Roof Replacement
Complete Tear-Off & Rebuild Done Right

The Moment You Know

A Danville homeowner called us in February after her third leak in eight months. Each time, a different contractor had patched a different spot. Each patch held until the next atmospheric river rolled through and the water picked a new path. When we got up there, the answer was obvious: the original 1998 three-tab shingles were worn past their service life, the decking was soft in three places, and every valley was stripped to the felt. She wasn't looking at a repair problem, she'd been looking at a replacement problem for two years and nobody told her.

That conversation is the hardest part of our job. Nobody wants to hear "you need a new roof." But when a roof is done, patching it is a subscription to water damage. We replaced hers in four days with GAF Timberline HDZ in Charcoal, a full Ice & Water Shield perimeter, and a balanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation rebuild. She's dry. It cost about what two of those previous repair attempts would have come to combined.

We've replaced more than 1,200 roofs across the East Bay since 1988, and the pattern holds: if your roof is past its service life, replacement isn't the luxury option, it's the economical one.

What Roof Replacement Actually Involves

Replacement is the full rebuild. Every shingle, every piece of underlayment, every flashing, every vent, every pipe boot comes off down to the bare plywood. Then we inspect the decking, repair what's soft or rotted, and rebuild the assembly one layer at a time to current code. This is the opposite of an overlay, which just stacks new shingles on top of old and inherits every problem underneath.

On a typical East Bay home — 2,000 to 2,400 square feet, 25 to 35 roofing squares — that process takes three to five days for asphalt, longer for tile. We replace roughly 5-8% of decking on the average tear-off; older Walnut Creek and Martinez homes from the 60s and 70s run higher because the plywood was thinner and the original ventilation was undersized.

A real replacement scope covers tear-off, debris removal and recycling, decking repair, Ice & Water Shield at eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment across the field, drip edge at all eaves and rakes, starter strip, main field installation, step and counter flashing at walls and chimneys, new pipe boots, ridge vent, ridge caps, and a full cleanup with magnetic nail sweep. Everything.

When You Actually Need a Replacement

The honest criteria we use on every inspection:

• Age past the 20-25 year mark on a 3-tab asphalt roof, or 25-30 on an architectural shingle. Past that, you're on borrowed time.
• Granule loss across more than 25% of the field. When you can see the asphalt mat through the granules, UV is eating the shingle directly.
• Multiple active leaks in different areas. One leak is a repair. Four leaks across three slopes is a system failure.
• Sagging or spongy decking. Soft spots you can feel when walking the roof mean the plywood has been wet long enough to delaminate.
• Widespread curl or cupping. Shingle tabs curling at the edges means the asphalt has lost its plasticizers and won't reseal.
• Two existing layers. Under CRC R908.3, California allows a maximum of two roofing layers. If you already have two, any new work is a tear-off by law.
• Repair estimates above 30% of replacement cost. At that point, you're throwing money at something that's already done.

We see the same signs weekly. The Lafayette and Orinda homes built in the late 70s with their original 3-tab roofs are almost all past due. The Pleasanton tract neighborhoods from the late 90s are hitting 25-28 years right now and the first wave of replacements is rolling through.

Our Replacement Process

Day 1: Tear-off. Dumpster on-site before 8 a.m. Everything comes off down to the deck, shingles, underlayment, flashings, vents, pipe boots. By the end of the day, we're either dried-in with synthetic underlayment or tarped if weather's threatening.

Day 1 or 2: Decking repair. We walk the exposed deck, sound-test for soft spots, and replace any sheathing that's compromised. On a 30-square East Bay home, that's usually 3-6 sheets of 7/16 or 1/2" CDX. You approve the change order before any additional work.

Day 2: Underlayment and accessories. Six feet of Ice & Water Shield at the eaves per California Residential Code, full coverage in all valleys, around every penetration, and up any sidewall junctions. Synthetic underlayment (GAF FeltBuster, CertainTeed RoofRunner, or Malarkey ArmorBlend) across the entire field. Aluminum drip edge at all eaves and rakes. Starter strip with sealant bead.

Days 2-4: Main field installation. Shingles (or tile, or metal) installed to manufacturer spec — six-nail pattern on GAF Timberline in wind-prone areas, proper offset, hand-sealed wherever the factory seal needs help. Flashing goes in as we work, step flashing at walls, new counter flashing at chimneys, custom-bent pieces for the tricky intersections.

