Company-town cottages and what is under the shingles
Crockett grew around the C&H refinery, which began operating in 1906, and by the 1920s the company employed about 95 percent of residents. The cottages that went up around it are now a century old. Roofs on houses of that age have usually been patched, topped with a second layer, or both.
At inspection we count layers at the edge and probe the decking from the attic side where we can. Two layers already in place mean a full tear-off, and tear-off exposes the decking. If decking is soft, we raise it before work continues.
Small cottages have small margins. Narrow eaves leave little room for ladders and staging, steep pitches need anchors and harnesses, and an old plank deck can hide soft spots, so we step carefully until we know how sound it is. Where plank boards are dry and tight, they can stay. Where they are soft or stained, the estimate prices replacement before nails go in, as one Alameda change order did for aged decking.
Crockett roofing services
- Roof Repair
Century-old cottages often carry patch on patch, and a careful inspection separates sound repairs from failing ones, so you pay to fix only what is leaking.
- Roof Replacement
Old roofs may hide extra layers and aged decking, so the estimate counts layers at the edge and explains in writing how decking is priced if tear-off finds soft boards.
- Storm Damage Roofing
Wind through the strait lifts shingles on exposed slopes, and we photograph the damage and write the scope for your insurer, who decides what the policy covers.
- Emergency Roof Repair
Old plaster soaks fast, so a leak gets a temporary seal first and a lasting fix second, with photographs of the interior and roof taken before anything is moved.
- Historic Home Roofing
Company-town cottages from the early 1900s have original rooflines, small eaves and plank decking, so pitch, ridge detail and sheathing condition shape the plan more than shingle choice.
- Roof Flashing Repair
Chimney, vent and wall flashing near salt water is the first thing to rust or lift, and resealing or replacing it can be the whole fix on a cottage that leaks in one spot.
- Roof Inspection
Buyers or heirs of a century-old cottage can get a photographed roof report that counts layers, probes decking from the attic and lists what to fix first.
Steep streets above the strait
Crockett sits at 128 feet where the Carquinez Strait meets San Pablo Bay, with the Carquinez Bridge carrying I-80 across to Vallejo nearby. Wind coming off the strait finds exposed ridges and rakes. On steep, narrow side streets we check truck and debris placement during the inspection.
Salt, damp and old flashing
A house this close to the water collects moisture and salt, and old flashing is the first thing to suffer. We look at chimneys, vents, wall joints and the lowest courses of shingles, where water lingers. A resealed flashing can be the whole fix. A cottage that has leaked for years may need decking and framing checked, and the estimate says how any extra work is priced before it starts.
C&H, Joseph B. Crockett and the town on the hill
The town takes its name from Joseph B. Crockett, a California Supreme Court judge, and the C&H refinery, running since 1906, still sits on the waterfront (Wikipedia). The community covers about 1.06 square miles at 128 feet of elevation, about 28 miles northeast of San Francisco. Tell us your cross street and how far you are from the refinery when you call.
The cottage streets rise from the waterfront, so lower and upper streets get different amounts of strait wind and different delivery access. We ask for the cross street and any steps or retaining walls between the street and the house, so the staging plan is in the estimate and not a surprise on the first morning.
Booking a visit and the paperwork
The drive ends at the foot of the Carquinez Bridge, on the Crockett side of the strait, so we build travel time into the schedule and tell you the plan for the day before the crew sets out.
Phone us, and the inspection goes on the calendar, often handled by Wayne or Pedro. Expect a written, line-item estimate with photos, and it shows who applies to the county. Crockett is a place we cover, and we claim no local jobs here.