Cedar is regional, and it asks a lot
Cedar shake is the original Pacific Northwest roof, and a fair amount of it is still out there in the wooded neighborhoods on the east side, the north end, and the foothill towns. It's beautiful, insulates well, and demands more maintenance than anything else on a house.
Keeping cedar alive
- Cleaning and treatment, moss and debris removal plus preservative treatment extends service life; neglected cedar fails early in this climate
- Selective shake replacement, failed or split shakes swapped individually where the field is otherwise sound
- Ventilation, cedar needs to breathe; poor airflow under the roof cooks it from below while the weather works it from above
When to convert
There comes a point where treating and patching cedar costs more than it's worth, or an insurer draws a line on coverage. The common conversions here are composition shingle or standing-seam metal, both of which need the right underlayment and deck prep over the old skip sheathing. Some newer subdivisions have HOA rules about what can go on; check before you choose.
What should a quote include?
For maintenance work: the cleaning method, the treatment product, and shake-count scope for replacements. For conversion: tear-off and deck prep over skip sheathing, the new system, underlayment, and honest pricing on the added labor that skip-sheathed decks need. Cedar work is specialist work; not every roofer who'll take the job should.
