Roofing contractor services in Portland, OR 97205
Eight months of rain, shaded north slopes and a lot of roofs that went on decades ago. We repair, replace and maintain roofs on both sides of the Willamette, working out of a downtown office on SW Morrison Street.
For roofing across Portland, call (503) 917-5484. We answer 24/7 and send roofers to the east side, the west side, North and Northeast, Southeast and the inner neighborhoods. Most jobs here involve leaks around chimneys and pipe boots, moss on north slopes, worn three-tab shingles on older homes, or full replacements, and every price comes from an on-roof look and a written estimate.
Portland roofs fail in a predictable way. The rain starts around October, keeps going into May, and finds the weakest flashing, the cracked pipe boot or the valley packed with fir needles. Moss takes hold on the shaded side, lifts shingle edges and holds water against the mat. By the time a stain shows on a bedroom ceiling, the decking underneath has often been wet for weeks.
We work the whole city from our office at 827 SW Morrison Street, downtown. That covers the Craftsman and Old Portland homes of the inner east side, the hillside lots of the West Hills and Southwest, the bungalows of North Portland toward the St. Johns Bridge, and the mid-century ranches farther east toward I-205. The work is the same trade everywhere, but each part of town hands us a different roof.
What kinds of roofs cover Portland, quadrant by quadrant?
Inner Northeast and Southeast are dense with homes from roughly 1900 to the 1930s: Craftsman bungalows, Foursquares, Colonial Revival and the tall Old Portland style with steep main roofs and dormers. Many still carry a second or third layer of shingles over the original skip sheathing, and some have built-in box gutters hidden behind the eaves. Neighborhoods like Laurelhurst, Irvington and Sellwood-Moreland sit in this band, with big street trees shading half the roof.
West of the river the lots tilt. Hillsdale, Multnomah Village and the Southwest Hills mix 1920s cottages with postwar ranches and split-levels, under heavy Douglas fir cover. North Portland around St. Johns and Arbor Lodge leans toward modest bungalows and wartime homes. Farther east, past Rose City Park toward I-205, you find mid-century ranches with low-slope sections. Downtown and the inner industrial blocks bring flat commercial and multifamily roofs with TPO, torch-down and EPDM membranes.
Which roof problems do Portland homeowners call about most?
Moss on shaded north slopes
Under firs and maples, moss grows thick on the side that never dries. It wicks water up under shingle edges and clogs gutters. We remove it by hand and soft wash, never with a pressure washer, then add zinc strips near the ridge.
Chimney and wall flashing leaks
Older brick chimneys often have caulked or surface-nailed flashing that lets go after a few wet winters. We cut in new step flashing and counterflashing, and build a cricket behind wider chimneys so water stops pooling there.
Wind and ice storm damage
East wind out of the Columbia River Gorge and storms like the January 2024 ice event pull shingles, drop limbs and crack gutters. We tarp the same day when water is coming in, then repair or replace.
Rotted decking under old layers
Two layers of shingles over skip sheathing hide soft spots until a tear-off. We replace rotted boards, sheath over gaps with plywood where needed, and lay synthetic underlayment with ice and water shield at eaves and valleys.
Roofing services in Portland
These are the jobs we do most across Portland, from a single leak at a pipe boot to a full tear-off and new seamless gutters.
Roof Repair
Portland roofs rarely fail all at once. A few torn shingles, a cracked ridge cap or a soft valley can be fixed cleanly and matched to what you have...
Roof Replacement
When patches stop holding and the shingles are bare, curling or shedding granules, a full reroof is the smarter spend. We replace Portland roofs from...
Roof Moss Removal
Moss on a Portland roof is almost a given under the firs. We take it off by hand and brush, treat what is left and add zinc so it grows back slower.
Roof Leak Repair
A stain on a Portland ceiling is rarely under the hole that caused it. We trace the water back along rafters and decking to the true entry point...
Chimney Flashing Repair
Portland's old brick chimneys are the single most common leak point we see. Proper chimney flashing uses two layers of metal, one woven into the...