Day 4 or 5: Finishing. Ridge vent (typically GAF Cobra or CertainTeed Ridge Runner), ridge caps, new roof-to-wall flashing, new pipe boots (we use Oatey Perma-Boot or Master Flash depending on application). Final inspection by our foreman, water test where there's any question, magnetic sweep of the entire property including driveways and walkways.

Day 5+: Permit sign-off. We call the city or county inspector, they come out, they sign the card, and the job is closed. You get your warranty registration confirmation by email, usually the same week.

Materials and Brands We Use

We install the full GAF and CertainTeed residential product lines and several others depending on what the home needs.

Asphalt shingles:

• GAF Timberline HDZ — the industry volume leader, 25+ year manufacturer warranty, upgrades to Golden Pledge 50-year with our Master Elite registration.
• GAF Timberline UHDZ — thicker profile, more dimensional shadow, same Golden Pledge coverage.
• GAF Timberline AS II — impact-resistant (Class 4 rating), qualifies for insurance discounts in some California carriers.
• CertainTeed Landmark Pro and Presidential — Landmark Pro for mid-tier projects, Presidential TL (triple-laminate) for the Blackhawk and Alamo estates where homeowners want a luxury aesthetic.
• Owens Corning Duration Storm and Duration Cool — SureNail strip, and the Duration Cool qualifies under California Title 24 cool roof requirements and Berkeley's cool roof ordinance.
• Malarkey Vista AR — NEX polymer-modified asphalt, recycled content, great algae resistance for shaded Orinda and Moraga properties.

Tile:

• Boral concrete tile — broad color and profile selection, strong warranty.
• Eagle Malibu and Capistrano — S-tile and flat profile concrete, very common across older Danville and San Ramon neighborhoods.
• Clay barrel tile — sourced through MCA or US Tile for the Mediterranean estates.

Metal:

• Decra stone-coated steel — looks like tile, weighs a fraction, ideal for retrofit where the trusses can't handle real tile.
• Standing seam metal — 24-gauge painted steel or aluminum for modern architecture and hillside properties where fire resistance is the priority.

Code and Permit Requirements

Every full replacement in California requires a building permit. We pull the permit for your jurisdiction and schedule every required inspection. Here's what governs the work:

• CRC R908.3 — maximum of two roofing layers allowed. If you already have two, tear-off is mandatory.
• CRC R803 — roof decking requirements. Minimum 15/32" structural panel sheathing on standard rafter spacing.
• California Residential Code ice barrier provision — Ice & Water Shield required at eaves and valleys.
• California Building Code Chapter 7A — mandatory for any property in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. That covers the hills above Oakland, Berkeley, Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, Alamo, Danville, and parts of Martinez and Pleasant Hill. Chapter 7A means Class A fire-rated assembly, ember-resistant vents, and noncombustible gutters or gutter guards.
• California Title 24, Part 6 — energy code. Reflective ("cool roof") materials required in certain climate zones and on re-roofs above a minimum steep-slope threshold. Berkeley has its own cool roof ordinance on top of the state rule.
• Local amendments — Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Martinez each have their own inspector quirks. We know them.

We file, we schedule, we walk the inspector through the job. You don't touch a form.

Pricing and Timeline

For a typical 30-square East Bay home in 2026:

• Standard asphalt replacement: $14,000 to $22,000 for GAF Timberline HDZ or CertainTeed Landmark with synthetic underlayment, standard ventilation, and 25-30 year manufacturer warranty. Three to four days on-site.
• Premium asphalt: $22,000 to $45,000 for Timberline UHDZ, Landmark Pro, Presidential TL, or Duration Storm with Ice & Water Shield perimeter, Golden Pledge warranty registration, and enhanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation. Four to five days.
• Concrete tile: $28,000 to $65,000 for Boral or Eagle. Five to seven days.
• Clay tile: $40,000 to $95,000 depending on profile and imports. Six to eight days.
• Metal (standing seam or Decra): $35,000 to $85,000. Five to seven days.

Weather adds time in December through February. Complex geometry (multiple dormers, turrets, steep-pitch sections over 8:12) adds 10-20% to both labor and timeline. We'll quote everything honestly in the written estimate.

Cities We Serve

We replace roofs daily across Contra Costa, Alameda, and Marin counties. Highest-volume cities: Walnut Creek, Concord, Danville, Alamo, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, and Alameda.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready for a Real Estimate?

Call East Bay Roofers at (925) 722-4916 or request a free replacement estimate. GAF Master Elite certified, CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster, CA license #987654 (C-39), 4.9 out of 5 across 527 reviews. Family-owned since 1988, based at 2310 Bates Ave in Concord.