Roof Replacement in Columbia County

Published August 29, 2026 · Columbia County, Oregon

A full tear-off roof replacement on a 2,000–2,500 sq ft home in Columbia County, Oregon. The old roofing came off down to the bare deck, the bad decking underneath was cut out and replaced, the whole roof was dried in, and it was shingled with Owens Corning Oakridge in Desert Tan. No layovers and no going over the old roof — a layover hides whatever is wrong with the deck instead of fixing it, and it costs the homeowner the one chance they get to look at it.

Two days on site with a full crew: one day to strip, repair and dry in, and one day to shingle, vent and clean up. Splitting the work that way means the house is watertight at the end of the first day, which matters on an Oregon roof where the weather does not wait for a convenient stopping point.

Tear-off — what the old roof was hiding

Once the old roofing came off we could see what we were actually working with. A section along the eave was gone: the sheathing had delaminated, the board under it was split and rotted through, and there was daylight showing at the edge. Soft decking like that gets cut back to solid framing and replaced — there is no point nailing a new roof to a deck that will not hold a nail. New plywood was cut in and nailed off to the framing, flush with the existing deck, and the shingle bundles were loaded onto the roof at that point so the crew was not running the ladder all day once the shingles started going on.

Dried in before a single shingle went on

The whole roof was dried in before any shingles were laid. Self-adhered membrane runs wide along the eave — the dark band at the bottom edge — with ProArmor synthetic underlayment lapped up the field and capped over the ridge, and metal drip edge on at the eave. Once a roof is at this stage the house is watertight, and the crew can shut down overnight or for weather without leaving the homeowner exposed.

Shingles, flashing and venting

The Oakridge is an architectural laminate, so it carries a dimensional shadow line instead of the flat look of a 3-tab. Caps are nailed above the sealant line so every fastener ends up covered by the next course. The skylight curb was re-flashed and shingled back in as part of the tear-off, with the flashing woven into the courses rather than caulked around old metal. The pipe jack got a new boot and base, box vents and a new roof vent were set into the field, ridge vent was run down the hip, and the metal flue got a new base flashing and storm collar. Every penetration on this roof got new metal — reused rusted flashing on a new roof is where the callbacks come from.

Finished result

With intake at the eaves and exhaust up top, the attic can move air the way it is supposed to, which is what keeps the shingles from cooking from the underside and shortening the life of the roof. Tear-off debris was hauled off the same day it came down, the ground and gutters were cleared, and the whole perimeter was swept with a magnet for nails before the crew pulled off site.

Planning a roof replacement in Columbia County or the Portland metro? Request a free written estimate from a licensed Oregon contractor, CCB #238525.