After purchasing this house, the new owner requested an inspection from Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC). The home owner thought the severe granule loss was due to careless pressure washing. ORC knew at first glance that the problem was due to defective shingles and, from similar previous experiences, also knew which brand of shingles was at fault. To their credit, the manufacturer went way above and beyond what their warranty calls for, and is essentially offering most of a brand new roof, including labor, at nominal cost to the homeowner.

One of Oregon Roof Consulting's many realtor clients requested an independent inspection of the roof on a house for sale outside of Oregon City, on Springwater Road near McIver Park. This is a very nice house on a huge lot, surrounded by Christmas tree farms.

Our inspection found that the roof has some moss and algae, but should last at least eight more years, and probably longer. The seller was hoping for 3-5 years of remaining roof life, and was happy with our report.

Oregon Roof Consulting assessed the condition of these flat roofs at the Hillside Terrace Condominiums in NE Portland. We provided a "here's what you have; here's what you need; and here's how long the roofs should last" report along with photos. It only took about 75 minutes to walk all these roofs.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) assessed the condition of the tile roofs on 12 residential buildings. Hundreds of roof tiles were broken on the back sides of the roofs, likely by roof cleaners who didn't know how to properly walk on tile. ORC advised the managers to replace the roofs on the back sides of the units with composition shingles. The combination of hundreds of broken tiles and heavy moss made it more cost effective to replace, rather than clean and repair, those tiles. Fortunately, the front faces of the roofs are too steep to walk on, and we didn't observe any broken tiles there. Those front-facing roofs (the ones that everybody sees) should last another 20-30+ years.

Oregon Roof Consulting traveled about 25 miles north of Seattle to Edmonds, Washington to inspect a new roof that was recently installed on a 100-year-old house. The roof needs some rework but requires nothing major. We had time to look around the area, admire Puget Sound, and enjoy some local activities.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) was contacted by a property management company, and regular client, to evaluate the condition of all the roofs in this HOA. The property, located in the Portland West Hills near the Pittock Mansion, includes 23 homes and seven carports.

ORC spent about four hours inspecting all 30 roofs. Back in the office we prepared a detailed report including photos, advice regarding ongoing maintenance and minor repairs, a new roof specification list to use when it's time to re-roof, and a reasonable price for what a new roof should cost per square foot. Our fee for the inspection, report, and recommendations was a very modest $420.

Many of the roof assessments provided by Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) are for residential homes like yours and mine. This homeowner wanted an honest, accurate, and independent roof inspection by someone not selling anything. Smart guy. ORC provided the owner with the following:

• a detailed summary report;
• photos of the roof inspection;
• a specification list for installation to be presented to bidders when it is time to reroof;
• an estimate of what a reasonable price should be;
• a written list of what roof work needs to be done now; and
• an estimate of how much longer the roof should last.

Our fee, for everything, including driving time: $177. The other four "independents" would have charged much more for the same service. Roofers wouldn't want to waste their time for such a moderate sum.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) is pleased to welcome a new client, the Renaissance Condomiums Home Owners Association in Vancouver, WA. ORC inspected the roofs on two representative buildings to assess how their 17-year-old roofing was holding up on 11 buildings.  We also inspected one of five buildings that had recently been reroofed.

A property management company that Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) has worked with previously asked ORC to inspect the roofs of the Shelby Park Condominiums in Beaverton. We got up on all nine buildings and walked the entire roof areas. A detailed report will be sent to the Homeowners Association promptly, along with relevant photos of our findings. Some minor repairs and maintenance is all that is needed for the time being.

The owner of two commercial buildings in NE Vancouver hired Oregon Roof Consulting to inspect an ongoing roof cleaning and restoration project, which will conclude with the application of a multi-layer roof coating. So far, so good

A property management company hired Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to inspect the roofs on six buildings for the Progress Town Estates Homeowners Association in Progress. ORC has done several of these inspections for this property management company. We found a few minor repairs that need to be attended to, but not much else. ORC will be revisiting the Estates annually for a full inspection.

