Roof types we install in Los Angeles, compared
The roof types Los Angeles homes and buildings actually use, side by side. What each one costs, how long it lasts, what the city requires, and which one we'd put on your roof if it were ours.
License #1131531. Bonded and insured. GAF Certified. We install every system on this page ourselves.
Not sure which roof? Ask us on a free estimate
A crew lead looks at the roof you have, the house it's on and what you want from it, then prices two or three options side by side. We call you back within one business hour.
Every roof we install, on one table
The short version of the roof types Los Angeles homeowners choose between. Each system has its own page with the long one. Lifespans and cost levels are for Southern California, where the sun does more damage than the rain.
Cost is relative, one dollar sign being the least expensive installed. Lifespans are typical for a properly installed and maintained roof in Southern California, and a roof that's never looked at won't reach them.
Weighing two of them? Read the best roofing material for Los Angeles, which goes through each one for a homeowner.
Each system, in a paragraph
Enough to know which page to open next.
Asphalt shingle
The most common roof on a Los Angeles house, and for good reason. Architectural shingles, a wide color range, quick to install, and cool roof rated options that meet Title 24.
Clay and concrete tile
The classic look for a Spanish or Mediterranean home, and the roof that confuses people most, because the tile lasts fifty years and the underlayment beneath it doesn't. Lift and relay explained on the page.
Metal and standing seam
The longest lasting roof we install, light enough for an ADU, Class A fire rated, and increasingly the choice for modern homes. Few LA roofers install standing seam. We do.
Flat and low slope
The hub for every flat roof question. Ponding, drainage, and how to choose between torch down, TPO, PVC and a coating for a home or a building.
Torch down
Modified bitumen, the flat roof most South Bay homes and small buildings already have. Tough, repairable, and available with a cool cap sheet.
TPO and PVC
Single ply membranes, white and welded. The standard for new commercial roofs and a strong choice for a flat roofed home or ADU. PVC where there's grease or chemicals.
Cool roofs and Title 24
Not a material, a rule. What Los Angeles requires on most roof replacements, in plain English, and how it affects your color choice more than your budget.
Coatings
Silicone and elastomeric coatings that restore a sound flat or metal roof for a fraction of a replacement. When it works, when it doesn't.
Tile, Torrance
Shingle, Los Feliz
Replacement, Calabasas
Three things Los Angeles adds to the decision
Whatever you'd choose anywhere else, three local rules narrow it here. We build to all of them, and we'll tell you how they affect your options before you fall in love with a color.
Cool roof rules
On most Los Angeles roof replacements and all new construction, the material has to be cool roof rated. Every system above has a version that qualifies. It shapes your color choices more than your price. How Title 24 works
Fire rating
Large parts of Los Angeles sit in fire hazard zones that require a Class A roof assembly, and it's the sensible spec everywhere else. Shingle, tile, metal and the flat systems can all meet it when they're installed as a system, which is how we install them.
What the framing can carry
Tile is heavy. Going from shingle to tile means your builder confirms the framing can take it, sometimes with reinforcement. Going from tile to metal or shingle takes weight off. Two layers is the maximum under code, so the next roof may have to be a tear off.
How we help you choose, and why we don't push one
A roofer who only installs one system will recommend that system. We install all the roof types Los Angeles homes use, so the advice can be about your house.
The house decides first
A Spanish home wants tile. A mid century wants shingle or a low profile metal. A flat roof has three real options. We start from what suits the house, not from what we'd like to sell.
Then how long you're staying
Selling in five years and metal is hard to justify. Staying for thirty and shingle means doing it twice. The best roofing material for Los Angeles depends on the answer, and we ask.
Then the budget, in writing
Two or three systems priced side by side on the same estimate, with the life you'd expect from each, so the extra cost of the longer roof is a number you can weigh, not a feeling.
Then the code, so you don't find out later
Title 24, fire rating, weight and the two layer limit, checked against your roof before the estimate, so nothing changes after you've picked.
Every system on this page is installed across Inglewood, the South Bay and the Westside. See every area we serve.
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Roof type questions we get asked most
What's the best roofing material for a Los Angeles home?
For most pitched roof homes, architectural asphalt shingle in a cool roof rated color, because it's affordable, meets Title 24 and looks right on most houses. Tile if the house is Spanish or Mediterranean and the framing can carry it. Metal if you want the longest life and a modern look. Read the best roofing material for Los Angeles for the full comparison.
Which roof lasts the longest?
Standing seam metal, at 40 to 60 years. Clay tile lasts longer than that, but the underlayment beneath it needs replacing at 25 to 30, which is the part people don't budget for.
Which is the cheapest roof to install?
Asphalt shingle on a pitched roof, and a coating on a flat roof that's still sound. Both are also the ones that need replacing soonest, so the cheapest roof over thirty years is often a different answer.
Do I have to install a cool roof?
On most replacements in Los Angeles, yes. Title 24 and the city's ordinance require cool roof rated material. Every system on this page has a version that qualifies, so it changes your color choices more than your options. See cool roofs and Title 24.
Can I switch from shingle to tile?
Sometimes. Tile is much heavier, so your builder or an engineer confirms the framing can carry it, and reinforcement adds cost. Going the other way, from tile to shingle or metal, is easier and takes weight off the house.
Is a metal roof a good idea on a house?
Yes, and more Los Angeles homes are choosing it. It's the longest lasting roof we install, Class A fire rated, light, and it comes in low profile panels that suit a mid century or modern home. See metal roofing.
What are my options for a flat roof?
Torch down, TPO or PVC for a new roof, or a coating if the existing roof is sound. Which one depends on ponding, what's on the roof, and whether it's a home or a commercial building. See flat roofing.
Do the roofing materials Los Angeles roofers use come with warranties?
Yes. Each manufacturer warrants the material, and the warranty depends on the system being installed to their specification, which is how we install it. Our 1 year guarantee on the workmanship sits alongside it.
Pick the roof, then let us price two more beside it
Get a free estimate and a crew lead looks at your house, your roof and the code, then prices the systems that fit, side by side, so the decision is yours and it's a good one.