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About Brian Atkins
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I can answer any question related to all type of roof repairs (especially tile roof repair and flat roof repair work). I can also answer most new roof or roofing related questions with the exception of questions in regards to single ply roofing (PVC) and standing seam or metal panel roofing. I have little or no experience with those applications.

Experience
I was first introduced to roofing by my father who was started his own roofing career in Orange County CA. By the time I was 10 years old I knew what most general roofing materials were and had some idea of their purpose. At the age of thirteen I started working during the summer for my Fathers roofing company (Atkins Certified Custom Home Roofing) working in LA and Orange County CA as a part of a tear-off crew for $2.90 an hour. At 14 I started an apprenticeship while under the supervision of my uncle who was a journeymen roofer for my father's roofing company. I stayed at that level for three summers learning all that I could working with my uncle. After graduating from La Quinta High School in 1988 I immediately began working full time as a journeyman roofer doing roof repair and complete new roofs. My area of specialty and interests has always been on the roof repair side of the business. My Dad did an excellent job at teaching me roof repair techniques that were taught to him from old time roofers that took him under their belt when he was an apprentice many, many years ago. In 1992 my Dad signed for my first license and formed a partnership with me and I started my first roofing company in Irvine CA. This is where started to make my own niche in roofing by specializing in roof repair, dry rot repair, termite damage repair, and full roof restorations. In 1997 I took the CSLB testing and qualified for a license on my own and moved my roofing business location to Lake Forest, CA 92630. While working for myself and for my father’s company I would guess I have personally done more than a thousand repairs and roofed several hundred homes completely here in Orange County. Currently I own and operate a roofing company serving the following areas of Orange County Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Brea, Cypress, Capistrano Beach, Costa Mesa, Corona Del Mar, Dana Point, El Toro, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Foothill Ranch, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Lemon Heights, Mission Viejo, Orange, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Seal Beach, Silverado Canyon, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Tustin, Trabuco Canyon, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda and communities Coto De Caza, Dove Canyon, Lake Forest I, Lake Forest II, Canyon Crest, Shady Canyon, Three Arch Bay, Emerald Bay, Newport coast, Nellie Gail Sunset Ridge, Bennett Ranch, Meadow Wood, Sterling Hills, Sterling Lakes, Pacific Hills, Sunset Ridge, Bennett Ranch, Sterling Hills, Sterling Lakes, Wagon Wheel, Larado, Stonecliff, The Summit, The Classics BR>
Organizations
I do have a valid (roofing contractor)CSLB license # 737515 since 1997. I have been given an Industry Expert Certification given to me from the CSLB in 1999. My roofing company has also been enrolled in the Certainteed Select Shingle Roofer Program for 4 years now. I also hold some other manufacture certification as well. Other than that I really just belong to my customers and my customers only. They are what my sole focus is on.

Publications
I have not been featured in any publications to my knowledge. The only writing credit I could use is my website at www.southcountyroofing.com. I wrote all of it. I heard from a few customers that they have read every word on every page of the website. So, it must be decent. But, I have to give credit where credit is due. My mother was my editor.

Education/Credentials
There’s nothing big to mention here. I am a high school graduate.

Awards and Honors
As for roofing, the greatest honor I have had yet to date came the day my father started coming to me for answers about roofing. As for life, it is being a father to my son.BR>
Past/Present Clients
There aren't any names that I could use that you would know or recognize. But, I have worked for many special people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those customers for the letting me handle their roofing needs.

   

