Cedar Roofing in Seattle, WA: Real Wood, Cut and Fitted Right
Western cedar shakes, shingles and siding, installed by a crew that knows exactly what Seattle rain does to wood.
Cedar Does Not Fail Early. Bad Installs Do.
Most of the tired, cupped, moss packed cedar roofs we tear off in Seattle were not killed by the weather. They were nailed too tight, laid on solid plywood with no way to breathe, or built from a cheap grade that had sapwood in it from day one. Cedar that is graded properly, spaced properly and ventilated underneath handles this climate for decades. We install cedar roofing the way the mills and the code actually specify, then we tell you what it will need in year five so nothing surprises you.
What We Bring to the Roof
- Full cedar shakes roof and cedar shingles roof installation
- Custom cedar roofing for Tudor, craftsman and mid century homes
- Cedar siding shingles and sidewall installation
- Cedar siding repair and maintenance for weathered exteriors
Cedar Shakes, Cedar Shingles, and What Actually Separates Them
Cedar shakes are split, so every one has a rough face and its own grain. They lay thick, throw a heavy shadow line, and suit steeper roofs and older houses. Cedar shingles are sawn on both sides. Thinner, flatter, tighter courses, cleaner look. Both come off the same western red cedar, and the same trees give us cedar shakes siding and cedar shingles siding for sidewalls.
Grade is where the money either works or gets wasted. Seattle’s residential code lets you use grade 1, 2 or 3 cedar roofing shingles, but for shakes it wants grade 1, the one the mills call Blue Label, unless the shakes are treated. Grade 1 is clear, edge grain, all heartwood. Grade 3 is a starter and undercourse product. We have pulled bundles off jobs where someone roofed a whole house in grade 3 because it priced well. It did not last ten years.
We also install cedar roofing shakes in taper sawn, which splits the difference: shake thickness with a sawn face. Good compromise if you want the look without the texture.
Wondering whether wood is the right call at all? Our metal roofing page walks through the honest comparison, and for some houses metal is the better answer.
Why Cedar Needs a Different Install in Seattle
Cedar is fine in rain. It is not fine when it cannot dry. A shake roof laid flat on solid sheathing in a city that stays damp from October to May holds water against the wood and rots from the underside up.
So we build for airflow. Spaced sheathing with 1×4 boards, or a ventilated mat over solid decking. On shake roofs, 18 inch strips of No. 30 felt shingled in between every course, which the code requires and which plenty of crews skip. Zinc or copper at the ridge to slow moss on the north slopes. Under tree canopy in Magnolia, Laurelhurst or up on Queen Anne, that ridge detail matters more than anything else on the roof.
Already have cedar that is cupping or leaking? Start with roof repair, not a replacement quote.
What Moves the Price
Grade of the cedar, shake versus shingle, roof size and pitch, how many layers come off, and how much flashing, valley and chimney work is hiding under the old roof. Steep and cut up costs more than big and simple. Cedar siding cost works the same way and is quoted separately.
Estimates are free and we price the tear off in writing before anything gets pulled off.
Our Process
- Assessment. We get on the roof, check the decking, the ventilation and the flashing, and tell you whether you are looking at repair or replacement.
- Estimate. Line by line. Grade, exposure, underlayment, flashing, disposal. No lump sum mystery number.
- Install. Spaced or ventilated deck, correct exposure for the length and grade, two nails per shake, hand driven where it counts.
- Walkthrough. We walk the ground with you, show you the ridge and valley work, and hand over the maintenance schedule.
We run this in Seattle and across the surrounding cities we serve.
Why Homeowners Pick Us for Cedar
We Grade Before We Order
Cedar gets quoted by the square, then delivered in whatever grade keeps the margin. We tell you the grade in the estimate and you can read the bundle label when it lands.
We Build for Airflow
Ventilated deck, correct interlayment, zinc at the ridge. The three details that decide whether a cedar roof gets 20 years or 40.
Licensed, Insured, Local
Licence SEATTRS752DC. Seattle based, on Seattle roofs, reachable at (425) 996-1386.
Here's How We Can Help
- Full Cedar Roof Installation Tear off, deck repair, ventilation, and a new cedar shakes roof or shingle roof built to grade.
- Cedar Siding Service and Repair Exterior cedar siding, sidewall shingles, and cedar siding maintenance on a cedar siding house that has gone grey and soft in patches.
- Leak and Storm Response Split shakes, blown ridge caps, failed valley flashing. Storm damage gets a same week look.
What Homeowners Are Saying
Real words from real people. Here’s why folks trust us with their roofs.
Here’s How We Can Help
Roofs Built from the Ground Up
Leak Repairs That Last
Quick Response to Roof Damage
Your Roof Won’t Wait. Why Should You?
Metal roofing done once, done right — with zero shortcuts and total peace of mind built in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions our customers ask and the answers you need to know.
Cost comes down to grade, shake versus shingle, roof size and pitch, and how much rotten decking turns up once the old roof is off. Cedar sits above asphalt and usually below slate. Call (425) 996-1386 and we will price your actual roof instead of guessing from a satellite photo.
Longer than most people expect, if it can dry. A well ventilated shake roof in Seattle should give you decades. The same roof laid tight on plywood with no interlayment can start failing inside ten years. Ventilation and grade matter more than brand.
Shakes for texture and shadow, shingles for a flatter, more uniform face. Shingles lay at a tighter exposure, so you use more of them. Shakes are thicker and handle steeper pitches well. On a Tudor or a craftsman we usually lean shake. On a simple gable with clean lines, shingles look better.
Seattle’s residential code does not require fire retardant treatment for a standard wood roof covering. If treatment is specified, the code wants it impregnated by a full cell vacuum pressure process, not brushed or sprayed on afterward. Some insurers and some HOAs ask for treated product even where the code does not. Check your policy before you order.
Shade plus moisture. North slopes and anything under a big conifer are the first to go. Trim the branches back, keep the roof clear of needles, and run zinc or copper strip at the ridge so rainwater carries a little metal down the slope. Never pressure wash cedar. It strips the surface and shortens the life of the roof.
Plan on a clean and inspect roughly every two to three years in Seattle, more often under tree cover. Clear the debris out of the keyways, replace split shakes, check the valleys. Skipping this is the single most common reason cedar roofs die early here.
Technically sometimes, practically almost never a good idea. Cedar needs airflow underneath, and laying it over an old roof traps moisture against the new wood. We tear off. It also lets us see the decking, which is where the real problems usually are.
Cedar siding usually means bevel boards or board and batten running horizontally or vertically. Cedar siding shingles are the same sidewall shingles you see on beach houses and shingle style homes, laid in courses like a roof. Both are western red cedar. The shingle version handles curves and dormers better.
Most single family homes run a few days to about a week, depending on size, pitch, and how much decking has to be replaced. Weather moves the schedule more than anything else. We give you a start date and a realistic finish, not an optimistic one.
Get In Touch With Us
Contact Seattle Roof Systems anytime for assistance.