Free roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Roof Installation Across Los Altos Hills
A new roof in Los Altos Hills is not a simple swap. The town’s 1-acre minimum zoning means almost every home here is a custom-built estate from the 1960s through the 1980s, with multi-plane rooflines, low-slope sections, and materials that have reached or passed their useful life. On top of that, Los Altos Hills sits inside CAL FIRE’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so a roof installation here means a Class A fire-rated assembly, a full tear-off, and no exceptions. The good news: we do this work here regularly, and the process is straightforward when you know the code and the terrain. We’re Mercer Roofing, founded in 2000 and part of the Threshold Group family. Our Roof Installation team handles tear-offs, custom flashing, WUI-compliant assemblies, and finish work on the kind of homes you only find in Los Altos Hills. Call (743) 200-8347 and we’ll put a written price in front of you before any work starts.
Why Mercer Roofing Is Los Altos Hills’s Preferred Roof Installation Company
Los Altos Hills homeowners tend to be specific about who comes onto the property. That’s not paranoia. It’s a town of narrow gated drives, steep lots, and homes set back from the street, where an unfamiliar truck parked on the shoulder is a real inconvenience. We send every technician’s name and photo before the visit. The person who knocks on your door will be background-checked, identity-verified, and wearing a clean uniform with a photo ID badge. That’s the Threshold Verified standard, and every independently owned location in the Threshold Group family is contractually held to it.
We know the streets here because we work them. From the switchbacks off Page Mill Road to the shaded lanes near the Los Altos Golf and Country Club, the jobs all share the same constraint: limited staging space and neighbors who notice noise. Our crews plan for that. We sequence the tear-off so debris doesn’t pile up on narrow drives, and we keep a written work log you can see at any time. Grant Whitlock leads our team, and he’s the person who walks the final inspection with you before we call the job done.
Shingle Roof in Los Altos Hills
A shingle roof in Los Altos Hills isn’t the same job it is in Mountain View or San Jose. Here it’s a code-driven, full tear-off to a Class A fire-rated assembly, often on a roof with four or five planes, exposed rafter tails, and original 50-year-old decking. The shingle itself might be architectural composition from GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, IKO, Atlas, Tamko, or Boral. A typical architectural shingle installation on a 3,000 to 5,000 square foot custom estate in Los Altos Hills runs $22,000 to $48,000, with the higher end reserved for homes with complex geometry, steep pitches, or rotted decking that needs full replacement. You should expect a tear-off, not an overlay. Los Altos Hills code and the fire hazard zone make overlays a non-starter.
When a full tear-off is required
This is the standard, not the exception. The 1960s and 1970s tile and composition roofs common along roads like Concepcion Road and Burke Road have lived past their decking’s useful life. A Class A assembly over old decking won’t pass inspection. We strip to the sheathing, inspect it board by board, replace what’s rotted, then build back up with underlayment, ice and water shield, and new flashing before the shingles go on.
Class A shingle assemblies and WUI compliance
Los Altos Hills sits almost entirely inside CAL FIRE’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. That means the roof assembly itself, not just the shingle, must be Class A rated. We install only manufacturer-recognized Class A assemblies, with the specific underlayment and flashing details the code requires for WUI exposure. Never a wood shake, and never a bare-minimum over skip sheathing.
Standing Seam Metal Roof in Los Altos Hills
A standing seam metal roof in Los Altos Hills is a long-game decision. Homeowners on 1-acre lots off country lanes like Taaffe Road or Robleda Road choose it because it handles the oak leaf litter better than any shingle, meets Class A fire requirements without compromise, and won’t need replacement in their lifetime. It also costs more than anything else we install. For a custom estate with multiple roof planes, a standing seam metal roof in Los Altos Hills typically runs $45,000 to $90,000, depending on seam profile, gauge, and how much custom flashing the roof geometry demands. Steeper pitches and low-slope transitions push the number up. If your home has exposed rafter tails, we’ll need to flash and trim around them individually.
Custom flashing for multi-plane roofs
The homes here were not drawn on a tract template. A 1970s architect-designed estate off La Paloma Road will have ridges, valleys, and low-slope transitions that mass-produced flashing does not fit. Our metal crews fabricate on site. That’s the only way to get a clean seal where a 2:12 low-slope section meets a 8:12 main plane over exposed rafter tails. Off-the-shelf flashing leaks. Fabricated flashing doesn’t.
Oak canopy and panel expansion
Standing seam panels expand and contract. On a Los Altos Hills roof that stays shaded and damp most of the year, we spec clip systems and expansion details that accommodate that movement without oil canning or snapping the seams. It’s a small detail, but on a $70,000 roof, it’s the difference between a 50-year roof and a 15-year headache.
Trusted Brands We Service in Los Altos Hills
We install and service shingle roofs from GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning. That’s a short list, and it’s deliberate. These three manufacturers have the deepest Class A WUI-compliant product lines and the most consistent material availability for the Bay Area. What matters for Los Altos Hills homeowners is whether we can source material quickly and stand behind the manufacturer’s warranty. We can, and we do. When we quote a GAF or CertainTeed assembly, we’re quoting a system the manufacturer will stand behind, not a mix-and-match of whatever the supply house had on the shelf. You’ll see the brand name and the specific product line on your written quote, not a generic “architectural shingle” line item.
