Wood-Roof Ban Draws Fire : Makers Say Treated Shingles Are Safe, but New Restrictions Spur Interest in Attractive Alternatives

The Puente Hills fire that destroyed 13 homes on July 3 came within a mile of Michael Rodriguez’s wood-roofed house.

Rodriguez was planning to replace his 13-year-old roof eventually, but the fire motivated him to do it immediately. “It hurried things up a little because we thought we might get another fire,” he said.

The new tile roof was not cheap--it cost $12,000, and the attic of Rodriguez’s two-story, five-bedroom home in Hacienda Heights had to be reinforced to support the extra weight.

He chose a tile roof, because he likes its appearance and its fire resistance. “It looks nice and I feel safer too,” Rodriguez said.

Many other Southland homeowners are looking for fire-resistant alternatives to their old wood shakes or shingles, especially since bans on new wood roofs began in August in Los Angeles and Glendale. Several other areas are considering wood-roof restrictions.

Officials who sought the bans cite the danger of wood roofs in a dry climate prone to brush fires.

But wood-roof manufacturers are fighting back, insisting that fire-resistant versions of their product are safe, and claiming that the new regulations will cost homeowners a lot more money.

The controversy spells confusion for homeowners, because even fire chiefs disagree on whether the fire-resistant wood roofs offer sufficient protection.

The wood-roof industry is stepping up its public relations efforts to convince homeowners that treated roofs are safe, and it is taking legal action as well.

Worried that the bans could start a trend, the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau has taken Los Angeles to federal court, charging discrimination, said Michael Westfall, president of the Bellevue, Wash.-based trade association.

The group plans to use Los Angeles as a test case before challenging roof bans elsewhere in California, its biggest market. Westfall and other industry members say fears about wood are based on untreated roofing materials (like Rodriguez’s old roof), which burn easily.

The industry got a boost last month, when the state attorney general issued an opinion declaring that cities do not have authority to impose fire codes more stringent than those of the state. The opinion was issued at the request of the state fire marshal’s office.

The Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners asked the city attorney’s office to draw up a formal response to the opinion.

The industry has been developing fire-resistant shakes and shingles since the 1960s, and they have been widely available since the early 1980s, Westfall said.

Both shakes, which are split and have a textured appearance, and shingles, which are sawed for a smoother look, are factory pressure-treated with chemicals forced into the wood cells, which should last the life of the roof, about 25 to 30 years, Westfall said, depending on weather conditions and upkeep.

Pressure-treated shakes and shingles cost about 25% more than untreated. The association does not endorse any treatments supposed to make existing, untreated wood roofs fire resistant.

Los Angeles has required fire-resistant wood shakes and shingles since 1982. Other areas also require fire-resistant roofing. The bureau supports those requirements and will work with officials to develop acceptable products, said Mark Rutledge, marketing manager.

However, treated shakes and shingles meet roofing industry standards for fire resistance, so it’s unfair to ban the products, Rutledge said.

Fire-resistant roofing materials can be rated Class A (effective against severe fire exposure outside the structure), Class B (moderate fire exposure) or Class C (slight fire exposure).

Los Angeles requires Class B roof coverings, while Glendale requires Class A or B, depending on a house’s proximity to hillsides. Treated wood roofs are available in B and C classifications, and can meet Class A standards if installed with gypsum board underneath, Westfall said. Untreated roofs do not qualify for a rating.

Treated cedar shakes and shingles have passed Standard 5 resistance tests, which require burning wood to self-extinguish on the roof surface, said Jim O’Shea, engineering associate at Underwriters Laboratory Inc. in Chicago.

Underwriters Lab, an independent not-for-profit testing service, also subjected treated shakes and shingles to extra tests because of concerns about their effective life. After 10 years of weathering tests, treated shakes and shingles maintained their fire resistance, O’Shea said. Another test simulates 20 to 30 years of exposure. Treated wood has also passed the flying-brand test, to make sure pieces don’t break off and start fires on nearby roofs.

