Roofing Contractor Happy Valley - 5-Star Reviews

What Happy Valley Weather Does to Your Roof

Happy Valley averages around 48 inches of rain a year, a good ten inches above the national average. December brings close to nine inches on its own, while July averages half an inch. Roofs here spend most of the year damp, and that steady wet, not any one storm, is what wears them out.

Sitting up against Scouters Mountain with mature tree cover over a lot of the housing, Happy Valley is prime moss country. Oregon State University Extension is blunt about it: in the moist Pacific Northwest, moss on roofs is inevitable. The trouble is not the moss itself. It packs soil and water against the shingles, and on asphalt and metal it works its way underneath and lifts them until water can follow.

Two rules, then. Never pressure wash it: OSU states plainly that pressure washing damages shingles. And do not expect a cleaning to hold. Unless the roof gets more light and dries out faster, the moss comes back. Cutting the branches back over the roof does more than any treatment you can buy.

Do You Need a Permit to Reroof in Happy Valley?

This is one you do not call the county about. Happy Valley runs its own Building Division, at 16000 SE Misty Drive, 503-783-3800, even though the city sits in Clackamas County.

Under the Oregon rule the city enforces, a permit is required for “applying roofing when all of the old roofing is removed, and all new roof sheathing is installed.” A permit is not required for “replacing roofing where the weight of the replacement or repair does not exceed 30 percent of the roof’s required live load design capacity and is not required to be fire resistant.”

In plain terms: a full tear-off down to new sheathing needs a permit, and a lighter repair or replacement usually does not. We work out which one your roof is before we price it, and we pull the permit when it is needed.

Check Your HOA Before You Pick a Colour

Happy Valley is a city of planned communities, and many of them review how your roof looks. Jackson Hills spells it out in its own rules: “All changes to the color, structure, or landscape require an architectural committee approval to assure changes fit the neighborhood,” with a response inside “10 – 20 working days.” On colour it is specific: “Earth tone colors fitting with the neighborhood are likely to gain architectural approval. Vibrant or contrasting colors will not be approved.”

It also flags the thing homeowners get wrong: “Architecture Approval neither waives the need for City, County, State, or Federal requirements nor permits.” An HOA yes is not the city’s yes, and you may well need both. If your community has an architectural committee, start that approval early. It can add two to four weeks before a crew can begin.

Happy Valley Neighborhoods We Cover

Scouters Mountain, Eagle Landing, Jackson Hills, Altamont, Taralon, Sunrise Heights, Northern Heights, Monterey Estates, Ridgeview Estates, Pioneer Highlands, Hidden Falls and Royal Vista, among others. We are based just north in Gresham, which puts us minutes away rather than across the metro.

Happy Valley Roofing Questions We Get Asked

Do I need a permit to reroof in Happy Valley?

It depends on the job, and the permit comes from the city, not Clackamas County. A full tear-off with new sheathing requires one. A lighter replacement or repair, where the weight does not exceed 30 percent of the roof’s required live load design capacity and fire resistance is not required, does not. Happy Valley’s Building Division is at 503-783-3800.

Does my HOA have to approve my new roof?

In many Happy Valley communities, yes. Architectural committees commonly review roof colour and material, earth tones tend to be approved and bold colours refused, and a decision can take two to four working weeks. Getting HOA approval does not replace the city permit; where both are needed, you need both.

Why does the moss keep coming back on my roof?

Because cleaning is cosmetic. OSU Extension’s position is that the environment has to change, and up against Scouters Mountain the shade is the environment. Whatever hangs over the roof decides whether the moss comes back, not whatever you spray on it.

When is the best time of year to reroof in Happy Valley?

July and August are the driest by far, half an inch against nearly nine in December. We keep working through the winter regardless, because most houses need a dry day or two rather than a dry season.

What does a new roof cost in Happy Valley?

Square footage, pitch, the number of layers coming off and the material. Happy Valley often adds a fifth factor: if your community restricts the colour or the material, that narrows what you can choose and moves the price with it. We quote the roof you are actually allowed to build, not the cheapest one on paper.

Can you do a roof inspection before I buy or sell?

Yes. We get on the roof, photograph what is there and write up its condition and what it needs, so a sale is negotiated from evidence instead of from somebody’s opinion about how the roof looks from the driveway.

Do you install siding in Happy Valley too?

Yes. Vinyl, fiber cement, wood, engineered wood and metal siding, on residential and commercial buildings, alongside the roofing work.

Are you licensed and insured?

Oregon CCB#214272 and Washington FOXRORC743JT, bonded and insured, ShingleMaster certified. Your architectural committee will usually want that licence number on the approval form, so we put it in writing with the estimate rather than making you ask.