Metal roofing
Architectural shingles
Tile roofing
GAF
Owens Corning
Flat & low-slopeFree roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Fast, Reliable Roof Replacement Across Lakewood
Most full roof replacements on Lakewood’s 1950s ranch homes run between $14,000 and $24,000, depending on whether we’re stripping one layer or two and how much decking needs to come up. If you’re searching for Roof Replacement in Lakewood, you’re likely looking at a home where the original roof has finally reached the end of its service life. We know these houses. The low-slope decks, the carports, the breezeways, the skip sheathing. We schedule Lakewood replacements within days, not weeks, and you’ll get a written price before we touch anything. Call (562) 512-7366 to talk through your roof with a real person, any hour.
Why Birchbark Roofing Long Beach Is Lakewood’s Preferred Roof Replacement Company
Lakewood homeowners call us because we treat the house like a home, not a job site. Our crews lay drop cloths from the front door to the work area, wear shoe covers inside, and photograph the clean-up before we pull away. That’s the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it’s stamped on every job. Kids’ toys stay where they are. The dog’s water bowl doesn’t get kicked over. If a bedroom window faces the roof deck, we’ll tell you before we start tear-off near it.
Erik Lindgren leads our team, and he’s built the company around one simple idea: write down what you’ll pay, do what you wrote down, and stand behind it for a full year. The 365-Day Done Right Promise means if something isn’t right after we leave, we come back and make it right. No argument, no re-quote. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, so when someone knocks on your Lakewood door at 7:30 a.m., you know exactly who they are and why they’re there.
Styles & brands we work with
Roof Installation in Lakewood
Roof Installation in Lakewood usually means a full tear-off on a ranch built between 1950 and 1960. We strip everything down to the deck, inspect what’s underneath, and replace rotted sections before laying the new system. A typical Lakewood installation runs $16,000 to $22,000 for a standard ranch footprint. That includes tear-off, haul-away, new underlayment, drip edge, shingles, ridge vent, and full clean-up. If your roof has two layers of old composition, add roughly $1,800 to $2,600 for the extra tear-off labor and dump fees.
Full Tear-Off and Deck Inspection
On Lakewood homes with original skip sheathing, we find water damage at the eaves more often than not. Those 1950s builds often lack drip edge and ice and water shield, so capillary action wicks moisture back under the shingles. We show you photos of any rot we find and give you a written price for decking replacement before we cut anything.
Santa Ana Wind Uplift Upgrades
Lakewood sits in a wind corridor that sees Santa Ana gusts strong enough to peel starter strips when the nailing pattern is too sparse. We upgrade to six nails per shingle on windward eaves and use a high-wind starter strip that locks into the first course. It’s a small material cost increase, but it’s the difference between a roof that survives the next wind event and one that ends up on a neighbor’s lawn.
Roof Replacement Contractor in Lakewood
A Roof Replacement Contractor in Lakewood should know what happens when a 1950s low-slope roof meets current fire code. Many Lakewood homes still carry the original wood shake roofs, which are now prohibited. The moment you pull a permit, the county requires conversion to Class A asphalt composition shingles. We handle that entire process, from the permit paperwork to the final inspection. Budget $18,000 to $24,000 for a wood shake conversion on a typical Lakewood ranch, including shake tear-off, deck resurfacing, and the new Class A system.
Wood Shake to Composition Conversion
Converting from wood shake to composition shingles isn’t just swapping materials. The old shake roof sits on spaced sheathing that won’t support modern shingles. We overlay the deck with plywood or OSB, then install the new system on a solid surface. It’s a bigger job than a standard re-shingle, and it’s the single most common replacement we perform in Lakewood.
Low-Slope Roof Considerations
Many Lakewood ranches sit at a 2:12 or 3:12 pitch, which is right at the edge of what architectural shingles can handle. We measure every slope before quoting. On a true low-slope deck, we recommend a modified bitumen or TPO system instead of shingles, because shingles on a nearly flat deck will leak at the first good rain. We’ll tell you if your roof qualifies for architectural shingles or needs a low-slope membrane, and we’ll put that in writing.
