Free roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Roof Replacement Across Kensington
Replacing a roof in Kensington usually costs between $14,000 and $28,000 for a standard architectural shingle job on a 1,500 to 2,200 square foot home. That’s the honest number we put in writing before a single shingle comes off. Kensington homes are different from the flatland houses below. The steep hillside lots, the 1920s and 1930s construction, the marine layer that hangs on the west-facing slopes all change how a roof has to be built to last. Greg Holloway and our crews know these hills. We’ve torn off enough old shake and early composition roofs on Arlington Avenue, Coventry Road, and the streets winding up toward the Kensington ridgeline to know what’s underneath before we open it up. Call (945) 303-9821 for a free estimate. A live person answers, day or night.
Why Tilehurst Roofing Is Kensington’s Preferred Roof Replacement Company
Tilehurst Roofing is a Kingswell family company, founded in 2000. The Kensington homeowners who call us tend to have been through this before: a roofer no-showed, or changed the price at the door, or finished a repair that failed within a season. We built the company around a different approach. The price is written down before we start. The guarantee is delivered before the crew leaves, not mailed later. And if a repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back at no charge under the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Our crews know the permitting pathway here, which matters more in Kensington than almost anywhere else in the Bay Area. Kensington is unincorporated Contra Costa County territory. A roof replacement permit does not go through Berkeley or El Cerrito city hall. It routes through the county’s Hazardous Materials and Building Inspection division in Martinez. Out-of-area roofers get this wrong all the time, and the project stalls. We don’t. Dispatch and scheduling for Kensington work is coordinated from the brand’s San Francisco Bay Area office, but the crew on your roof is familiar with these hills, these houses, and this county pathway.
Every technician on a Tilehurst job in Kensington is background-checked and uniformed. You’ll know exactly who is on your roof. And when you call, a live person picks up, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail queue.
Flat Roof Replacement in Kensington
Flat Roof Replacement in Kensington handles a specific set of homes here: the mid-century stucco cottages and a number of the 1950s builds with low-slope sections over garages, porches, or additions. Kensington’s persistent marine fog means flat roofs here fail faster than pitched roofs. Standing moisture and wind-driven fog accelerate membrane breakdown. Most flat roof replacement in Kensington runs $9,000 to $18,000 depending on decking condition and membrane type. We give the written price before any tear-off starts.
Built-Up and Modified Bitumen Systems
Older Kensington flat roofs often have gravel-topped built-up systems that predate modern underlayment standards. When we replace one, we check the decking beneath. On hillside lots, poor drainage often rotted the edges years ago. We address that with new tapered insulation or decking repair, then lay a modified bitumen or single-ply membrane rated for the VHFHSZ.
Drainage and Ponding Correction
The Kensington hillside means many “flat” roofs aren’t truly flat. They were built with minimal slope and the drains clog with eucalyptus leaves and fog debris. A proper replacement fixes slope issues so water doesn’t sit. That’s the difference between a roof that lasts 15 years and one that fails in 8.
Roof Installation in Kensington
Roof Installation in Kensington means building a complete new roofing system, not just laying shingles over what’s there. Given the age of most Kensington homes, a full installation usually includes new decking, new underlayment, new drip edge, new flashing, and a Class A fire-rated assembly that satisfies Contra Costa County’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone requirements. Expect the full installation to cost $15,000 to $30,000 on a typical Kensington home. The written price covers everything we can see before we start. See below for what happens when the old roof comes off and the framing tells a different story.
Class A Assembly from the Deck Up
Kensington’s VHFHSZ designation is the governing fact. The entire town sits inside it. Every roof installation here must use a Class A fire-rated assembly, which means the combination of decking, underlayment, and shingle all tested together, not just a fire-rated shingle on any old base. We install assemblies from Atlas, Tamko, Boral, GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, and IKO, and we document the listing for the county inspection.
Skip-Sheathing Replacement and Decking
Most Kensington roofs built before 1960 sit on skip-sheathing: spaced boards, not solid plywood. Modern shingle manufacturers won’t warranty shingles installed over it because the gaps create an uneven nail surface. Any proper roof installation here replaces skip-sheathing with solid 7/16-inch OSB or plywood decking. That’s a line item in every written estimate we give in Kensington, because we know it’s almost always needed.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kensington
Tilehurst Roofing installs materials from seven leading manufacturers, so you’re not stuck with whatever happens to be on the truck: GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, IKO, Atlas, Tamko, and Boral. For Kensington homes, we commonly recommend GAF Timberline architectural shingles, Atlas StormMaster or Pinnacle lines, and Tamko Heritage for their Class A fire ratings and strong performance against wind-driven fog. We also stock local parts for Kensington jobs, including drip edge, ridge vents, and valley flashing, which means we’re not waiting on a supply house in Oakland when your roof is open. You choose the product that fits your home. We handle the sourcing and the warranty paperwork.
