Metal roofing
Architectural shingles
Tile roofing
GAF
Owens Corning
Flat & low-slopeFree roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Fast, Reliable Roofing Company Across South Pasadena
Finding a Roofing Company that understands South Pasadena’s older homes isn’t a simple search, because most roofing crews treat a 1912 Craftsman the same way they’d treat a 1990s tract house. That approach fails here. Our crews work on Milan Avenue, Oaklawn, and the historic districts off Fair Oaks and Mission every month, so we know what’s behind those original eaves and under those salvaged clay tiles. If you need roof repair in South Pasadena, a roof inspection before you buy or sell, or a full replacement that won’t get you a stop-work order from the Historic Preservation Commission, call (626) 657-5397 and we’ll give you a written price before anything starts.
Why Birchbark Roofing Pasadena Is South Pasadena’s Preferred Roofing Company
South Pasadena homeowners call us because we don’t fight the city’s rules, we work inside them. A house on a Mills Act contract or within a designated historic district needs a roofer who has already sat through the HPC review process and knows what documentation gets submitted and when. Erik Lindgren, who leads our team, has walked residential re-roofs through South Pasadena’s permitting path more times than we can count. We know which clay tile profiles the commission expects to see on a 1920s Spanish Revival and which composition shingle colors read as too modern for a Craftsman bungalow.
Our crews show up in uniform, background-checked, with shoe covers at the door and drop cloths through the hallway. You know exactly who is walking through your house and onto your roof before the ladder goes up. And when we leave, you get a photo of the completed clean-up. That’s not marketing language, it’s our standard process on every South Pasadena job.
We’re part of the Cedarwell family of independent roofing businesses since 2000, and every job carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not right, we make it right.
Styles & brands we work with






Roof Inspection in South Pasadena
A roof inspection in South Pasadena typically costs $250 – $500 depending on the roof’s size, access difficulty, and whether we’re documenting condition for a real estate transaction or a Historic Preservation Commission submission. In South Pasadena, a roof inspection is rarely a five-minute glance from the driveway. It means walking every slope, lifting tiles to check for cracked underlayment, documenting valley metal condition, and photographing every penetration so you have a written record. On a 1915 bungalow, we’re also looking at the original skip sheathing since that’s where hidden rot starts.
What the Report Includes
Every inspection report is delivered in writing, with photos, and a line-item list of what’s failing now versus what will fail within two to three years. We don’t use a checklist app and call it done. If you’re buying a house near Mission West or selling one off Monterey Road, this report gives you numbers you can actually take to the negotiating table.
When South Pasadena Homeowners Need One
Before a purchase, before listing, after a heavy winter storm, or when you haven’t thought about your roof since the last El Niño. South Pasadena’s dry summers bake underlayment, then winter rains arrive suddenly. A roof that looked fine in September can be leaking by January. Inspection first, decisions second.
Commercial Roofing in South Pasadena
Commercial roofing in South Pasadena runs from roughly $9,000 for a small flat roof on a Fair Oaks storefront up to $60,000+ for larger buildings with multiple levels, parapet walls, and aging drainage systems. South Pasadena’s commercial buildings, especially along Mission Street, tend to be older structures with low-slope roofs that have been patched and re-patched over decades. Most need more than a new membrane; they need drainage corrections and parapet flashing rebuilt before the next winter storm.
Low-Slope Systems That Hold Up
We work with torch-down, TPO, and PVC systems, but the real decision is drainage. If your building’s roof holds water in a corner after every rain, adding a thicker membrane doesn’t solve the problem. We correct slope or add tapered insulation where needed. A live person answers our phones 24/7, including nights and weekends, so if a leak opens on a Sunday before a Monday open, someone picks up.
Working Around Business Hours
For restaurants and retailers, a tear-off during business hours is not acceptable. We coordinate noisy work for off-hours and protect inventory or seating areas with drop cloths and plastic sheeting. You get the same written price before any work starts, and the same clean-up photo before we leave.