Trusted Brands We Service in Lakewood
We install materials from GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning, and we stock common components for Lakewood’s housing stock locally, which keeps turnaround tight when you need a full replacement scheduled around a closing date or a lease turnover. GAF Timberline HDZ is our most-installed shingle in Lakewood because of its wind rating and color range. For homeowners who want the look of shake without the fire risk, CertainTeed’s Grand Manor line offers a shake-style profile with a Class A fire rating. We don’t push one brand. We quote what fits your roof, your budget, and the wind exposure on your street.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Roof Replacement Problems We See in Lakewood Homes
- Rotted eaves from missing drip edge. Homes built without proper drip edge let water wick back under the shingle edge, rotting the deck boards and fascia. We see this on nearly every original 1950s roof we tear off in Lakewood, especially near the front entry overhangs.
- Failed open-valley flashing. Lakewood ranch layouts often channel water through open valleys into carports or breezeways. When the original metal flashing corrodes or lifts, leaks follow the valley line straight into the ceiling. We convert failing open valleys to closed, woven valleys on most replacements.
- Wind-peeled starter strips. Santa Ana winds hit the windward eave first. If the original roof was nailed with a four-nail pattern, the starter strip fails and takes the first course with it. We upgrade to six nails per shingle on the windward edges of every Lakewood replacement.
- Wood shake fire code violations. Original wood shake roofs are a fire hazard and now prohibited when permits are pulled. If your Lakewood home still has one, a replacement is not optional once you touch the roof. We handle the full conversion and the county inspection.
Pricing for Roof Replacement in Lakewood, CA
Here’s what a full replacement costs in Lakewood, based on jobs we’ve priced in the last twelve months. A standard 1,400 to 1,800 square foot ranch with one layer of composition runs $14,000 to $19,000. Two-layer tear-offs add $1,800 to $2,600. Wood shake conversions run $18,000 to $24,000. Decking replacement, when needed, runs $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot of damaged area. The exact number depends on slope, access, and whether you have a carport or breezeway that ties into the main roof. You’ll see your exact price in writing before any work starts. Call (562) 512-7366 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Lakewood
Our crews work throughout the surrounding area, including Harbor City, Lomita, Long Beach, and Paramount. If you’re in Lakewood proper or just across the city line, we’ll schedule your estimate the same way: a real person answers, we show up on time, and we leave a written price. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Los Angeles office, and crews serve Lakewood locally every week.
Serving Lakewood, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lakewood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Roof Replacement in Lakewood
Yes. Unincorporated areas of Lakewood fall under county permitting, and even city-permitted work requires county fire code review for roof assemblies. Any replacement, repair, or re-shingle on a single-family home requires a permit and a final inspection. We pull the permit, schedule the inspection, and make sure the job passes the first time. Call (562) 512-7366 if you want us to handle the paperwork for you.
At 2:12, architectural shingles are below most manufacturers’ minimum pitch requirements. We’ll measure the slope on every plane of your roof before quoting. If it falls under 3:12, we recommend a modified bitumen membrane or a TPO system for the low-slope sections, paired with shingles on steeper sections if you have them. Using shingles on a roof that’s too flat will void the manufacturer warranty and invite leaks.
Skip sheathing means the deck is made of 1×6 boards with gaps between them, built for wood shake, not modern shingles. You can’t nail composition shingles to it. We add a plywood or OSB overlay before installing the new system, which adds $1,200 to $2,400 depending on roof size and the condition of the original boards. If the boards themselves are rotted, we replace them, and you’ll see that line item on your written quote before we start.
Most Class A composition shingles carry a wind rating between 110 and 130 mph, but the rating only holds if the shingle is nailed correctly. We upgrade to six nails per shingle on the windward eave and use a high-wind starter strip, which is the system that actually keeps the roof on during a Santa Ana event. If your street sits open to the northeast or east, we’ll recommend a shingle with a 130 mph rating and a manufacturer wind warranty to match.
If the decking is sound and the surrounding shingles are still flexible, a spot repair is feasible and runs $350 to $750 depending on access and the number of shingles involved. But if your Lakewood home has the original 1950s roof, patches become a losing game, because the underlayment and flashing are failing everywhere at once, and every patch is a future leak waiting to happen. We’ll give you an honest read on whether repair buys you time or just delays the inevitable. Call (562) 512-7366 and we’ll inspect it for free.
Written by Erik Lindgren, Owner at Birchbark Roofing Long Beach, serving Lakewood since 2000.