That’s good enough for Los Angeles County Fire Marshal Jim Daleo. “I can’t give you one case in the 2,000 square miles we’ve served where the product has failed,” he said.

More Cautious Approach

The county has various roofing requirements for different areas, depending on fire danger. In Malibu, for example, all wood roofs have been barred since 1980, following several fires. Daleo said the county is working on an ordinance to require Class C roofs in unincorporated areas where now any type of roof is allowed.

But other fire chiefs are taking a more cautious approach.

In Corona, wood roofs are only restricted along the city’s southern border, next to the Cleveland National Forest. However, Fire Chief Robert McNabb is researching the issue and said he may recommend barring wood roofs throughout the city.

McNabb said he’s willing to listen to the wood-roof industry, but so far he isn’t convinced that treated shakes and shingles are safe enough.

“All we know is wood roofs burn,” he said. “I think the No. 1 question is how long can you guarantee the life of a treated wood roof?”

Los Angeles city fire officials have similar concerns. “We don’t feel they’re proven to be safe,” said Fire Marshal Dave Parsons. “We don’t feel the tests replicate Southern California weather conditions,” including Santa Ana winds, he said. “Our major concern is the flying-brand issue.”

Look Virtually Identical

Although acknowledging there isn’t much evidence against treated wood roofs, Parsons said because the product hasn’t been tested for its full life (up to 30 years), banning them is the best step for fire protection.

Fire chiefs are also uncomfortable with the fact that treated wood roofs look virtually identical to untreated wood roofs. How are fire crews to know whether wood-topped houses have fire-resistant roofs or not? When faced with a row of threatened houses and limited resources, firefighters usually ignore wood-roofed houses, which they have little chance to save, and concentrate on houses with less flammable roofs, said Battalion Chief Ron Cary of the Hemet Fire Department.

One of the few things both sides can agree on is that the problem should diminish in years to come, as old wood roofs are replaced. Fire officials are happy to point out that fewer new homes have wood roofs.

Last year, in Los Angeles County, 67% of new houses had tile roofs and fewer than 5% had wood roofs, said Ben Bartolotto, research director of the Construction Industry Research Board. Statewide, 55% of new homes had tile and 20% wood.

Lewis Homes, one of the state’s biggest builders, uses tile roofs on 90% of its new homes in Southern California, said Randall Lewis, executive vice president of the Upland-based firm. The rest are lower-priced composition shingle. Fire resistance and durability are reasons the company uses tile, he said.

Market in Reroofing

Tile is also part of the trend toward higher-priced homes with more amenities, and goes with current Spanish and Mediterranean housing designs.

So today the major market for wood shakes and shingles is in reroofing. About 30% of Los Angeles homes have wood roofs, according to industry estimates. Many of those were installed in the 1960s and 1970s, and are nearing replacement age.

Even where new wood roofs are banned, shakes and shingles are usually still allowed for minor roof repairs.

Glendale requires that old wood roofs be replaced with non-wood roofs if 25% or more needs repair, or if a new addition is 25% or more of the original structure’s size. For repairs of less than 25%, pressure-treated wood must be used to give some fire protection until the whole roof is replaced, said Fire Marshal Chris Gray.

The 25% figure is cumulative for the life of the roof, so a series of small repairs could eventually reach the point where the entire roof has to be replaced.

Replacement Restrictions

Los Angeles, however, specifies that any wood roof that needs to have more than 10% of its surface redone in a 12-month period must be replaced with a non-wood roof. Lesser repairs can use the same material as the rest of the roof.

Additions to existing houses must also have non-wood roofs, although the original house roof doesn’t need to be replaced unless more than 10% of it has been removed, said Robert Harder, assistant chief of the city building bureau.

Bill Pyles, office manager of Slater Roof in Los Angeles, said he suspects that many city roof repairs will be described on permits as 10% even if they are actually 15% or 20% of the roof. Homeowners are supposed to get a building permit if their roof repair costs more than $200, although many do not, Harder said.

