Roofing in Arcadia, Phoenix (85018)

Common roof types in Arcadia

• Asphalt Shingle
• Flat/Low-Slope (Foam, Built-Up, TPO)
• Concrete & Clay Tile
• Standing Seam Metal

Typical home age: Median build year 1970; many rebuilt since 2010 · Population: 37,297

How Arcadia was built, and why it matters for your roof

Arcadia sits at the south foot of Camelback Mountain, roughly between 44th Street and 68th Street from Camelback Road up to the Arizona Canal. From about 1919 into the mid-1950s it was citrus country, watered through pipelines the Arcadia Water Company built off the canal. When the groves were subdivided, builders put up single-story ranch houses on big lots, and many of the old orange, lemon and grapefruit trees stayed in the yards.

Census figures for ZIP 85018 show how that history reads today. Of roughly 19,600 homes in the ZIP, about 28 percent were built in the 1950s, 19 percent in the 1960s and 15 percent in the 1970s. At the same time, about 13 percent were built in 2010 or later, mostly where an original ranch house was torn down and replaced. The ZIP is larger than Arcadia itself, but the mix is the same on most Arcadia streets: a 65-year-old house next door to a five-year-old one.

Those two kinds of houses need very different roof work, so the first thing we do on any Arcadia estimate is figure out which roof we are standing on: the original, a 1990s or 2000s reroof over an original structure, or a new-build system.

Original ranch homes: low slopes, additions and layered history

Arcadia's original ranch homes were built low and wide. Many have shallow-pitched main roofs with asphalt shingles, plus flat or nearly flat sections over carports, patios, Arizona rooms and later additions. After six or seven decades, most have been reroofed several times, and it is common to find a shingle main roof, a foam or rolled-roofing flat section and a tile addition on the same house.

On these homes, leaks usually start in a few predictable places:

• Where an addition's roof ties into the original roof, especially when the two were built decades apart by different crews.
• On low-slope sections where water drains slowly and sun breaks down the coating or membrane.
• At old roof jacks, swamp cooler curbs and abandoned penetrations that were patched instead of removed.
• Along the edges of a shingle roof that is too flat for shingles. Shingles need a slope of at least 2:12, and at that low end the code calls for a double layer of underlayment.

Decking matters more on these houses than on newer ones. Boards on a 1950s roof may have been through several tear-offs and old leaks. On a replacement we strip to the deck, replace soft or delaminated boards, and build up from there with new underlayment, flashing and vents. On a flat section, the right fix depends on what is up there: sound foam can often be cleaned and recoated, while a wet or blistered built-up roof usually needs to come off.

New homes: metal, tile and flat roofs behind parapets

Arcadia's rebuilds use a wider range of roofing than the ranch homes they replaced. Modern farmhouse designs often use standing-seam metal on steep main roofs, sometimes mixed with flat sections. Contemporary designs lean on flat roofs behind parapet walls, usually finished with TPO membrane or foam. Spanish and Santa Barbara styles use concrete or clay tile.

These roofs are young, so the work is mostly about details. On standing-seam metal we look at panel-end closures, the joints where metal meets a wall or a flat section, and fasteners on trim. On parapet roofs we check scuppers and drains, the membrane where it turns up the parapet, and the caps on top of the walls, since a clogged scupper can leave water sitting against the wall after a monsoon storm. On tile, the usual early problems are cracked pieces from foot traffic and flashing details that were never finished correctly.

If your newer home is still under a builder warranty, read it before calling anyone, because outside repairs can affect it. We are glad to inspect and document what we find so you can take it to your builder.

Mature trees, citrus and roof rats

Arcadia's shade is one of its best features, and it comes with roof upkeep. Large trees drop leaves and seed pods into valleys, gutters and flat-roof drains, where the debris holds moisture and blocks water. Branches that rest on or rub a roof wear through shingles and can crack tile in a windstorm. Keeping limbs trimmed back from the roofline and clearing valleys and drains before monsoon season is cheap insurance.

Old citrus also brought roof rats. The University of Arizona's extension service notes that roof rats were documented in Phoenix in 2001 and settled into neighborhoods with old citrus, palms and mature landscaping, and early reports traced them to Arcadia's orange trees. Roof rats climb trees and travel along branches and lines, and they nest in attics and soffits. On Arcadia roofs we look for gaps at eaves, damaged vent screens, open tile ends at eave lines and loose flashing where they can get in. We close up those openings as part of a repair or reroof; for trapping and baiting, call a licensed pest control company.

Permits: Phoenix or Scottsdale, depending on your street

Most of Arcadia is in the City of Phoenix, but the neighborhood's eastern end crosses into Scottsdale. Your property tax record shows which city you are in, and that decides the permit rules.

In Phoenix, the city's building code exempts a roof covering replacement or recover with the same type of material as the original. Changing the type of roofing needs a permit; the city's own example is going from wood or asphalt shingles to tile, which adds weight. A home on Phoenix's Historic Property Register also needs Historic Preservation Office approval before work that requires a permit.

In Scottsdale, reroofing with the same material does not need a permit, but replacing or repairing any roof sheathing or framing does. A permitted Scottsdale reroof gets three inspections: sheathing, flashing and underlayment, and final. On an older Arcadia house where some deck boards turn out to be rotted, that rule can come into play in the middle of a job, so we plan for it up front.

Much of Arcadia has no HOA, but some subdivisions have recorded deed restrictions. If you are changing roof color or material, check your title documents first.

Repair, recoat or replace: making the call on an Arcadia roof

Because so many Arcadia roofs are a patchwork, the honest answer is often different for each section of the same house.

• A shingle main roof that is curling, shedding granules or patched in many spots is usually ready for replacement. In Phoenix heat, expect roughly 20 years or a bit more from a shingle roof.
• A foam flat section that is dry and solid underneath usually needs only cleaning, small repairs and a new coating, at about $2.00 to $3.75 per square foot.
• A tile addition from the 1990s or 2000s may still have good tile over tired underlayment, which calls for a lift-and-relay rather than new tile.

For scale, our installed price ranges per square foot of roof are about $4.00 to $6.50 for shingle replacement, $5.00 to $8.00 for new foam, $5.50 to $9.00 for TPO, $6.50 to $10.50 for new concrete tile and $9.50 to $14.00 for standing-seam metal. Prices vary with size, pitch, access and material, and many Arcadia houses mix several systems. The roof cost calculator gives a starting number, and a free inspection gives you a real one. Our estimates are written in Xactimate line items, so you can see exactly what each section costs.

Switching materials on an older Arcadia house

Owners of original ranch homes often ask about moving from shingle to tile or metal. Metal is light, so the framing question is usually easy. Concrete tile is several times heavier than shingle, and 1950s framing was not designed for it. Before recommending a switch to tile we check rafter size and spacing, and in Phoenix the change needs a permit with the structural details to support it.

If your goal is a cooler house, ask about cool-rated shingles, a light-colored coating on flat sections and better attic ventilation before you spend money on a heavier roof. Those three changes often matter more on a low ranch house than the type of material on top.