Roofing in Laveen, Phoenix (85339)

Common roof types in Laveen

• Concrete Tile
• Asphalt Shingle
• Flat/Foam
• Metal (outbuildings)

Typical home age: 15–25 years (most built 2000–2009) · Population: 54,641

How Laveen grew, and why it matters for your roof

Farmers and dairymen first settled Laveen in 1884. For most of the 1900s it was cotton fields and dairies, cut off from Phoenix by the Salt River. The community took its name from Walter Laveen, who ran its first general store and became its first postmaster in 1918.

That changed in March 1995, when the City of Phoenix annexed about 5.6 square miles of Laveen at the request of farmers who wanted to develop their land. Subdivisions followed quickly. Census data for ZIP code 85339 shows that about 59 percent of homes were built between 2000 and 2009, and another 21 percent between 2010 and 2019. Only a small share is older than 1990.

For roofing, that is the single most important fact about Laveen. When most of a neighborhood is built in the same few years, the roofs age together. A home finished in 2004 has a roof that is now about 22 years old, and so do the hundreds of homes around it. The South Mountain Freeway, which opened through Laveen in December 2019, brought another round of building, so the area also has a newer layer of homes with roofs under 10 years old.

What's on Laveen roofs

Most Laveen subdivision homes have concrete tile on a low-to-medium pitch, usually flat or S-profile tile in earth tones. Builders also used architectural asphalt shingles on some entry-level homes, and many houses have a small flat or low-slope section over a patio or Arizona room.

The older rural properties are different. Homes on acreage along the remaining farm roads often have shingle or low-slope roofs, and their barns, shops and shade structures are often exposed-fastener metal.

What each type needs at this age:

• Concrete tile (2000s homes): the tile is usually fine. The underlayment beneath it, which does the actual waterproofing, typically lasts 15 to 25 years in Phoenix heat, so many Laveen homes are inside that window now.
• Asphalt shingle (2000s homes): in our sun, shingles commonly last around 20 to 25 years. Original builder shingles from the early 2000s are at or near the end.
• Flat and low-slope sections: foam and coatings need a recoat every several years, and these small areas are often forgotten until they leak.
• Metal outbuildings: the rubber washers at the screws dry out and crack, and those screw holes become the leak points.

The underlayment wave hitting 2000s Laveen homes

On a tile roof, rain that gets past the tile runs down the underlayment to the edge of the roof. Many homes from that era were built with felt underlayment. Laveen roofs get the full Phoenix summer, with air temperatures over 110°F and roof surfaces that can reach 150 to 170°F. Year after year of that heat dries the felt out until it cracks, most often in valleys, along walls and around vents, where water concentrates.

The first warning sign is usually small: a stain at a ceiling corner after a hard monsoon rain, or a damp spot near a bathroom vent. From the street the roof still looks perfect, which is why many owners are surprised when we lift a few tiles and show them the brittle layer underneath.

The usual fix is a tile underlayment replacement, sometimes called a lift and relay. Our crew lifts and stacks your tile, removes the old underlayment, installs a high-temperature synthetic or self-adhered underlayment with new flashing at walls, valleys and vents, and lays your same tile back. Broken pieces get replaced with the closest match available. A typical single-story job takes 3 to 5 days, weather permitting.

If your home is in the 2000 to 2008 range and you have never had the tile lifted, a pre-monsoon inspection is the cheapest way to find out how much life is left. Our standard inspection is free.

Dust, wind and monsoon storms in southwest Phoenix

Laveen still has open farm fields and desert to the south and west, and that matters during monsoon season, which runs June 15 to September 30. Outflow winds from storms often arrive as dust walls, called haboobs, and the open ground gives them nothing to slow down against.

What that does to a roof:

• Dust and debris pack into tile valleys and gutters. When the rain follows, water backs up and finds its way under tile and flashing.
• Strong gusts lift ridge and hip tiles, especially pieces held only by old mortar or a single fastener.
• Patio covers and shade structures tied into the main roof take a beating, and the joint where they meet the house is a common leak point.

After a big storm, look from the ground for tiles out of line on ridges and hips, broken pieces on the ground, and debris piled in valleys. Don't climb on a tile roof yourself, because concrete tile cracks under a misplaced foot. If you see damage, we can photograph it, make temporary repairs and, if you're filing a claim, document it for your insurer. Whether a policy covers it is up to your insurance company, so read your policy and talk to your insurer before assuming anything.

Permits: City of Phoenix or Maricopa County

Most of Laveen is inside the City of Phoenix and is one of the city's urban villages, but some parcels in and around Laveen are still unincorporated Maricopa County. Your mailing address says Laveen either way, so check your parcel on the County Assessor's website if you're not sure.

The rules are similar. Phoenix's building code exempts a roof replacement or recover with the same type of material as the original from a permit, and unincorporated Maricopa County exempts a re-roof with the same type of material too. A tile underlayment replacement that puts the same tile back, or shingles replaced with shingles, usually fits those exemptions.

A permit comes into play when you change the type of material, such as going from shingle to concrete tile or from tile to metal. Tile is much heavier than shingle, so that switch also raises the question of whether the framing can carry the weight. We check the jurisdiction and the permit requirement before quoting, and we pull the permit when the job needs one.

Most Laveen subdivisions also have an HOA, and HOA approval is separate from the city. If you want to change tile color, profile or material, read your association's design guidelines or ask the management company first. We can provide product sheets and samples for the review.

Repair, underlayment or full replacement: how to decide

For most Laveen homes the choice comes down to three options.

Repair makes sense when the problem is local: a few cracked or slipped tiles, a split pipe boot, or one leaking valley on a roof whose underlayment is still flexible elsewhere. Repairs typically run $300 to $5,000.

Tile underlayment replacement makes sense when the tile is sound but the layer underneath is brittle across the roof. You keep the look of your home, and it fits the same-material permit exemption. It typically runs about $4.00 to $7.00 per square foot of roof, or roughly $10,000 to $22,000 for most homes.

Full replacement makes sense for worn-out shingle roofs, which typically run about $4.00 to $6.50 per square foot, or roughly $8,000 to $15,000, and for tile roofs where you want a new look. A new concrete tile roof runs about $6.50 to $10.50 per square foot. On low-slope sections, a foam roof runs about $5.00 to $8.00 per square foot new, or $2.00 to $3.75 to recoat sound foam.

Prices vary with size, pitch, access and material, so use our roof cost calculator for a rough number and book a free estimate for a real one. Our estimates are written in Xactimate line items, so you can see what each part of the job costs. Financing through Service Finance and GreenSky is available, including 0 percent for 24 months for qualified buyers, subject to credit approval. If you have solar, we detach and reset panels during the work for $150 per panel.