Flat and low-slope roofing for Rancho Estates, Long Beach

Rancho Estates, sometimes called the Cliff May Ranchos, is a small east Long Beach neighborhood built in the 1950s from designs by Cliff May, a California architect known for the modern ranch house. The homes are single-story with board-and-batten walls, walls of glass facing the yard, exposed beams and very low-pitched roofs that run out into wide overhangs. Owners here usually know their homes well and care about keeping the clean, low roofline.

Those roofs are the reason many owners call us. A low-slope roof cannot be roofed like a typical ranch house. It needs a membrane or built-up system that can handle slow-moving water, careful detailing at the edges and around skylights, and attention to the exposed beam ends and fascia that run through the overhang.

Cliff May ranchos and their low roofs

Original roofs here were typically rock-surfaced built-up roofs, sometimes with a gravel finish, laid over a roof deck that also serves as the finished ceiling inside. That means there is often no attic: the underside of the roof deck is what you see from the living room, so leaks show quickly and repairs have to protect the exposed wood.

Today, owners choose between modern built-up roofing, torch-down, TPO, PVC and foam or coating systems. Each can work when installed well. Because there is no attic for insulation, some owners add rigid insulation on top of the deck during a re-roof, which needs careful planning at the edges so the thin profile of the eave is preserved.

Roof problems we see most in Rancho Estates

Re-roofing a rancho while keeping its profile

Owners here usually want the roof to look as thin and low as the original. We plan edge metal, insulation and membrane choices with that in mind, and protect the exposed ceilings inside during tear-off. A City of Long Beach building permit is required for re-roofing, which we pull, and Title 24 can call for cool-rated roofing on low-slope re-roofs, which many modern membranes already meet. We check what applies before we order.

Rancho Estates is a few miles inland, so summer sun and heat are the main wear factors. Light-colored membranes reflect heat and help homes without attics stay cooler. Our downtown office is a short drive west, and our phone is answered 24/7 if a storm finds a weak spot.