Roof Replacement in Placitas, NM

Placitas homes sit higher and more exposed than most of the metro. Spring winds come straight across the hills, summer storms build over the Sandias and drop hail with little warning, and the sun at this elevation is hard on every roofing material. Add long dirt drives, hillside lots and homes with several roof levels, and replacing a roof here takes a little more planning.

The most common Placitas roof is a flat, foam-and-coating roof behind parapet walls on a pueblo-revival home. Close behind are standing-seam metal roofs on contemporary and territorial homes, shingle roofs on homes closer to Bernalillo, and tile on a handful of Mediterranean-style homes. Each one fails in its own way, so the first step is always a close look.

When to call

• Stains on ceilings after a storm, even small ones
• Coating on a flat roof that's worn through to tan or brown foam
• Cracked parapet caps or water running down stucco walls
• Lifted metal trim or loose shingles after a windstorm
• Any roof hit by hail, before small damage becomes a leak

Repair, recoat or replace

Plenty of Placitas roofs don't need a full replacement. Sound foam can be recoated for a fraction of the price of a new roof, and many leaks come from parapets, canales or skylights rather than the roof surface. We'll tell you which one your roof needs — see repair or replace?

Materials

Sprayed foam with elastomeric coating, welded TPO and modified bitumen for flat roofs; standing-seam metal panels and trim from Metal Center in Albuquerque; and architectural or Class 4 impact-resistant shingles from GAF, Owens Corning and Malarkey.

Hail claims and paying for the roof

After a storm, start with our hail claim checklist and learn how policies pay in ACV vs replacement cost. Many Placitas addresses are rural, so USDA home repair programs may be an option for qualifying seniors and lower-income homeowners.