How old are most South End houses?

NeighborhoodScout describes most South End housing as built from 1940 to 1969, with some pre-1940 homes mixed in.

Why does my attic drip in winter when it is not raining?

That is usually condensation from poor venting, common on midcentury houses. Our condensation guide shows how to tell.

Should I replace gutters at the same time as the roof?

Often yes. The drip edge and gutter line up best when both go on together, and old gutters rarely outlast a new roof.

Do you add soffit vents to older houses?

Yes, where the eave framing allows. We cut intake into the soffit and pair it with ridge venting at the reroof.

Is a permit needed to reroof my South End house?

Often not for a single-family tear-off with no framing changes. Our permit guide lists the conditions.

Reroofs and gutter work for the postwar homes of Tacoma's South End

The South End is mostly postwar houses with simple roofs. They are easy to reroof, but their gutters and attics often need more attention than the shingles.

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New roof and gutters on a postwar house in the South End

Short answer

Yes, we work across Tacoma's South End, where NeighborhoodScout describes most housing as built from 1940 to 1969, mostly owner-occupied. Those postwar homes usually have simple gable or hip roofs with modest pitch. The work here is often a full reroof paired with new gutters and better attic venting, since many were built with little of either.

Postwar houses built from 1940 to 1969

NeighborhoodScout describes South End housing as mostly built between 1940 and 1969, with some pre-1940 homes and a mostly owner-occupied population. Citywide, about 7.9% of Tacoma's homes date from the 1940s alone, and much of that building happened in neighborhoods like this one.

Houses from that era tend to be compact one-story homes with simple gable or hip roofs and low to moderate pitch. That makes the roof itself straightforward to replace. What usually needs more thought is everything around it: short eaves that drop water right at the foundation, little or no soffit venting, and gutters that have been patched more than once.

Gutters and downspouts on short eaves

November is the wettest month at Sea-Tac at 6.31 inches, followed by January and December. On a house with short eaves, an overflowing gutter dumps that water against the siding and next to the foundation. Many original gutters here were sectional, with seams every few feet that eventually leak.

When we replace gutters on a South End house, we size them to the roof area, add downspouts where long runs overflow, and carry water away from the house. Our drainage page covers extensions and tightline connections. Where fascia behind the old gutters has softened, we fix it first.

Downspout extension carrying water away from a foundation

Attic venting on midcentury roofs

Many midcentury roofs were built with a few small gable vents and no soffit intake. In a wet winter that traps moist air in the attic, and frost on the nails melts into drips that look like leaks. A reroof is the right moment to add ridge venting and open up intake at the eaves. Our attic ventilation page explains the balance.

Tacoma often exempts single-family reroofs from a permit when the old coverings come off and the framing stays the same, so most South End reroofs move quickly from a decision to a start date. We confirm the permit question for each house before ordering material.