Roofing in Desert Ridge, Phoenix (85050)

Common roof types in Desert Ridge

• Concrete Tile
• Flat/Foam
• Clay Tile
• Asphalt Shingle

Typical home age: Median build year 1999; most homes 15–30 years old · Population: 33,118

A planned community on former state trust land

Desert Ridge is a 5,700-acre master-planned community in northeast Phoenix. It was planned on Arizona State Trust land: the State Land Department adopted the Desert Ridge Specific Plan in 1990, and the City of Phoenix adopted it in 1991, through a partnership between the state, the city and a master developer. The first homes sold in 1996. Desert Ridge Marketplace opened in 2001, and the Loop 101, the JW Marriott resort and the Wildfire golf courses followed in 2002.

The community spans two ZIP codes, 85050 and 85054. ZIP 85050 also takes in older neighborhoods south of the Loop 101 that are not part of Desert Ridge, so its Census numbers mix the two: about 14 percent of homes built in the 1980s, 35 percent in the 1990s, 25 percent in the 2000s and 18 percent in the 2010s, with a median build year of 1999.

For your roof, the useful number is your own home's build year, which is on the county assessor record. A 1997 Desert Ridge home and a 2012 one a mile apart are at very different points in a tile roof's life.

Where Desert Ridge tile roofs are in their life

Most Desert Ridge homes were built with concrete tile. The tile itself can last 50 years or more. The underlayment under it, which is the layer that actually keeps water out, usually lasts 15 to 25 years in Phoenix heat.

Here is how that usually lines up:

• Homes from 1996 to about 2003 are 23 to 30 years old. If they still have their original underlayment, it is at or past the end of its expected life, and a lift-and-relay is the job to plan for.
• Homes from about 2004 to 2010 are entering the window. Many are fine today, but this is when an inspection that lifts a few tiles pays off.
• Homes built after 2010 are usually too young for underlayment work. On those we see storm damage, cracked tile from foot traffic, and leaks at vents, skylights and solar mounts.

A tile roof can look perfect from the street while the underlayment underneath is brittle. The first signs are often a stain on a ceiling below a valley, a damp spot near a chimney chase, or debris and staining visible in the attic after a heavy rain.

Two-story production homes: what drives the work

Many Desert Ridge neighborhoods were built by national production builders with two-story floor plans, multiple roof levels and lots of hips and valleys. That shape affects both where leaks start and what roof work costs.

The places we check first on these roofs:

• Valleys, especially where an upper roof dumps water onto a lower one. The extra water load wears the lower valley's underlayment faster.
• Roof-to-wall flashing where a first-story roof meets a second-story wall. If that flashing is not tucked behind the stucco correctly, water runs behind it.
• Small flat or low-slope sections over entries, patios and bay windows, often finished with foam or a coated membrane that needs recoating every several years.
• Penetrations: vents, skylights and solar mounts, especially on homes that added solar after the original roof was built.

Two-story roofs also take more setup. Crews need safe access and fall protection on the upper slopes, and tile has to be staged and stored on two levels. That is one reason two homes with the same square footage can get different prices.

Repair or lift-and-relay?

Not every leak means a full roof job. If a 2008 home has one stain under one valley and the underlayment elsewhere is still flexible, a valley repair is the right answer. We lift the tile, replace the underlayment and metal in that valley, and set the tile back.

A lift-and-relay makes sense when the underlayment is brittle in several places, not just one. On those roofs, spot repairs keep failing because each one ties new material into old material that is breaking down around it. Our crews lift and stack the tile, install new high-temperature underlayment, replace valley and wall flashing, and reinstall your tile, replacing broken pieces with the closest match.

Our installed range for tile underlayment replacement is about $4.00 to $7.00 per square foot of roof area, and most Valley homes fall around $10,000 to $22,000. Repairs run $300 to $5,000. Prices vary with size, pitch, access and material, so use the roof cost calculator for a starting number and a free inspection for a real one.

Matching tile from the late 1990s and 2000s

Builders picked tile colors and profiles for each neighborhood, and some of those have been discontinued since. Matching a few broken pieces on a 1998 roof can be the hardest part of a repair.

Our approach is simple. During a relay we save every good tile. If replacements are needed, we use the closest current match and put new pieces on slopes you don't see from the street, moving original tile to the front. We show you the match before anything new goes on the roof. If your HOA has to approve a color or profile change, we bring them the samples.

City of Phoenix permits and Desert Ridge HOA rules

Desert Ridge is inside the City of Phoenix. The Phoenix building code exempts a roof covering replacement or recover with the same type of material as the original, so a lift-and-relay or a tile-for-tile replacement does not need a building permit. Changing to a different type of roofing, such as shingle to tile, does. When a permit is required, we apply for it.

Desert Ridge has a master community association, and many neighborhoods inside it also have their own sub-associations. Their guidelines can cover roof materials and colors, and approval rules vary by neighborhood. Check with your association before changing tile color, profile or material. If you are reusing your existing tile, there is usually little to review, but confirm that with your association rather than assuming.

Solar on Desert Ridge roofs

Many Desert Ridge homes have added solar since they were built. Panels on a tile roof are mounted with hooks or flashed mounts under the tile, and those mounts are a common leak point years later. Before an underlayment job, the panels have to come off and go back on. We do that as part of the project at $150 per panel, and we reflash every mount on the new underlayment rather than reusing old flashing.

If you are planning solar and your roof is from the late 1990s or early 2000s, have the underlayment checked first. Relaying the roof before the panels go up is far cheaper than paying to remove and reset them a few years later.