Copper Trail Shingle Roof Replacement In Los Angeles, CA

This shingle roof replacement in Los Angeles also included the flat roof. It covered both roofs on one home, about 2,000 square feet in all. The sloped roof got Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration COOL Plus shingles in a brown color called Copper Trail. The flat section got a three-layer, double torch-down roof with a white top layer.

This page walks through both: what goes into a flat roof that lasts, and how a brown shingle can still count as a cool roof.

What Is A Double Torch-Down Flat Roof?

A flat roof can't shed water as fast as a sloped one, so it's built as layers of waterproof sheet instead of overlapping shingles. Here's what went on this one, from the wood up:

1. A base sheet, nailed to the wood. It holds everything else in place.
2. A smooth torch-down layer. The crew heats the back of each roll with a propane torch until it melts and bonds to the base sheet. Each seam gets the same treatment, so the whole layer becomes one sealed sheet.
3. A white cap sheet, torched on top. This is the layer you see, and the one that takes the sun.

"Double torch" means two of the three layers are torched. A simpler flat roof has a base sheet and one torched cap sheet. The extra layer gives the roof a second sealed sheet under the cap. So a scuff or a dropped tool on the surface doesn't go straight to the wood. We expect a double torch-down roof like this to last around 20 years, depending on how well the roof drains and how it's looked after.

We used the same system on a solar-ready re-roof in Encino, where the solar brackets were sealed between the two torched layers.

Why Is The Flat Roof's Top Layer White?

Because a white roof stays much cooler in the sun than a dark one. And a flat roof gets the full force of the sun all day. The cap sheet here is Polyglass Polyfresko, a white, granule-surfaced sheet that Polyglass makes for cool roof specifications. The granule surface protects the sheet from the sun. A cooler roof means less heat soaking into the rooms below it.

The edge metal around the flat roof is brown, so it ties in with the shingles instead of standing out.

Can A Brown Shingle Roof Be A Cool Roof?

Yes. Cool roof shingles use reflective granules, so they can come in darker colors and still meet the rules. Owens Corning sells Copper Trail in its Duration COOL Plus line and lists it at an SRI of 22 (Owens Corning cool roof data sheet).

LA has two local cool roof rules: a county green building code and a City of LA ordinance. Owens Corning says both set the minimum at an aged SRI of 20, and that these shingles meet both. They also meet the cool roof rules in Title 24, California's building energy code. So you don't have to pick a pale roof to pass. Our cool roofs page explains how the rules work.

Why Use Metal Valleys And Color-Matched Vents?

The valleys, where two slopes meet, carry more water than any other part of the roof. On this home they're lined with brown metal, so the water runs down a solid channel. The roof vents, pipe flashings and the flashing around the brick chimney are brown too, so the roof reads as one color.

What Warranty Comes With A Roof Like This?

Owens Corning shingle systems typically carry a limited lifetime manufacturer warranty, and we add a 10-year workmanship warranty. Flat roof systems typically carry a 10- or 20-year manufacturer warranty, depending on the system. As an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, we register the eligible shingle warranty for the homeowner. Exact terms depend on the products installed and are confirmed in your estimate.

Planning A Shingle Roof Replacement In Los Angeles?

We do shingle roofing, flat roofing and full roof replacements across the San Fernando Valley and parts of Los Angeles. Another LA job with both roof types is this apartment building roof replacement. The City of Los Angeles requires a permit for a re-roof, and the contractor signs a re-roofing certificate at the end. We pull the permit on every job. Book a free estimate, and we'll walk you through both roofs, not just the shingles.