Roofing Services in Van Nuys
The San Fernando Valley is tough on roofs and we do not sugarcoat that. Van Nuys regularly sees triple-digit heat in summer, and that kind of temperature beats down asphalt shingles faster than anywhere on the Westside or near the coast. We have been working on Valley roofs long enough to know exactly which materials and techniques hold up and which ones fail early.
Van Nuys has a big mix of housing stock. Older ranch homes from the 50s and 60s along Victory and Vanowen, apartments and multi-family buildings near Van Nuys Blvd, and newer construction scattered throughout. Each one has different roofing needs. The apartment buildings need commercial-grade flat roof systems. The old ranch homes need re-roofs with modern underlayment and proper ventilation that the original builders never thought about.
Lake Balboa and the areas near Sepulveda Basin tend to have slightly larger lots and more mature trees, which means debris buildup and branch damage. Panorama City and Arleta have denser housing where we do a lot of apartment building work.
What Sets Us Apart in Van Nuys
We understand Valley heat and what it does to roofing materials. A lot of roofers from the Westside come out here and install the same specs they use near the coast. That does not work. We spec higher-temperature underlayment, recommend light-colored or cool-rated materials, and make sure attic ventilation is right. A roof in Van Nuys without proper ridge and soffit vents is going to cook itself from underneath.
We also work under LADBS permits and know the LA city inspection process. No surprises, no failed inspections, no callbacks.
Common Roof Problems in Van Nuys
Heat damage is what we deal with most. Shingles curl, crack, and lose granules faster here than almost anywhere else in LA. Flat roofs on apartment buildings develop cracks in the membrane from constant thermal expansion and contraction. We see a lot of roofs where the underlayment has basically baked into a brittle sheet that crumbles when you touch it.
Santa Ana winds are the other big problem. Every fall, we get calls from homeowners who lost shingles or had tiles blow off. The gusts funnel through the Valley and can rip up a roof that looked fine the day before. After a wind event, we are usually booked solid for a couple weeks with repairs.
Van Nuys Neighborhoods and Building Age
Most single-family housing in Van Nuys was built between 1945 and 1965 to handle post-war population growth. That means a huge stock of original wood-frame ranch and minimal traditional homes, almost all of which have been re-roofed at least once. The original sheathing is usually 1x6 plank, which works fine but sometimes needs spot repair when we tear off.
Lake Balboa and the area around the Sepulveda Basin tend to have larger lots with more mature trees. That brings two issues - debris in the gutters and valleys, and occasional branch damage during wind events. We do a lot of preventive work here cleaning out roof valleys before the rainy season.
Panorama City and Arleta have a higher concentration of multi-family buildings - apartments, fourplexes, and small commercial. Most of these are flat-roof construction with built-up or modified bitumen systems that are now 30+ years old and due for replacement. We do a lot of commercial flat-roof work in this corridor.
The areas around Van Nuys Airport include some industrial and warehouse buildings with large flat roofs. TPO and modified bitumen are the common systems we install on these.
Serving Van Nuys and Nearby Areas
We cover all of Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Arleta, and the areas around Van Nuys Airport. We also service Sherman Oaks, Encino, Reseda, and North Hollywood. If you are in the Valley, give us a call for a free estimate.