Rutledge, of the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau, said the Los Angeles ordinance will be a financial burden for many homeowners. Where it might have cost $500 to repair an existing wood roof, it could cost $5,000 or more to replace it, he said. Parsons said homeowners can appeal to the Building and Safety Department for an exception if they are unable to afford the replacement.

For additional protection, the new Los Angeles law also requires homeowners to tear off their old wood roofs before installing a new covering. Previously, new roofs could be placed over existing wood shakes or shingles if the roof types were compatible. The change will mean probably $300 to $500 more in labor costs, Harder said.

Many Prefer Wood

There’s also the issue of how far government can go in telling people what to put on their house, Rutledge said. Fire Marshal Gray’s response to that argument is that cities have to take reasonable steps to prevent people from jeopardizing others’ lives and property.

But many people still prefer the rugged, natural texture of wood.

“It’s the prettiest roof you can put on,” said Merle Greene. “Nothing looks like wood.”

Earlier this year Greene bought a 33-year-old ranch house in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. She didn’t expect to replace the existing, untreated wood roof for several years. But with the ban suddenly on the horizon, Greene decided it was now or never. She got a permit before the deadline and spent $15,000 for a new fire-resistant wood roof.

She’s confident that the treated shakes are safe, although she added she might be more cautious if she lived in a brushy, hillside area.

Uncleared Brush

Uncleared brush is also a major factor in fires, as wood roof advocates point out. Firefighters agree, but they emphasize that with a fire-resistant roof flames are less likely to spread.

Any house can burn, however, in a firestorm, where intense heat and winds cause windows to implode, allowing the contents of a home to catch fire.

In the Puente Hills fire, of the 37 buildings destroyed or damaged, 13 had untreated wood roofs, nine had composition roofs, nine had metal roofs and four had tile or slate.

While no roof is absolutely fireproof, some coverings offer more protection than others.

Tile is extremely fire resistant and long-lasting, roofing experts say. It can be fairly expensive depending on the type of tile, although its durability balances out the cost in the long run, said Richard Boon, deputy director of the Roofing Industry Educational Institute in Englewood, Colo.

Reinforcement Needed

Concrete tile is less expensive than traditional clay tile, but some people prefer clay’s texture and coloring. The main drawback to tile is its weight. Houses not designed for a tile roof need reinforcement to support the extra load, which adds several hundred dollars to the cost of reroofing.

However, the tile industry is developing a lighter-weight concrete tile to overcome the problem, said Walter Pruder, executive vice president of the National Tile Roof Manufacturers Assn., a Los Angeles-based trade group. Although tile is used on most new California houses, manufacturers want a bigger share of the reroofing market, Pruder said.

For people who don’t want to worry about reinforcing their roofs, manufacturers of tile and wood substitutes cite the relatively light weight of their products as a selling point. They’re also taking advantage of the wood-roof ban to promote their products as alternatives.

Ironically, many are made to look like wood, if you don’t get too close. One product, Masonite Corp.’s Woodruf, includes wood fibers and inorganic material. A fire-resistant variety is available.

High Fire Resistance

Others are made of various mixtures that include perlite, cement and wood fibers. Although fairly expensive, they offer high fire resistance and a long life. Among the brand names are Cal-Shake, Hardishake, Permatek and MaxiTile.

However, some industry experts are cautious about these and other relatively new products on the market that carry warranties ranging from 20 to 50 years.

Most Americans don’t stay in a house long enough to see if the roof lives up to its guarantee, said Thomas Lee Smith, of the technology and research office for the National Roofing Contractors Assn. in Rosemont, Ill. Some warranties can be transferred to a new owner. But the warranties are often prorated. If a 20-year product fails after 15 years, (75% of its warranted life), the refund would be 25% of the original product cost, according to the NRCA.

Price is one of the major factors in choosing a roof. The NRCA suggests dividing the cost by the life span of the roof to get an annual cost, making it easier to compare different roofing types.

Composition Most Popular

Some more expensive materials may have a longer life and cost less to install. Cost also depends on the condition of the present roof and whether it has to be removed or repaired before new roofing can be installed.