The Sandalwood Homeowners Association (HOA) contacted Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to request a specification list for putting on new roofs. The Sandalwood HOA consists of 68 condominiums in 28 buildings. They were all set to re-roof two buildings this summer. Three "roofers" bid the job and all three told the HOA management that they needed a new roof. ORC told the management that the roofs did not need to be replaced for at least five years, and quite possibly longer. The management was pleased with our findings. Apparently there is no shortage of disingenuous, dishonest and greedy contractors who will lie just to make a sale. If a customer doesn't need a roof, then be honest and tell them they don't need a roof. When it comes time to re-roof the Sandalwood condos, these three "roofers" will not be considered for the job.

After months of vetting and preparation, the Radisson Airport Hotel job has begun. Oregon Roof Consulting will make random and unannounced visits to monitor the progress and supply Radisson with reports and photos. This project should take about 8 weeks

Update December 2016 :

The job took 4 1/2 months to complete. A few items came up on the final punchlist. A few leaks occurred. Nothing major but as of Early December all is as it should be.

➲ See our 2015 Gallery entry, Radisson Airport Hotel Roof Inspection (Sept. 17, 2015), for more details.

"The Forest" Homeowners Association in Lake Oswego asked Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to inspect and assess the tile roofing on six large 3-story buildings, 14 carports, and their recreation building. We provided a detailed report and photos for a most reasonable price.

Oregon Roof Consulting was asked by the homeowner's lawyer to re-inspect this brand-new roof after necessary rework and repairs were completed by the roofer. Of course, it's always better to just do it right the first time, which eliminates unnecessary stress and expense to the homeowner. Our inspection confirmed that the repair work was done correctly and completely, and the issue is now settled.

The 'roofer' commented to the owner that she was their first complaint in 25 years. Translation: "This is the first time we got caught." Of course the roofer has only been licensed since 2009, but — hey! – who's counting? Well, at least this roofer now has an idea of how it's supposed to be done. You would think that these guys would take the time to read the shingle manufacturer's installation instructions and/or the Oregon Code. Amazing.

➲ ​See our 2016 Hall of Shame: Portland Home Inspection (March 2, 2016) entry for more details.

A property management company in Hood River asked Oregon Roof Consulting to assess three buildings and five garages in The Dalles.The shingles are a laminated asphalt shingle with a 30 year factory warranty. The roofs are 19 years old. The HOA had been told by three local roofing companies that new roofing was needed. One roofer compiled a 12-page 'report' that focused on mostly minor and few and far between issues, which in reality can be quickly fixed for a very reasonable cost. All that is needed are new collars on all pipe jacks and new sealant on all vents. That's it! Moss growth is insignificant. Our inspection shows that the shingles are still in good condition and should last at least another 8-10 years with minimal maintenance and semi-regular monitoring. The shingles show virtually no granule loss, are not cracking or curling. The factory applied sealant is at about 75% original strength. There has been no shingle blowoff and this property is right on the Columbia river. A good roofer will honestly tell a property owner if they don't need a new roof. It is shameful when a contractor will mislead a customer in order to make a sale. Professional roofers don't behave that way.

Oregon Roof Consulting provided a complete roof assessment for all of the buildings, including the garages and rubbish shed, at the Sutton Place development in Tigard. The assessment included a summary of the roofs' condition, a list of necessary repairs, the estimated life left in the roofs, and a specification list the HOA management can present to prospective contractors when it's time for a new roof on any of these structures.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) inspected this newer CertainTeed® Presidential Shake roof in Waldport on the central Oregon coast. This house is on a hill near the ocean and south of Alsea Bay. The roof has low slope facets and the roofer used no sealant at any of the protrusions, which likely explains the multiple leaks ORC documented. One roof facet is too shallow for shingles! There is a lot of re-work to be done here.

