Do you work in Northeast Tacoma?

Yes. We cover the whole Northeast council area, from the slopes above the Tideflats up through the Indian Hill area, and our phones are answered 24/7.

My house has two layers of shingles. Can you add a third?

We do not recommend it. A layer over existing roofing needs a permit and inspection in Tacoma, and a tear-off lets us check and fix the deck.

Does a full tear-off in Tacoma need a permit?

Often not for a single-family house when old coverings come off and framing stays the same. Our permit guide lists the conditions, and we confirm before work.

Why do my gutters overflow only on one side?

On a sloped lot, one side usually collects more roof area or yard runoff. Larger outlets or an added downspout on that side often fixes it.

Are cedar shakes still common up here?

Some homes from this era still have them. Many owners convert to composition when the shakes wear out, as our cedar shake page explains.

Roofs and gutters for the hillside homes of Northeast Tacoma

Most houses up here went up between 1970 and 1999, so many are on their second roof or due for one. We plan replacements around the slopes, views and runoff these lots deal with.

Call (253) 449-1922

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Pierce County

Roofers laying shingles on a hillside home in Northeast Tacoma

Short answer

Yes, we work across Northeast Tacoma, and most roofs we see here sit on homes built between 1970 and 1999. That puts many of them on an aging second roof. The hilly ground rising to Indian Hill at 530 feet means steep driveways, exposed ridgelines and gutters that have to handle runoff from uphill lots.

Second roofs on 1970s to 1990s houses

NeighborhoodScout describes Northeast Tacoma housing as mostly built from 1970 to 1999, with some newer homes after 2000. A house from that window has usually had its original roof replaced once already. Some of those first replacements went straight over the old shingles, and two layers on one deck hide soft spots and add weight.

When we tear off here, we strip to the deck, check every sheet of plywood or OSB, and replace what has gone soft at the eaves and around vents. Tacoma exempts many single-family reroofs from a permit when the old coverings come off and the framing stays the same. Adding a layer over what is there needs a permit and a pre-roof inspection, as a Tacoma permit guide reports. Our reroof permit guide walks through both cases.

Hilly lots above the Tideflats and the bay

Northeast Tacoma sits on hilly ground east of Commencement Bay, above the Tideflats, and climbs to Indian Hill at 530 feet. Height and open water mean wind reaches a lot of these roofs with little in the way. Ridge caps, rake edges and the shingles along the windward side take the beating first, so we pay attention to nailing and starter courses on the exposed edges.

Slope matters on the ground too. Many lots step down from the street, which puts the back of the house a story higher than the front. That changes how we stage ladders and debris chutes, and it means downspouts on the low side often dump water toward a hillside that should not be soaked.

New gutter and downspout on the downhill corner of a sloped lot

Gutters that keep up with uphill runoff

November is the wettest month at Sea-Tac, at 6.31 inches. On a sloped lot that rain arrives twice: once off the roof, and again as runoff from the yard above. Undersized gutters overflow at the corners, and short downspouts let water pool against foundations on the downhill side.

Tree cover across Tacoma ranges from 3% to 64% between census blocks, so some streets here are open and others sit under tall firs. Where needles fall, we look at gutter guards and larger outlets. Where they do not, sizing and downspout placement do most of the work.