Metal roofing
Tile roofing
GAF
Owens Corning
Flat & low-slopeFree roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Fast, Reliable Roof Replacement Across San Francisco
A full roof replacement in San Francisco typically costs between $14,500 and $32,000 for a standard wood-frame Victorian or Edwardian, with flat and low-slope membrane systems landing in the $18,000 to $40,000 range depending on decking condition and seismic fastening requirements. Most tear-offs take five to eight working days once permits clear, and our crews from the San Francisco Bay Area office schedule replacements across every district, from the Outer Richmond to Portola. If your roof has reached the end of its service life or you are chasing leaks that keep returning, call (831) 228-3330 and we will walk you through what your specific home needs.
Salt air, fog, and a housing stock that is mostly a century old mean San Francisco roof replacements are not a one-size-fits-all job. We know which flashing specs fail in the Sunset and which decking in Noe Valley will split if you drive a nail too hard. That local knowledge changes what we put on your roof, and what we charge you for it.
Why Birchbark Roofing San Francisco Is San Francisco’s Preferred Roof Replacement Company
Erik Lindgren leads our San Francisco roofing team with a simple rule: every homeowner gets a written price in dollars before any work starts. No allowances for surprises, no change orders halfway through. That is why families across the Richmond, Mission, and Glen Park neighborhoods have trusted us with their tear-offs and new roof installations. Our crews arrive in uniforms, background-checked, with shoe covers at the door and drop cloths through the hallway before anyone climbs a ladder.
We are part of the Cedarwell family of roofing companies, which has been independently owned and operated since 2000. Every Birchbark job carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work is not right, we make it right. That guarantee is stamped on every roof replacement we complete in San Francisco, and it is the reason local homeowners call us back when a second property needs work.
A live person answers our phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When you call about a roof replacement in San Francisco, you talk to someone who knows the difference between a built-up roof in the Mission and a torch-down system near Ocean Beach. That matters when you are comparing bids and need a straight answer about whether your decking can be saved.
Styles & brands we work with
New Roof Installation in San Francisco
New Roof Installation in San Francisco usually means either a tear-off on an existing home or a complete roofing system on new construction or a major addition. For a new build in neighborhoods like Bayview or Visitacion Valley, we work directly with your contractor or architect to install the full system: underlayment, decking where specified, flashing, drip edge, and shingles or membrane. A typical new asphalt shingle roof on a 1,200-square-foot San Francisco home runs $15,000 to $24,000. Architectural shingles, which many San Francisco homeowners choose for their stronger wind resistance, add $3,500 to $7,000 over the three-tab price.
For new construction, we coordinate roof-to-wall tie-ins and mechanical penetrations before interior finishes go in, so the roof is not an afterthought. Erik Lindgren and the crew review the plans, flag any transition detail that will leak in a windy fog cycle, and get it right before the first raindrop tests it.
Asphalt and Architectural Shingle Systems
We install asphalt shingles from GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning, and architectural lines from IKO and Atlas. In San Francisco’s high-wind ridges like Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights, we spec six-nail patterns and synthetic underlayment with a higher fastener schedule than manufacturers’ minimums. The goal is a roof that stays put during a winter gale, not one that meets a spec sheet and fails in a storm.
Roof Decking Replacement
When we tear off an old roof in a San Francisco Victorian, what we find underneath decides whether the decking stays or goes. Split redwood from seismic movement, rot pockets under old leaks, or sheathing that has gone soft from fog-soaked underlayment all call for replacement. Roof decking replacement runs $3 to $5 per square foot in most San Francisco homes, and we show you a photo of the decking before we cover it back up. You should never pay for decking you did not see.
Reroofing in San Francisco
Reroofing in San Francisco typically means removing an existing roof that has failed and installing a new system over the framing that is still sound. The city’s Victorians and Edwardians often have two or even three layers of old composition shingles, and building code limits how many layers can be stacked. Most reroofs here start at $14,500 for a modest single-family home with an accessible roof plane and climb to $32,000 or more when decking replacement, seismic fastening, and membrane transitions are required. You will see the exact number in writing before we start.
Reroofing is the more common job in San Francisco because the housing stock is old. The original roof is long gone; what is up there now is often a decades-old replacement that has outlived its usefulness. We remove it all the way to the decking so we can see what is actually happening underneath.
Flat and Low-Slope Roofing
Flat roofing in San Francisco is a different trade from shingle work. The fog belt from the Outer Sunset to Portola puts a constant damp load on membrane roofs, and the city’s thermal swings crack rigid systems that work fine in Sacramento. We install TPO, PVC, and torch-down systems from GAF and CertainTeed, with tapered insulation to fix ponding on old low-slope planes. A flat roof replacement on a typical San Francisco row house runs $18,000 to $34,000 depending on insulation, decking repair, and the number of roof penetrations.