The weather was perfect so we made a day of it and visited a few beaches between Waldport and Newport. We also stopped by an old covered bridge at Chitwood (between Toledo and Eddyville) on the way home. I love this job!

➲ ​See our 2016 Hall of Shame: Waldport Roof Inspection (April 16, 2016) entry for more details.

Oregon Roof Consulting provided a summary report for the condition of all the roofing on this large church. Our report listed all needed repairs and summarized the overall condition of the roof. We believe that this roof will not need to be replaced for at least five years. Our findings were quite different from those of other roofing contractors that were previously contacted by the church, who recommended replacing the roof immediately.

Portland Community Media in Northeast Portland contacted Oregon Roof Consulting and requested a roof assessment as well as our help tracking down a couple of stubborn leaks on this newer thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membrane roof. We were able to easily find the source of one of the leaks, but could only pin down the location of the second leak to a general 8'x8' area that was thick with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units. The cause of the second leak may be due to a failure in the roof materials or its installation, or the source may be in or under an HVAC unit. This second leak will need to be tracked down by the roofer and/or the HVAC folks.

Oregon Roof Consulting traveled to Marcola (near Eugene) to assess the condition of the roof on the Mohawk High School building. There had been some minor damage from a recent wind event, and the school administrators wanted an opinion on the extent of the damage, a reasonable price to pay for needed repairs, and a realistic estimate of how much longer the roof should last with proper maintenance. Also shown are two old covered bridges in the area. The first one just north of Marcola and the other is in Crawfordsville which is near Brownsville and Halsey about 7 miles east of I-5.

A prospective home buyer contacted Oregon Roof Consulting to assess the roof of an 11-year-old home in Molalla. The home inspection report advised having a expert inspect the roof. Our inspection discovered that the shingles have failed prematurely. These shingles are from a bad factory batch, which has been documented by the manufacturer. This roof is falling apart and needs to be replaced as soon as possible. We put the homeowner and their realtor in touch with the manufacturer's local representative so they could file a warranty claim for replacement of the roof.

➲ ​See Laura B: Homeowner Testimonial (3/14/16).

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Gerber Industries​ contracted with Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to provide an assessment of the 63,000 sq. ft. roof on their headquarters in Tigard. ORC evaluated the overall condition, drainage quality, and condition of the roof's sheet metal, made note of any necessary repairs, and provided an estimate of the expected life remaining in the roof. ORC completed this assessment in a short day, and provided Gerber with a detailed summary report as well as photo documentation.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) looked at this roof on a home in Salem. The owners were preparing to sell and wanted an independent inspection. We advised them to replace the roof, and provided them with specifications tailor-made for that roof. The owners may replace the roof themselves. If they do, then ORC will assist them so they get off to a good start and get the job done correctly.

The owners of this 7-story condominium building in Vancouver requested a roof inspection and assessment from Oregon Roof Consulting. The roof still has many years left. We pointed out a few minor issues that require repairs.

The Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO) contacted Oregon Rood Consulting to assess their Tigard headquarters. We gave them a detailed roof assessment including detailed advice about necessary minor repairs, advice on maintaining their existing roof, and an estimate of the roof's life expectancy.

Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) installed this one-of-a-kind cedar shake roof in late 2015 - early 2016. This is a house ORC inspected in June of 2015 that had a newer roof that was falling apart.

The new roof is a 100% old growth Canadian Red Cedar shake roof. These are the finest shakes obtainable. After the old roof was removed, all existing and any replaced plywood was fastened with stainless steel screws. The shakes and ridge were installed at 7" exposure. The roofer used all stainless fasteners, along with copper valleys and chimney flashing. It doesn't get any better than this!

➲ See our 2015 Hall of Shame: SW Portland Council Crest Failing Newer Tamko Lamarite® Slate Roof (June 5, 2015) entry for more details.