You are here:  Experts > Home/Garden > Home Improvement/Repair > Roofing

SubjectDate AskedExpert

Plywood on roof is bulging up10/15/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: I was researching why my roof is bumpy and I read this article which didn't answer ...
  A: That's all in the shape of the plywood which means the plywood is loose. Either a lot of the nails ...
modified bitumen application10/14/2008Tom Souza
  Q: My roofer states that he applied a modified bitumen hot asphalt method roofing on top of the old ...
  A: In most cases I recommend removing the old roofing down to the sheathing. ( Reasons See below ) 1. ...
double layer of shingles?10/14/2008david burnett
  Q: My current shingles are 20 yrs old. I got an estimate for a new roof, and the roofer said in my area ...
  A: I would get a price both ways and then decide. It is better to take off the old ones but a little ...
Amount of Duration Shingles10/13/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: We were told that we should order 18 squares of Duration Shingles for our roof. We figured the ...
  A: Either someone measured your roof wrongly or there are more shingles in a bundle than normal. Three ...
Small Cantilever or overhang roof10/13/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: We are getting a metal roof installed which will cause the snow to slide off directly onto the heat ...
  A: If you "cantilever" something then there are no supports. That's what a "cantilever" is. Any ...
Comp roof over "Kool Seal"10/12/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: Michael, I just built a 10'x10'x10' storage shed with a gambrel roof, the sheathing is OSB. Because ...
  A: I don't see any reason why you could not apply two or three coats of Kool Seal over the OSB boards. ...
new addition roofing10/12/2008Todd E. Miller
  Q: I have a 16x80 mobile home and have put a 12x80 addition on it. The addition roof insulation is ...
  A: You really need a vented airspace -- with both intake vent and exhaust vent. www.airvent.com is a ...
My "wavy" roof10/12/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: My house is not even 2 years old. I live in Louisiana and our area was affected by Hurricane Gustav ...
  A: If the waves are between the rafters then the plywood is sagging. If the wave is across the roof ...
Roof Stains10/10/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: I have black stains on my Red IKO roof. My roof looks black now. Per IKO web site they say it's ...
  A: Here are three web sites that will help you decide the best way to attack the problem. Hope this ...
Modified v. SPF10/10/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: I have a flat roof and have estimates for a modified roof and Spray Foam with Coating. The spray ...
  A: Good Morning Melissa, The spray foam roof will have a great R-value. The modified roof may not ...
ROOF VENTILATION10/9/2008Todd E. Miller
  Q: WHY WOULD A ROOF OVER UNHEATED GARAGE SPACE NEED TO HAVE RIDGE VENT AND PERFORATED SOFFIT?
  A: Unless you are going to have source(s) of heat and/or moisture in the garage, venting probably is ...
Shingles10/8/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: Brad, A few questions about shingles: 1. We have a 15 yr old roof with composit shingles that has ...
  A: Any product you buy is guaranteed to be made well. If you buy a refrigerator the guarantee promised ...
bowed roof10/8/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: I own a 40+ year old salt box style home in the Chicago area. The roof shows a slight bowing. I ...
  A: Hey Dennis, You will need to find a contractor that is familiar with doing structural modification ...
Asphalt/fiberglass shingle installation10/8/2008Ron Haynes
  Q: I believe that shingles require the heat from the sun to activate the adhesive that 'glues' each ...
  A: Fred, You are right regarding sun activation of the adhesive self-sealing strip on the shingles. ...
Felt paper installation10/8/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: I would like to know is the felt paper suppose to be under the drip edge or over the top. Are is ...
  A: I have argued for years about this. Many contractors/builders say the felt paper should be under the ...
Correct way to flash wall to roof of low slope porch roof10/8/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: Brian, I have a two story colonial home and have am converting the rear deck into an enclosed ...
  A: Good Morning Robert, It sounds to me like you are trying to flash the transition where a vertical ...
flat roof10/8/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: Hey. We have a flat roof porch (that we do use) over our sunroom, it is a white rubber and is ...
  A: Good Morning, Yes there are plenty of other options. You need to talk to more roofing contractors. ...
biobased roof coatings10/8/2008Shawn Watson
  Q: I am interested in learning more about the soybean based liquid roof coating that is applied over an ...
  A: I am not familiar with this product. We use a water based acrylic coating. It is an elastomeric ...
Reroofing over damaged shingles10/8/2008david burnett
  Q: We are trying to decide between a new rook or reroofing. We have two areas of our roof where the ...
  A: Susan, I'm going to quote an earlier answer I gave to a similar question - please feel free to ...
roof problems10/7/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: We had a new roof installed last fall (10-19-07). Since that time the shingles have never flattened ...
  A: It's difficult to cover with a tarp when it involves the chimney as you can't cover the chimney. ...
an "oatmeal-like" roof patch material10/7/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: I am trying to hunt down a product that was used here in the past. It is a granulated product that ...