Trusted Brands We Service in South Pasadena
Homes in South Pasadena need materials that match their era, and we work with CertainTeed, Owens Corning, and IKO among others. For a 1920s Spanish Revival, that often means sourcing a clay tile profile that either matches the original color lot or blends imperceptibly across the slope. For a Craftsman, it means a composition shingle in a muted tone, not a bright architectural gray that screams 2023. We keep common flashings and underlayments stocked locally so a simple repair on a South Pasadena home doesn’t wait on a distribution center.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Roofing Company Problems We See in South Pasadena Homes
- Rotted skip sheathing under original clay tiles. The 1900s – 1920s homes here were built with spaced board decking, not plywood. Water sits at the valleys, and by the time you see a ceiling stain, the decking underneath is often gone. We cut back to sound wood and rebuild before relaying salvaged tiles.
- Mismatched tile patches that look like a chessboard. A previous roofer replaced a cracked tile with whatever was on the truck. On a visible street-facing slope, the Historic Preservation Commission will notice, and so will your neighbor. We match color and profile before touching the roof.
- Missing valley metal replacement. In older South Pasadena homes, valley metal from the 1970s is rusted thin. A lazy fix is to nail new shingles over it and walk away. The next storm drives water straight under the ridge. We replace the metal and lap the new material correctly.
- Permit-triggered code upgrades nobody warned you about. Once a roof is opened on a permitted re-roof, the city inspector checks for things like ice and water shield at the eaves. Skip it and final sign-off is denied. We build these items into the written price before the first tile comes off.
Pricing for Roofing Company in South Pasadena, CA
A full roof replacement on a South Pasadena home typically runs $14,000 – $28,000 for composition shingles, depending on size, steepness, and decking condition. Clay tile replacements start around $28,000 and go up from there, because the labor is slower and the material sourcing is specialized. Repairs on this city’s older homes usually land between $450 and $1,800 for valley work, flashing replacement, or isolated decking rot, but a historic roof with multiple hidden issues can push higher. You’ll see your exact number in writing before any work starts, and that number includes the permit, the underlayment, the flashing, and the clean-up. No allowances hiding in a drawer. Call (626) 657-5397 to schedule your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near South Pasadena
Beyond South Pasadena, we work in Alhambra, Pasadena, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park. Each of those cities has its own permitting quirks and housing age, but the same written-price process applies. If you’re in one of those neighborhoods, our Roofing Company in South Pasadena team can help.
Serving South Pasadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the South Pasadena 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 Roofing Company in South Pasadena
You get a written change order before we touch the newly exposed area. We open a sample section during the estimate when possible, but old roofs hide things. If we find rot behind the eaves or damaged framing at the valleys, we stop, show you photos, and give you a line-item price for the added decking, insulation, or structural repair. That price is agreed in writing before we buy material or swing a hammer. Call (626) 657-5397 and we’ll walk you through how the contract handles unknowns.
Yes, in most cases we can match the tile closely enough that a repair disappears from the street. We source from salvage yards and match the manufacturer’s color lot when the tile is still made. On Milan Avenue and Oaklawn specifically, we’ve salvaged original tiles from the same house and re-laid them so the patchwork reads as original. If you’re within a historic district, the HPC wants to see that matching intent in the permit application, so we document the tile profile and color before work begins.
Once you pull a permit for a roof replacement, the inspector checks for current code requirements: ice and water shield at the eaves, proper attic ventilation, and flashings that meet current standards. If your house was last roofed in the 1980s, those items were not required. You don’t get to skip them just because the roof is old. We include those upgrades in the written estimate up front so the permit inspection passes the first time and you get final sign-off without a second trip.
Yes, and it differs from a normal re-roof permit. If your house is a contributing structure or on a Mills Act contract, any visible roof change needs Historic Preservation Commission review before the building permit is issued. That includes material type, tile profile, shingle color, and sometimes the underlayment method. We prepare the submittal with photos, material specifications, and a written narrative of how the work will preserve the original character. Call (626) 657-5397 and we can tell you whether your house qualifies.
We remove and reset the shake carefully rather than cutting through it. Around the chimney, we pull back the existing shakes, inspect the felt underneath, replace damaged felt in that zone, install new step flashing and counter-flashing, then re-lay and re-nail the shakes. Each shake that comes off is labeled and put back in the same spot. If a shake cracks during removal, we tell you and price its replacement before continuing. The goal is a watertight junction that doesn’t look like it was touched.
Written by Erik Lindgren, Owner at Birchbark Roofing Pasadena, serving South Pasadena and surrounding areas.