Los Angeles County, California

New Roof Installation for ADUs, Additions and Garage Conversions

Building an ADU, an addition or a garage conversion? The new roof has to suit the framing under it and meet the old roof without leaking at the joint. We read the drawings or the framing and quote the roof in writing, and the visit is free.

Tell us about your roof Call (310) 857-2520

Free roof inspection
We come out, get on the roof, and tell you what we find.
The price in writing
A written quote before anyone starts, with nothing to sign on the spot.
Licensed roofers
Our roofer who comes out holds a current California license.
Across Los Angeles County
From the Valley and the foothills to the Westside and the South Bay.

An ADU, an addition or a garage conversion puts a new roof next to a house that already has one. The height rule caps how tall it can be. The framing underneath limits what it can carry. And somewhere it has to meet the old covering. All of that gets settled on the drawings, before anyone orders material.

The tie-inFlashing goes in behind the stucco where the new roof meets the house
ADU height cap16 feet detached, 18 near major transit, plus 2 feet to match the main house pitch
Before it is coveredThe wood framing inspection has to pass first
For referenceA whole-house composition re-roof runs $9,000 to $25,000

New construction starts at a clean deck. There is no tear-off, no unknown sheathing and no old covering to work around, which is why the questions are about slope, height and what the framing will carry instead.

A new structure goes through plan check

LADBS puts re-roofing on its Express Permit list, where no plan check is required. A new structure does not qualify, so the plans go to plan check and the job ends in a final inspection and a Certificate of Occupancy.

Call the inspection before you cover anything

Los Angeles has no separate sheathing inspection. The deck gets caught at the wood framing inspection, called once the roof, wall and floor framing, the fire stopping and the bracing are done and none of it is covered. LADBS lists roof nailing among the items inspected, and no portion gets covered until it is approved, so underlayment waits on that call.

What the ADU height limit does to the roof

State law caps a detached ADU at 16 feet, or 18 feet within half a mile walking distance of major transit, plus two more feet so the roof pitch can align with the main house. Shave height to clear that cap and the pitch flattens with it.

The tie-inFlashing goes in behind the stucco where the new roof meets the houseThe inspection is free, and the price for your roof comes in writing.

Get a price for your roof

Garage conversions carry a load limit

A converted garage keeps the framing it was built with, so the covering has to suit what that framing already carries. It is usually why these roofs stay low-slope.

Los Angeles County Public Works Building and Safety publishes standard notes and details for converting a single-story garage to an ADU or JADU, and they apply in unincorporated areas, not inside the City of Los Angeles. They call for a minimum 1/4:12 slope for drainage, hold added roof gravity load to 5 percent of existing conditions, and cover only roofing material under 6 pounds per square foot, which leaves tile out. Inside the city, ask LADBS what the limit is at your address.

They also require a pre-construction check of the roof framing, the ridge and the existing sheathing, which settles whether it can carry the covering you want. The framing side of tile weight is on the tile roofing page.

Where the new roof meets the old one

Where the new roof meets the old one is where addition roofs leak. The stucco gets cut back in a straight line so the flashing can go in behind the paper, not caulked on top of it.

Slope decides the covering. Asphalt shingles are listed for 2:12 and steeper, with double underlayment from 2:12 up to 4:12. Clay and concrete tile need 2 1/2:12 or greater, and in Los Angeles tile goes only over solid sheathing.

Base flashing against a vertical sidewall is continuous or step flashing, not less than 4 inches high and 4 inches wide, and metal-lined open valleys run not less than 24 inches wide. On a Los Angeles addition that wall is usually stucco on an older house, so the flashing goes in behind the paper and the stucco gets cut back to let it.

The tile on the house is probably out of production

Monier, Lifetile, Boral, Marley, Westile, Hanson and Cal Tile are among the makers that stopped North American production, and discontinued tile often will not match the dimensions or the fastening of tile made today. The usual answer is harvesting tile from a less visible area, using it on the new work, and filling that area with new tile.

What to ask before the roof goes on

Which permit covers this roof.If someone tells you it can ride on the express re-roof line, that is the wrong permit.
What the finished slope is.Then check the covering you want is listed for it.
Who calls the framing inspection.That is your general contractor's call, not ours. Nothing goes over the deck until it passes.
The license number.Our roofer who comes out holds a current California license. Take the CSLB number and check it.

Your designer draws the framing and the general contractor builds it. Our work starts at the deck and covers underlayment, flashing, valleys and the covering. Nobody can price a roof properly without standing on it, so the visit is free. If it ties into an older roof, read roof replacement next.

The offer

$500 off a new roof, 10% off any repair

Send your request online from this page and the offer is attached, with nothing to remember.

We get on the roof, and into the attic if that is where the answer is
You get photographs of whatever we find
The price in writing, with nothing to sign on the spot

Claim it on a free inspection

The tie-inNew flashing tucked behind cut-back stucco, where the two roofs join.
Sidewall flashingOn an older stucco house the flashing goes in behind the paper, so the stucco gets cut back.
Nothing covers the deckNot until the framing inspection has passed. Underlayment waits on that call.