Shake Roofing Inspection & Repairs

Ron Williams, "The Roof Doctor" has been involved in the Roofing Industry for over 35 years. Ron has the knowledge and experience to diagnose those tricky shake roof problems and get the job done right the first time.

Below, are "felt exposures" the most common cause of failure of a shake roof. Over the years, the sun burns through the thin part of a roof shake, leaving the felt exposed. If not repaired, within months the sun will burn through the felt, and then the inside of the attic is exposed to the weather.

 


How we repair these felt exposures at Ron Williams Roof Doctor, is to slip a cedar wood shingle (a much thinner version of a shake) under the shake where the felt exposure is, and drive it upward with a hammer to wedge it in place, effectively covering the exposed felt with new wood. Of course there is more to it than that but that's the idea.

 
   
We recently got called to repair felt exposures on a roof that one of our competitors had repaired the year before. The picture on the left is typical of the shims they used. Because they are SO thin and small, the slightest shrinkage from drying allows them to move, and because they ARE so small, if they move at all, they are no longer covering the felt exposure. The picture on the right is typical of the smallest shims that we use. We use only #1 cedar shingles, and NEVER anything under three inches wide.



 
LEFT: An electrician had done this shake installation and needless to say it leaked.   RIGHT: Roof Doctor tied in the flashing on the shake roof the right way.



 
LEFT: A worn out plumbing vent flashing. RIGHT: New plumbing vent flashing with separate collar installed.


 
 

LEFT: I'm not sure what they were thinking when they "repaired" this plumbing flashing. RIGHT: Roof Doctor installed a new plumbing vent flashing.



 

We see all kinds of "funky" repair work - LEFT: Someone used 3 different types of material attempting to roof in this attic fan. RIGHT: Roof Doctor roofed in the fan correctly.



 

LEFT: Rotted shakes were causing leaks on this shake roof. RIGHT: Roof Doctor removed the rotted roof shakes and installed new 30 lb. felt and new shakes.



 

Left: A leaking chimney flashing. RIGHT: A new chimney flashing with cricket installed by Ron Williams Roof Doctor.



 

RIGHT: A shake roof restoration project in progress. LEFT: What a difference!



 

The work is completed and the roof looks great. It better than new because in addition to cleaning it Ron Williams Roof Doctor has also applied a class A fire retardant to the entire roof.

"When you can see curling shakes from the ground, you should probably have your roof inspected."

Shake Roof Repair Customer Comments

"We had the garage roof replaced from shake to composite. I have to say that Ron Williams kept me up to date on any changes to the scheduled roof replacement. His pricing wasn't the cheapest but we were able to negotiate a good deal for both. On the day of the tear-off, I was expecting not to be able to park in the garage due to debris all over the driveway but to my surprise, I had a hard time finding any pieces of debris. I couldn't even find one old nail on the driveway! Ron calls you every step of the way from when he is going to start the tear off, to when the plywood and metal sheathing will be applied to when the composite will be done and roof completed. When I sent my request in through ServiceMagic, Ron was the only one that called me on the same day. He actually called within ten minutes of the online request! I did notice a few nails sticking through the plywood on the overhang but Ron came over as soon as I mentioned this to him. Ron is very good at what he does. I got quotes from other companies but they wouldn't list the type of materials they would be using. Ron did. Others would provide quotes but wanted 50% down payment. Ron only asks for 10%. I will definitely keep Ron in mind if we ever need our home roof replaced. I know I'll be recommending him to friends and family. "

Sacramento County - Wood Shake & Composite Roof Replacement

"Responds efficiently and explains the cause of leaking problem professionally. Present reasonable ways to get it fix. No need to wait for a long schedule period to get the work done. We are satisfied with Roof Doctor's service."

Central Valley California - Wood Shake Roofing Repair