The Avenues were subdivided in 1887. Barber was built for Diamond Match factory workers in the early 1900s. Chapmantown grew up as its own community of California bungalows outside the old city limits.
These are the neighborhoods that give Chico its look. Craftsman porches, Victorian gables, bungalow rooflines, big oaks out front.
They are also the roofs that hold the most surprises. We have been roofing them since our family started the company in 1950, when a lot of these houses were already 40 years old. Here is what we know.
What is usually under the roof
On a home built between 1900 and 1955, the roof you see is rarely the first roof. It is often the third or fourth. And older reroofs in Chico were frequently laid right over the one before.
When we open up an older roof, we commonly find:
- Multiple layers of roofing. Two layers of composition is common. Three is not rare. Occasionally there is a layer of wood shake or shingle at the bottom.
- Skip sheathing. Older homes were decked with 1x boards spaced apart to let wood shakes breathe. That decking cannot take modern shingles or tile directly. It needs solid sheathing over it.
- No underlayment. Many original roofs went straight onto the boards.
- Dry rot. Around the eaves, in the valleys, and anywhere a gutter overflowed for 20 years.
- Improvised flashing. Chimneys and walls flashed with whatever was on the truck, sealed with tar every few years since.
None of this is a reason to panic. All of it is a reason to hire a roofer who has seen it before and priced for it honestly.
Why we tear off instead of laying over
The City of Chico allows a second layer of composition roofing in some cases. We almost never recommend it on an older home.
Laying over hides the deck. You cannot fix what you cannot see. It adds weight to a frame that was built for cedar shakes. It shortens the life of the new roof because the surface underneath is uneven and hot. And it means the next reroof, whenever it comes, has to remove everything at once.
On the roofs in the Avenues and Barber, a full tear-off to the deck is the right call. We replace rotten boards, add solid sheathing where the house has skip sheathing, install a modern underlayment, and start clean. The photo at the top of this article is exactly that: fresh decking, new vent flashing, and the new roof about to go on.
Our article on what a roof replacement involves walks through each step.
Permits and the City of Chico
Every reroof in Chico requires a permit, and the City's rule is clear: replace any dry rot and install minimum Class A, B, or 25-year roofing. The inspector wants to see the sheathing and the nailing before we cover it.
We pull the permit and schedule the inspection. On an older home this matters more than usual because the inspector is your second set of eyes on the deck repair.
If your home is in the unincorporated county rather than the city, Butte County Development Services handles the permit. Same idea, different counter.
Keeping the character
Older Chico homes were roofed in materials that are not always practical to put back. Wood shake is beautiful and it is not allowed as a new roof in a fire hazard zone. Original tile on a 1920s Spanish revival home is often unavailable in the same profile.
Here is how we handle it.
For Craftsman and bungalow homes, an architectural shingle in a weathered wood or slate color keeps the look and adds a Class A rating and a real warranty. Some homeowners choose a synthetic shake that gets the shadow line back without the fire risk.
For Victorian and Queen Anne homes with steep pitches and decorative gables, we spend extra time on the flashings and the transitions. These roofs have a dozen places where a slope meets a wall. That is where they leak, and that is where the craftsmanship shows.
For Spanish and Mediterranean homes with original clay tile, we try to salvage and relay the tile when it is sound. A lift and relay replaces the underlayment and flashing under tile that has decades left in it.
We will show you samples on the roof, in the light, before you decide. Color looks different on a 1915 bungalow under an oak than it does in a showroom.
Ventilation and insulation
Older homes were built to breathe. Then, sometime between 1960 and 1990, somebody added insulation, sealed the eaves, and closed the gable vents. Now the attic cooks in July and sweats in January.
On every older reroof we assess the venting and correct it. That usually means adding intake at the eaves and a continuous ridge vent. Done right, it is invisible from the street and adds years to the roof. Read why attic venting matters for the full picture.
What it costs and why
An older home costs more to reroof than a tract home in Doe Mill of the same size. Tear-off of multiple layers, deck repair, sheathing over skip boards, and more complicated flashing all take time and material.
We price all of it up front, with an allowance for dry rot that we adjust only for what we actually find and show you in photos. No surprises on the final invoice. Our guide to roof replacement cost in Northern California explains what drives the number.
Why the right roofer matters more on an old house
On a new house, most roofers will produce a similar result. On a 1910 Craftsman in the Avenues, the difference between a career craftsman and a temporary crew is the difference between a roof that lasts 30 years and one that leaks at the first chimney.
We train and keep our crews. Many of them have opened up more Chico roofs than most contractors will see in a career. They know what a skip-sheathed deck feels like underfoot, and they know how to flash a gable that has been re-flashed five times.
If you own one of Chico's older homes, contact us for an evaluation. We will tell you what is under the roof, what it needs, and how to keep it looking like it belongs on the block.