Common Roof Replacement Problems We See in Kensington Homes
- Original skip-sheathing under old shake. Most 1920s and 1930s Kensington roofs were built on spaced boards, not solid decking. Modern shingles can’t be nailed properly to it, and shingle warranties won’t apply. We replace it before laying underlayment.
- Wood shake in the VHFHSZ. A significant number of Kensington homes still carry the original wood shake or shingle roof, which doesn’t meet the Class A fire rating that unincorporated Contra Costa County requires today. Replacement isn’t optional; it’s a compliance project.
- Marine-layer moss and lifted shingles. The fog that rolls through the Golden Gate settles on Kensington’s north- and west-facing slopes. Moss grows on roof planes, traps moisture against shingles, and lifts edges. We see more flashing corrosion on hillside Kensington homes than in El Cerrito or Albany below.
- Valley and flashing failures on steep pitches. Kensington’s Craftsman and Tudor revival roofs are sharply pitched. Valleys carry heavy runoff, and old metal flashing at the valley intersections fails first. When water gets under the flashing, it rots decking and leaks into second-story ceilings.
Pricing for Roof Replacement in Kensington, CA
A full architectural shingle roof replacement in Kensington runs $14,000 to $28,000. A flat roof section replacement runs $9,000 to $18,000. Steep-pitch Craftsman and Tudor roofs with multiple valleys and dormers trend toward the higher end because they take more staging and flashing work. What moves the number most in Kensington is what’s under the old roof: skip-sheathing replacement, rotted decking at the eaves, and any framing repair the county inspector requires once walls and ceilings are open. We write allowances into the contract for these, and we price any surprise in writing before touching it. Call (945) 303-9821 for a free estimate. The number you get is the number in writing.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kensington
While this page is for Kensington homeowners, our crews work throughout the Bay Area’s hillside and flatland communities. If you’re comparing roof replacement options in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, or San Diego, we bring the same written-price process and 365-Day Done Right Promise to those jobs. Our Roof Replacement team handles full replacements, new construction, decking replacement, and flat roofing across the region. For Kensington specifically, this page covers what makes these hills different. You can also learn more about Roof Replacement in Kensington on our dedicated city page.
Serving Kensington, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kensington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Roof Replacement in Kensington
Yes. Kensington lies entirely within a designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Any new roof must be a minimum Class A fire-rated assembly. That means the decking, underlayment, and shingle must be tested and listed together as a Class A system. We install Class A assemblies from GAF, Atlas, Tamko, and others, and we submit documentation to Contra Costa County’s building division so the approval clears without delay. Call (945) 303-9821 to have us check your roof and confirm the assembly we’ll quote.
Kensington is unincorporated Contra Costa County, so re-roof permits do not go through a local city hall. They run through the county’s Hazardous Materials and Building Inspection division in Martinez. Out-of-area roofers sometimes file in the wrong jurisdiction and stall the project by weeks. We’re familiar with the county pathway and handle the submission as part of your written estimate. For an exact quote, call (945) 303-9821.
Kensington homes need an ice and water shield in the valleys and at the eaves, plus a synthetic underlayment rated for the Class A assembly. The marine layer makes the valleys wetter than flatland roofs, and ice and water shield guards the areas most likely to leak. We write the specific underlayment into every Kensington estimate. Call (945) 303-9821 for a free inspection and written price.
The fog that funnels through the Golden Gate deposits moisture on Kensington’s hillside roofs, especially north- and west-facing planes. Moss, lichen, and algae grow faster here, and flashing corrodes sooner than at lower elevations. We account for that in the replacement by choosing underlayment and flashing metals intended for wet, wind-driven conditions. If you’re seeing moss or leaking at the flashing, call (945) 303-9821 to schedule a roof check.
Yes. We replace flat and low-slope sections on Kensington homes, including garages, porches, and 1950s additions. Access on steep hillside lots can be tight, but we stage carefully and protect the landscape. A flat roof replacement in Kensington usually runs $9,000 to $18,000. We price drainage correction and decking repair into the written estimate before work starts. Call (945) 303-9821.
Written by Greg Holloway, Owner at Tilehurst Roofing, serving Kensington homeowners with written price guarantees since the Kingswell family of roofing companies began in 2000.