  A: I think you're looking for this. http://www.swepcousa.com/bpsite/bppdf/J11449_lsSB.pdf Every ...
clay tile roof repair10/7/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: Brian, our house was built in 1919 and is of brick construction with a clay tile roof. The tile ...
  A: Your roof should cost nowhere close to that. Fly me out and I can guarantee that, lol. You should ...
tile roof attic insulation10/7/2008Ron Haynes
  Q: Ron, we have a brick home built in 1919 with a clay tile roof. Our attic is not insulated. There ...
  A: Allen, The solid foam, if sprayed in place, as opposed to a foam board is likely quoted at an ...
roof repair products10/7/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: I have received estimates to repair a flat roof. One contractor has offered to seal the entire roof ...
  A: Henry's fiber coating can be asphalt or aluminum coating but Henry's is the stuff Home Depot sells ...
roof coating waterproof10/7/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: I have a home in Ft lauderdale FL built in 1959 with the original clay barrel roof. Last week it ...
  A: Joel, If your roof started leaking it means the water proofing part of the roof has a problem. The ...
Specifying a new standing seam metal roof10/7/2008Dan Merrill
  Q: Dan, I have decided that I want to replace my 40 year shingle roof that was damaged in a hail storm ...
  A: Many of the manufacturers do not deal directly with the public, most go through distributors, but ...
discontinued GAF asphalt shingles10/7/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: I have put an addition on my home and Home Depot has just told me that Royal Sovereign Autumn Brown ...
  A: Sunday, October 12, 2008 You should try a local roofing distributer and see what they have in ...
Flat roof repair Help - South County Roofing10/6/2008Brian Atkins
  Q: Have to install an over the stove microwave oven with vent. There is not a long distance to travel ...
  A: Yes you do exactly that. About your concerns. Heat sealing around such a penetration is but one ...
Asphalt shingles not laying flat10/6/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: I had a brand new roof put on my duplex in February. Dome of the shingles were not laying ...
  A: Sounds to me like a bad installation job. If the decking is laying flat, there is no reason for this ...
cedar roof close valley10/5/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: how do I install ( make ) a close valley on a cedar roof? If you have the answer can you also send ...
  A: You can't do a closed valley on a cedar roof because you can't bend the cedar to go up the other ...
Roof defect and Hurricane Ike10/5/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: We live in a small development (137 homes) in Pearland, TX where half were built by one builder (X) ...
  A: One builder might have used a different shingle from the other builder. Different shingles have ...
roof leak10/5/2008Mark Sundberg
  Q: Our roof has leaked for years. One side is a mobile home and the other side was built onto and made ...
  A: Aloha Ashley, Well, not sure, but perhaps something like a cricket. The main defense against water ...
problems with tar paper shrinkage10/4/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: We are roofing a small shed in our yard. The tar paper has been on for a while w/o shingles and it ...
  A: That's a new one on me.......There should always be a sufficient overlap of at least 4 inches and I ...
gutters and snow on metal roof10/4/2008Todd E. Miller
  Q: Will rain gutters get ripped off my metal roofed barn? We just built a 120x60x16 indoor arena in ...
  A: I would suggest a 6" gutter made of minimum .032" thick aluminum hung with internal brackets. This ...
Roofer sliced through underlayment10/3/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: I'm in the process of getting a new roof. It's a tear-off, with new 1/2" plywood sheeting, 30# ...
  A: That is a tough call. The chances of leaks down the road, although possible, may not happen. The ...
roof / wall leak10/3/2008Brad Zacharia
  Q: my brother has a house in which the porch area was covered up and converted to a parlor. it has ...
  A: The only way you could do it from the inside is to take out the wall, build a complete wall out in ...
setting for attick exhaust fans10/3/2008Dan Merrill
  Q: is there a setting for the summer months and one for the winter months. If so, what are these ...
  A: The settings depend on where you are located. Usually, the summertime settings are about 15 to 20 ...
Specifying a new standing seam metal roof10/2/2008Dan Merrill
  Q: Dan, I have decided that I want to replace my 40 year shingle roof that was damaged in a hail storm ...
  A: The best place to start looking for a metal roof is metalroofing.com it is the site for the Metal ...
torch down rubber roof10/2/2008Tom Souza
  Q: My question is how much of an over lap is necessary between the sections, is it important that the ...
  A: First make sure you understand the flame, Around 12 to 15" of the flame can not be seen during ...
Roofer sliced through underlayment10/2/2008Michael J. Owen
  Q: I'm in the process of getting a new roof. It's a tear-off, with new 1/2" plywood sheeting, 30# ...
  A: This needs to be addressed as it is a potential problem. There should be no exposed plywood under ...

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Questions by
Active Experts:
Dan MerrillMichael J. OwenShawn Watson
Tom SouzaTodd E. MillerRon Haynes
Mark SundbergBrian AtkinsBrad Zacharia
david burnett  

     
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