Asphalt composition shingles are generally the least expensive. Nationwide, composition shingles are the most popular type of roofing material, Smith said. Many of these shingles are also designed to resemble wood. Fiberglass-based asphalt shingles have a higher fire resistance rating, usually Class A, while those with a paper byproduct base are Class C, said Russell K. Snyder, spokesman for the Asphalt Roofing and Manufacturers Assn. in Rockville, Md. Laminated fiberglass shingles are available with a thicker, textured look that has more visual appeal than a flat shingle, Snyder said.

With treated wood and many other roof types, the material used underneath can increase fire resistance. Local regulations may require certain methods of installation.

Spending thousands of dollars for a new roof can have some additional benefits besides fire protection. It may qualify homeowners for lower insurance rates, although that varies by company and home location, said Debbie Rosenzweig, staff writer for the Western Insurance Information Service in Tustin. A new roof adds significantly to a home’s value, said James A. Link, president of the San Fernando Valley Board of Realtors.

Whatever homeowners decide to do, they should avoid the experience of one young fellow in Hemet.

Batt. Chief Cary said the man was smoking while replacing his mother’s untreated wood roof with composition shingle. After doing half the roof, he came down for lunch. His lunch break ended when a neighbor told him the roof was on fire. Cary said a cigarette apparently ignited the old wood roof, causing about $90,000 damage to the house and contents before firefighters extinguished the blaze.

HOW TO CHOOSE A ROOFING CONTRACTOR Ask for customer references. Look at examples of the contractor’s workmanship and ask previous customers if they were satisfied with all aspects of the job.

Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if anyone has filed a complaint against the contractor.

Make sure the contractor has a state license number; check with the Contractors State License Board in your area to see if the number is valid and the contractor is in good standing.

Find out how long the contractor has been doing roofing. (Generally, the lower the state license number, the longer the contractor has been in business.) Be sure the contractor has a permanent business address and phone number, so you can contact him later if problems arise.

Get several written estimates and compare them. Give each contractor identical, itemized specifications.

Verify that the contractor has workers’ compensation and liability insurance. If the contractor is not insured and a worker is injured on your property, you will be liable. You may also want additional insurance, in the form of a bond that guarantees completion of the project and payment for labor and materials.

Get a written warranty on both materials and workmanship, and get starting and completion dates in writing also.

SOURCE: National Roofing Contractors Assn. and California Contractors State License Board. The NRCA offers a free brochure with more information on choosing a new roof. Call (800) USA-ROOF for a brochure or referrals to member contractors in your area.

COMPARING ROOFING MATERIALS

Roof Type Approx. Cost Life Span Fire to Install* Resistance** Treated wood-- $9,701 25-30 years Class A, B or C heavy shakes Untreated wood-- $8,801 25-30 years not fire- heavy shakes resistant Clay tile $15,008 Lifetime of house Class A Concrete tile $14,400 Lifetime Class A Fiberglass shingle $4,807 20-30 years Class A Laminated $5,962 25-30 years Class A fiberglass shingle Metal tile $10,500 40-50 years Class A or B Cal-Shake $11,524 30 years Class A (perlite mixture) Permatek (cement $11,930 50 years Class A or B and wood fiber) Built-up rock (for $5,334 10-15 years varies; depends flat roofs-- on materials includes layers of asphalt, gravel and tar paper)

*Based on 2,000-square-foot home with detached garage. Prices include removal of one roof plus any needed reinforcement and new plywood sheathing. Cost is approximate and may vary depending on roof design and condition.

**Class A resists severe fire danger originating outside the structure, Class B moderate fire danger and Class C slight fire danger. Ratings may depend on installation method and particular grade of material, with Class A usually the most expensive.

Note: When choosing a roof, consider local weather conditions and individual roof design. Each roofing material has different quality grades and cost varies accordingly. Cost may also depend on the condition of the present roof and whether it has to be removed or the new material can be installed over it. Homeowners should check local building codes and requirements.

SOURCE: Lang Roofing Inc., Bell Gardens (prices), National Roofing Contractors Assn. and product manufacturers.