Common Roof Installation Problems We See in Los Altos Hills Homes
- Oak litter dams in valleys and gutters. Coast live oaks drop acorns and tannin-rich leaves year-round. These collect in roof valleys and gutters, forming organic dams that hold water against shingle edges and rot decking and fascia from the inside out.
- Overlay jobs on original tile or composition roofs. A previous owner may have had shingles overlaid on top of the original 1960s or 1980s material to save money. That skips the full tear-off and custom flashing required for a Class A WUI assembly, leaving hidden rot and non-compliant penetrations that fail inspection.
- Moss and lichen on shaded planes. Dense oak and bay laurel canopy keeps north- and west-facing roof planes damp for much of the year. Moss, lichen, and algae colonize shingles, lift their edges, and void manufacturer warranties. We build in moss-inhibitor strips and improved drainage rather than treating moss as an afterthought.
- Exposed rafter tails and flashing failures. The architect-designed profiles common in Los Altos Hills feature exposed rafter tails, which look beautiful and rot on schedule. When we’re on a roof, we inspect every tail for soft spots and replace or sister them before the new fascia and drip edge go on.
Pricing for Roof Installation in Los Altos Hills, CA
Here are real numbers for the Los Altos Hills market. A full tear-off and Class A architectural shingle installation on a 3,000 to 5,000 square foot estate runs $22,000 to $48,000. A standing seam metal roof on the same home runs $45,000 to $90,000. What moves the number: roof geometry (more planes, more valleys, more flashing), decking condition (1960s and 1970s decks often need replacement), site access (a steep lot with no staging area adds labor hours), and material grade. Every Mercer Roofing quote is written, line-item, and fixed. If the price changes once work starts, that’s on us, not you. Call (743) 200-8347 and we’ll schedule a free estimate. The person who comes out will be the same person whose name and photo you received before the visit.
We Also Serve Cities Near Los Altos Hills
Our crews work throughout the South Bay and Peninsula. If you own property outside Los Altos Hills, we handle roof installations in San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Same written quote, same Threshold Verified standard, same badge at the door.
Serving Los Altos Hills, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos Hills 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 Installation in Los Altos Hills
No, and you should be suspicious of anyone who says yes. Los Altos Hills sits inside CAL FIRE’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and California Chapter 7A requires a Class A fire-rated assembly. That means a full tear-off to the decking, inspection of the sheathing, and a new underlayment and flashing system built to current WUI code. Overlaying on top of old tile or composition skips all of that. We tear off, we don’t overlay. Call (743) 200-8347 for an exact quote on your roof.
The coast live oaks that define Los Altos Hills shade your roof and drop acorns, leaves, and tannin-rich debris onto it. That debris dams valleys and gutters, holds moisture against shingle edges, and grows moss on shaded planes. We specify wider valley flashing, leaf guards, moss-inhibitor strips, and improved drainage as standard practice, not add-ons. If your home sits under heavy oak cover, we may recommend a standing seam metal roof rather than shingles. You get the full picture in writing before work starts.
Only Class A fire-rated assemblies. That rules out wood shake entirely. Class A architectural composition shingles from GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning are the most common choice. Class A standing seam metal is the other strong option. In both cases, the underlayment, flashing, and edge details must also meet Chapter 7A WUI requirements. We quote only compliant assemblies, and the permit will confirm it.
We plan the job before the first truck arrives. That means scheduling the tear-off around your driveway’s usable width, staging materials in a single lane rather than across the street, and keeping debris contained in designated areas each day. If the job is noisy, we’ll tell you and your immediate neighbors what day the tear-off is happening. A tight lot changes the quote, because it changes labor hours. That’s reflected in the written line items, not hidden in a change order. Call (743) 200-8347 to schedule a free estimate.
You get a written, line-item price before any work starts. The quote is broken into tear-off, decking repair or replacement, underlayment, flashing, roofing material, and site cleanup. If decking is rotted, we list a per-sheet replacement rate up front. No change orders, no surprises. That’s the Mercer Roofing standard, and it’s the only way we work in Los Altos Hills. The quote you sign is the price you pay.
Call Mercer Roofing for Your Los Altos Hills Roof Installation
A roof installation in Los Altos Hills is a significant investment, and you should know exactly who’s doing the work. When you call Mercer Roofing, a live person answers. We’ll schedule a free estimate. Before the technician arrives, you’ll have their name and photo. At your door, they’ll badge in with a photo ID. Every quote is written before work starts. Every repair carries a 365-day written guarantee. If it’s not done right within a year, we make it right at no cost. Call (743) 200-8347 and let’s talk about your roof.
Written by Grant Whitlock, Owner at Mercer Roofing, serving Los Altos Hills since our founding in 2000.