Seamless Gutter Installation
Seamless aluminum gutters formed on site to fit your Portland home, sized for our long rainy season and fitted with downspouts that move water away...
Flat Roof Repair
Low-slope roofs in Portland hold water for months at a time. We find where it's getting in, repair the membrane, seams and drains, and get your flat...
Emergency Roof Tarping
When a Portland roof has a hole too big to fix that night, a properly anchored tarp keeps rain out of the house for weeks while repairs, insurance...
Portland neighborhoods with their own page
Laurelhurst
Laurelhurst houses went up mostly in the 1910s and 1920s, under elms and maples that now shade half of every roof. We...
Irvington
Big two and three story houses, deep eaves, cross gables and a lot of roof per lot. Irvington homes ask more of a...
Alameda
Alameda sits on an old ridge above Northeast Portland, and the houses along the crest catch more weather than the flats...
Eastmoreland
Eastmoreland has some of the largest lots and tallest trees in Southeast Portland. That means cedar roofs worth saving...
Sellwood-Moreland
Rows of bungalows and cottages, a few big Victorians, and a river breeze off the Willamette. Sellwood-Moreland roofs...
Hillsdale
Hillsdale homes sit on wooded hillsides off Capitol Highway and Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, where Douglas firs shade...
Multnomah Village
Cottages on winding lanes, postwar homes on wooded lots and a small main street of shops along SW Capitol Highway. In...
Mount Tabor
Houses wrap around the slopes of an old volcano here, with the park and its reservoirs at the top. Steep roofs, steep...
Rose City Park
Bungalows and English cottages from the 1920s, mid-century ranches toward the golf course, and a lot of finished attics...
Concordia
Concordia's bungalows have carried a lot of Portland winters, and many are on their second or third layer of shingles....
Woodstock
Woodstock mixes 1920s bungalows with postwar ranches and Cape Cods, and each era leaks in its own way. We track down...
Beaumont-Wilshire
Beaumont-Wilshire's 1920s Tudors, English cottages and Colonials have steep roofs, tall chimneys and complex valleys....
St. Johns
St. Johns sits on the north tip of the peninsula, open to river wind from the Willamette and Columbia. We repair storm...
Arbor Lodge
Arbor Lodge homes range from 1920s bungalows to brand new rowhouses along the Interstate Avenue MAX line. We replace...
Richmond
Richmond packs Old Portland houses, Craftsman bungalows, plexes and mixed-use buildings between SE Hawthorne and...
Southwest Hills
In the Southwest Hills, tall Douglas firs, steep lots and winding roads make roofing a different job than on the flats....
How does a roof visit work anywhere in Portland?
You call (503) 917-5484 and talk through what you are seeing. A roofer comes out, walks the roof when it is safe, checks the attic for staining and daylight, and photographs the problem areas. On steep or wet roofs we use harnesses and roof jacks. Inner east side streets are tight for parking, so we plan dumpster and truck placement with you, and on hillside lots in the west we stage materials where the driveway allows. You get a written estimate before any work starts.
Roofing questions from Portland
How soon can a roofer reach my home in Portland after a leak starts?
We answer 24/7. When water is actively coming in, we try to get a roofer out the same day or night to tarp and stop it, depending on wind, ice and how many storm calls are already open. Permanent repairs follow once the roof is dry enough to work on safely.
Is it worth repairing an older Portland roof or should I replace it?
It depends on how much life the shingles have left. A roof under about fifteen years with one bad flashing detail is usually a repair. A roof with curled, granule-bare shingles, multiple layers and soft decking in several spots usually costs less to replace than to keep patching. We show you photos and give you both options in writing.
Do you work on both the east and west sides of Portland?
Yes. Our office is downtown on SW Morrison Street, and we roof homes and buildings in every quadrant: inner Northeast and Southeast, North Portland, the West Hills and Southwest neighborhoods, and the eastern neighborhoods out toward I-205. Nearby suburbs on both sides of the river are covered too.
Nearby places we roof
Roof trouble in Portland?
Call and describe what you are seeing. We answer 24/7 and send a roofer as soon as one is free.