Marine-Grade Fastening and Flashing Specs
This is the part of the bid most San Francisco homeowners do not know to ask about, and it is the difference between a roof that lasts 20 years and one that shows rust bloom in two. Within roughly a mile of the Pacific or the Bay, we specify 316 stainless or hot-dip galvanized hardware at every penetration, marine-grade aluminum drip edge, and sealed membrane terminations. Standard galvanized fasteners in the Outer Richmond or Sunset Districts will begin corroding from airborne chloride within two years. We will not install a coastal roof without the coastal spec, and we will show you the fastener schedule in your written quote.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Francisco
We install and service roofing systems from Owens Corning, IKO, Atlas, and Tamko, along with GAF, CertainTeed, and Boral. Because our San Francisco Bay Area office schedules crews across the city daily, we keep common replacement parts and flashing materials in local stock, so a reroof that needs a specific drip edge profile or a particular vent boot does not stall waiting on a shipment. When you build your roof around a brand you trust, we make sure the installation honors the manufacturer’s spec, because that is what keeps the warranty valid and the roof performing in our fog and salt air.
Common Roof Replacement Problems We See in San Francisco Homes
- Rust bloom at fastener heads and drip edge. In the Outer Richmond and Sunset, airborne salt from the Pacific corrodes standard galvanized hardware within a couple of years. The shingles lift at the eaves and rakes, and water finds its way under the roof edge.
- Split redwood decking from brittle, aged sheathing. Many San Francisco Victorians still have their original redwood decking. After a century of seismic movement and fog moisture, the wood is sound but brittle, and driving nails at full speed splinters it. We slow the nail guns down and pre-pilot where the wood is fragile.
- Cracked torch-down tie-ins at roof penetrations. Flat built-up roofs on Edwardians and row houses collect water around skylights, plumbing vents, and chimney curbs. Fog-wet summers and dry expansion cycles crack the old tie-ins, and the first heavy winter rain finds every weak point.
- Hidden rot pockets behind Victorian crown moldings. When a roof leaks slowly for years, the water travels along rafters and soaks into trim. By the time a ceiling stain appears, the decking and the molding behind it may already be compromised. Our tear-off process exposes these pockets before we put a new roof on top of them.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Roof Replacement in San Francisco, CA
A full tear-off and roof replacement in San Francisco runs $14,500 to $32,000 for most single-family homes, with flat and low-slope membrane systems at $18,000 to $40,000. Architectural shingles add $3,500 to $7,000 over three-tab. Roof decking replacement runs $3 to $5 per square foot. Coastal-spec fastening and flashing within a mile of the Pacific or Bay adds roughly $900 to $2,200 to the bid compared with inland-spec hardware, and that premium is the reason the coastal roof is still watertight when the cheaper spec starts weeping rust at year three. You will get a written price in dollars before we start, and that number does not move unless you ask for a change. Call (831) 228-3330 to schedule a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Francisco
Our crews serve the whole Bay Area, including San Francisco and nearby communities like South San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland, and Pacifica. If you are just over the county line and wondering whether we can help with your Roof Replacement, call us and ask. We schedule San Francisco jobs daily, and we will tell you straight which week we can get to your street.
Serving San Francisco, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Francisco area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Roof Replacement in San Francisco
Within about a mile of the Pacific or the Bay, airborne chloride accelerates corrosion on standard galvanized fasteners and drip edge, causing rust bloom and shingle lift within two years. We specify 316 stainless or hot-dip galvanized hardware and marine-grade aluminum drip edge on those homes. Call (831) 228-3330 and we will tell you whether your block falls in the coastal-spec zone and what that adds to your quote.
In most cases, yes, you can roof over original redwood decking if it is still sound and rot-free. We run our fastening guns at a slower rpm and pre-pilot nail holes where the wood is brittle, which prevents the splitting that a standard high-speed nail pattern would cause on century-old sheathing. We show you the decking before we cover it. Call (831) 228-3330 for a decking assessment on your Victorian.
The fog belt from the Outer Sunset to Portola keeps roof surfaces damp for long stretches, and the city’s thermal swings crack rigid membrane systems faster than they would in a drier, more stable climate. We spec TPO or PVC membranes with tapered insulation to drain low-slope planes, rather than the torch-down systems that dominated older San Francisco flat roofs. An exact membrane recommendation depends on your roof’s slope and penetration count, and we include it in your written estimate.
Yes, in many districts. Homes within San Francisco’s historic preservation zones may be limited in the roofing materials you can choose, particularly if the roof is visible from the street or the home is a designated landmark. We work with the planning department’s guidelines and help you select a replacement system that satisfies the review while still performing in our climate. When you call (831) 228-3330, tell us your address and we will flag any preservation considerations before you spend money on plans.
A coastal-spec roof within a mile of the Pacific or Bay runs $900 to $2,200 more than the same roof with standard inland hardware. That covers 316 stainless or hot-dip galvanized fasteners, marine-grade drip edge, and sealed membrane terminations. The cheap spec starts corroding at the fastener heads within two years, and you will pay for a repair crew and eventually a premature replacement long before the coastal roof has even hit middle age. The premium is real protection, not an upcharge. Call (831) 228-3330 for an exact number on your home.
Get Your Roof Replacement Estimate in San Francisco
Every roof replacement we do in San Francisco starts with a written price in dollars and a conversation about what is actually on your roof right now. Erik Lindgren and the Birchbark team will walk the roof, show you the decking, and spec the fasteners and flashings for your exact block, whether you are in the salt spray of the Outer Richmond or the sheltered flats of Glen Park. Shoe covers at the door, drop cloths through the hallway, and a photo of the completed clean-up before we leave. Call (831) 228-3330 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Erik Lindgren, Owner at Birchbark Roofing San Francisco, serving San Francisco and the Bay Area since joining the Cedarwell family of roofing companies in 2000.