Salt Lake County, Utah
Roofing in the South Jordan area
From tear-off to ridge cap across South Jordan and the streets around it.
How roofs age around South Jordan
Housing stock around South Jordan was mostly built in a handful of waves, which means roofs there tend to reach the end of their first covering within a few years of each other. What looks like one neighbor needing a roof is usually a street reaching the same age.
A South Jordan roof that opens up in a storm needs a tarp before it needs a sales pitch. We stop the water first, because that is usually the difference between a ceiling and a remodel.
The weather a South Jordan roof works against
Dry for months, then all at once
This climate does not rain steadily, it saves up. Long dry stretches let dust pack into valleys and gutters, then a single cell drops an inch in half an hour. A valley that was clean in May is holding pine duff and grit by August, and that debris dams the water right where the roof concentrates it.
What we clear before storm season
Valleys, gutter runs, the back side of chimneys, and the low end of any cricket. Ten minutes of clearing beats a drywall repair.
Runoff volume off a steep pitch
When the melt finally comes, a steep roof hands its whole surface to the gutter in a hurry. Pitch does not make water, it concentrates it, and a gutter sized for a gentle slope overshoots on a steep one. The water lands at the foundation instead of going down the leader.
Undersized is the usual answer
Bigger trough, a second downspout, and a deeper gutter apron so the overflow does not run behind the fascia. That is a cheaper fix than a wet basement wall.
The valley floor sees less snow than the benches above it, but the benches above it are where a lot of the housing is. A roof in Holladay or Cottonwood Heights lives a different winter from one in Kearns, five miles away.
What we find on roofs around South Jordan
Six nails in the right line
Every shingle wrapper prints a nailing pattern and a nail line, and that pattern is what the wind rating was earned with. High nailing misses the reinforced strip and leaves the nail head sitting in the exposed area of the shingle below. Four nails where the wrapper asks for six cuts the uplift resistance on the one part of the roof the wind works hardest.
Overdriven is as bad as missing
A gun set too hot cuts through the mat and the shingle is hanging on a hole.
Cheapest detail to get right
And the most common thing done wrong.
Ridge vent against box vents
A continuous ridge slot pulls air along the entire peak, which is why it outperforms a row of box vents on most houses. Box vents still win in specific situations: a hip roof with almost no ridge to cut, a roof broken into separate attic spaces that do not share air, or a low ridge where a slot would sit under drifted snow all winter.
Never mix the two on one attic
Put both on the same space and the ridge pulls its air from the nearest box vent instead of from the soffit. The attic barely moves and the roof looks correctly vented from the driveway.
South Jordan is part of our Salt Lake County work. 27 years in the trade, and a full replacement carries our 10-year workmanship warranty.
What we do around South Jordan
Every service is its own page. These are the ones South Jordan asks for most.
Roofing
Full replacements and new roofs on South Jordan homes, deck up.
Repairs
Leaks and failed details, which is most of what South Jordan calls about.
Upkeep
Inspections, cleaning and sealing before a small thing gets expensive.
Shingles
Architectural laminate, the field material on most of this valley.
Metal
Standing seam and corrugated, common on canyon-side snow load.
Tile
Clay and concrete tile, and the flashing work they need.
Commercial
Membrane systems for flat and low-slope buildings around South Jordan.
Coatings
Restoration coatings when a commercial roof has life left.
Storm
Hail, wind and the insurance paperwork that follows.
Skylights
Installation and the curb-flashing repairs skylights usually need.
Gutters
Gutters, downspouts and fascia, which are part of the roof.
Government
Schools, city, county, state and federal buildings. Every government service is on the government roofing page.
How the job runs
Documenting the decking
Once the old roof is off, the deck gets walked and anything soft, delaminated or split is marked. Sheets get counted and photographed before replacement, because decking is the one part of a roof that cannot be priced honestly in advance and it is also the easiest place for a dishonest contractor to pad a bill. Photos with the count settle it.
Skip sheathing on older homes
Plank decking with gaps has to be sheeted over before asphalt can go down. We tell you that before we start if we can see it from the attic.
Permits and code
Residential re-roofs pull a permit in most jurisdictions we work in, and the inspector is generally checking the same handful of things: ice barrier coverage at the eave, drip edge, proper fastening, and ventilation. We pull the permit as part of the job rather than leaving it on the homeowner.
Code is a floor
It is the minimum a roof is allowed to be, not a description of a good one. Plenty of our details go past it because the weather here asks for more.
Roofs around South Jordan
Work from around the valley
We are not salespeople
Nobody here is going to sit at your kitchen table and work a close. We get on the roof, we tell you what is up there, and we leave you with the information. If the roof has five good years left, that is what we will say, and we would rather you call us in five years than feel pushed today.
No pressure, no expiring offers
Roofs do not need urgency manufactured for them. When one needs replacing, it is obvious.
Straight about what a roof needs
Not every roof needs replacing. Some roofs need a pipe boot. Some need one slope. Some need everything. We tell you which, we show you the pictures, and we let you decide with the real information in front of you.
Including when it is not us
If a roof needs something outside what we do well, we will point you at who does it.
Questions we get asked
Not the question you had? Call the shop and ask a person. We would rather talk it through than have you guess from a website.
(801) 382-8898Do you actually work in South Jordan?
Yes. South Jordan sits inside the ground we cover around Salt Lake City, and the crew is there most weeks rather than once a season.
How fast can you get to South Jordan after a storm?
As fast as we can get there. Stopping the water comes first and the permanent repair follows once the weather opens a window.
Will you tell me if I do not need a new roof?
Yes. Plenty of what we look at turns out to be a repair, and we say so. A roof with years left in it gets left alone, and you get the photographs either way.
How long does a roof replacement take?
Most houses in this valley are a one to two day job once the crew is on site. Steeper pitches, multiple layers to strip and complicated roofs with a lot of valleys take longer, and we tell you which yours is before we start.
Do you handle the insurance side?
On hail-damaged roofs, we work with your insurance to get the roof covered. We document the damage thoroughly with photographs, so the claim reflects what is actually on the roof.
What happens if you find bad decking?
We show you. The decking is only visible during a tear-off, so that is when soft sheathing gets found and replaced. We photograph it rather than just add it to a list.
Where South Jordan sits on our map
We work South Jordan as part of our Salt Lake County schedule.
Talk to Hancock
Roof work in South Jordan
Call (801) 382-8898. Photographs of what we find come back to you either way.