially if the first estimate came from a storm contractor or anyone you didn't go looking for. An independent assessment gives you an honest read on whether the work proposed is actually needed and whether the price is fair for the Camas and Washougal market. We're not on commission either way. That's the whole point of an independent look.

Some, yes. From the ground you can spot: curling or missing shingles, dark streaks or moss patches, sagging in the roof line, damaged or missing flashing around chimneys and vents, and gutters full of granules (a sign of shingle wear). What you can't see from the ground: attic ventilation, deck condition, pipe boot integrity, valley flashing, or how the underlayment is holding up. Worth a walk-around with binoculars once or twice a year.

Full exterior walkaround with photo and video documentation, attic check where accessible, ventilation evaluation, and a plain-language conversation about what we found and what the options are. About 45 minutes on-site, then a sit-down review of the photos with you so you can see what we saw. No quote unless you ask for one. No follow-up sales pressure. Just an honest second set of eyes.

Five basics: 1) Are you licensed and insured in Washington? Ask for the contractor license number — verifiable at L&I. 2) How long have you worked in Clark County specifically? Local matters. 3) What's your workmanship warranty, separate from the manufacturer's shingle warranty? 4) Do you do the work in-house or subcontract? 5) Can you show three local references from the last 12 months? Anyone who gets uncomfortable with these questions is showing you who they are.

Look them up at lni.wa.gov — search by business name or license number. A real Washington roofing contractor has a current registration, bond, and general liability insurance, all verifiable online in 30 seconds. If a contractor can't give you a license number when asked, that's all the answer you need. In Washington, hiring unlicensed contractors also leaves you with no legal recourse if something goes wrong.

From outside: ice dams in winter, dark heat-trapped roof in summer, shingles that aged faster than they should have. From inside the attic: moisture or frost on the underside of the sheathing, visible mold, soft spots in the decking, high heat in summer, or cobwebs covering the soffit vents. A simple visual check tells you most of what you need to know. Fixing ventilation is usually a few hundred dollars in vents and 30 minutes of unblocking soffits — way cheaper than a new roof.