Response from J & J Roofing
Thank you for your report. The estimator noted the exact slope (you are correct) and proposed that we offer you a composition shingle system with a double felt underlayment of double required thickness for each layer, which I then sent you as a written proposal. What you took for a lack of knowledge was hesitancy on his part to install a composition shingle system on a slope that low. The manufacturer will not honor the implied material warranty on a slope that low so in some respects you are better off with a very low slope roofing system correctly installed. It's a simple matter of gravity. The lower the slope, the more chance water has of getting past the shingles and working on the felt barrier, which is not waterproof on shingle systems (contractory to popular belief, the shingle felt is a vapor barrier). Additionally, the lower the slope, the more prone to damage from wind shear on a shingle system. The inspector who looked at your roof has 31 years experience. I believe there might have been a miscommunication and if so, I apologize for that. He does know all of the alternatives in any case. Whenever the rains start we get booked out three to four weeks. We have been J&J Roofing since we moved to the LA area (I'm a 4th generation roofer) so as you can imagine, when it rains, we get upwards of 50 estimate requests per day. Currently we are limiting requests to existing clients, referrals and Angie's List only. We continue to look for more inspectors who meet our qualifications but that is a slow process because we have high expectations on who we will allow to estimate your roof. Sorry we did not meet your expectations, and at the risk of refuting in some way what you say, I would suggest that your criteria are not what everyone is looking for. Having said that, you have a right to seek out and find the contractor that suits your needs and are wise to do so. I hope the project goes well for you, and since it sounds like you look into what the roofing project requires, that's going to be an asset for you in considering contractors.