Low ground and a creek
East Palo Alto sits beside San Francisquito Creek and the bay. In February 1998 the creek flooded and caused about $28 million in damage, and the Creek Joint Powers Authority came out of that. The bay-to-Highway 101 flood phase was completed around 2018 to 2019 and protects more than 1,000 homes and businesses in East Palo Alto and Palo Alto from a 100-year flood.
That is flood control, not roof work. What a roofer controls is where roof water goes. On low ground, a gutter that overflows or a downspout that dumps at the wall adds to the problem.
Water handling comes first
Check gutter slope, size and downspouts before anything else. Undersized gutters overflow in heavy rain and rot the fascia. Downspouts that end at the foundation soak the ground beside the house. We look at all of it during the roof inspection, and we can add extensions that carry water well clear of the walls.
Older homes and patched roofs
Many homes here are modest, older and have been patched before. A patched roof is a layered roof, and the California Building Code does not allow a new covering over a roof that already has two applications. That makes tear-off the only path on a two-layer roof, and tear-off shows what the decking looks like.
Ask for a written estimate that separates repair from replacement. If a repair is enough, we will say so. One Alameda customer was told to wait instead of replacing, and another got advice on keeping old shingles going.
Roofing services for East Palo Alto
- Roof Repair
Older modest homes leak at flashing and vent penetrations, and a repair is often the right first answer. We trace each leak first and say plainly when a small fix is enough.
- Roof Replacement
A roof past repair needs tear-off, and aged decking found underneath is explained in a change order first. The estimate prices decking repair as its own line, so a bad board is not a surprise.
- Gutters
Low ground and creek-side rain mean gutters and downspouts must move water well clear of the foundation. Downspout extensions carry runoff clear of the walls on level lots.
- Emergency Roof Repair
A temporary seal on an active leak is the first step, with timing subject to crew availability and the drive. Tell us the street and where water is entering.
- Roof Inspection
Many homes here have been patched before. A written inspection with photos counts layers, tests decking and separates urgent repairs from ones that can wait, which helps when a budget is tight.
- Roof Maintenance
Gutters and downspouts on low ground do their hardest work in the first big storms. A pre-winter visit clears them, checks slope and reseals exposed flashing before the October rain.
Across the creek: two counties on two banks
San Francisquito Creek is the line between San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. East Palo Alto and Menlo Park sit on the San Mateo side, while Palo Alto is across the water in Santa Clara County. The creek authority formed in May 1999 after the February 1998 flood, which damaged about 1,700 homes in the three cities.
For a roof job, that means a house across the creek answers to a different city and a different county. Give us your street address on the first call, and confirm the permit office with the City of East Palo Alto before work starts.
Visits, permits and neighbors
The estimate states who pulls the permit. Confirm with the City of East Palo Alto, since Menlo Park, Atherton, Stanford, North Fair Oaks and Palo Alto answer to other offices.
Call, describe the roof and any water inside, and we will say what the day can hold. Alameda customers have reported photo updates the same day, and we keep sending photos through the job.