A wood roof needs room to dry and a realistic care plan.

A shingle is generally sawn to a relatively even taper and surface. Shakes include split-faced and tapersawn products, so a rough-looking roof and a smooth-looking roof may require different details. The Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau’s roof manual treats their applications separately. It explicitly distinguishes shake felt interlay from shingle installation; copying one assembly into the other is not a harmless substitution.

Ask for species, product type, grade, length, exposure, treatment, fasteners, and sheathing arrangement in writing. Exposure means the portion of each piece left visible to weather; it affects overlap and quantities. Do not compare bundle prices until both suppliers are pricing the same product at the same permitted exposure. Keep delivery labels and photographs with the invoice.

The CSSB manual says its fire-retardant-treated products can be used in Class A, B, or C systems depending on the assembly, and directs users to the treatment company and local code authority. That does not make every treated shake a standalone Class A roof. Preservative treatment is a separate category.

Give the building department your address and proposed product and ask what roofing restrictions apply, including any wildfire provisions. Request the written requirement or adopted provision that informs the answer. Then have the contractor identify a permitted assembly meeting it. Resolve any insurer or association requirement separately; those purchasing constraints can differ from building approval.

For an existing roof with missing records, start by locating original invoices or labels. Weathered appearance cannot establish treatment. Avoid paying for a spray solely on a promise that it will turn an undocumented roof into an accepted fire-rated assembly. If wood is excluded or its obligations do not suit you, compare metal shake profiles and composite roofing using their own listings.

Walk the property at ground level and note overhanging branches, debris-filled valleys, shaded slopes, and overflowing gutters. These observations help frame a maintenance request without walking on the roof. Ask the contractor to identify which conditions can be improved and which are inherent to the site. The care plan for a shaded wooded lot should not simply copy that for an open, sunny roof.

Imagine two otherwise similar slopes: one collects needles behind a chimney, the other drains freely. A single calendar age says little about the local condition. Have the inspection report separate the debris pocket, nearby flashing, and condition of surrounding pieces. A local repair plus improved drainage may address a bounded defect; scattered decay across several slopes calls for a broader replacement discussion.

Cleaning should preserve usable wood. The current CSSB manual does not recommend power washing because it can damage roofs. Its older maintenance brochure used more conditional wording, so the newer guidance is the better starting point. Ask a cleaning contractor to name the product and process, explain compatibility with any treatment, and show results from comparable roofs after time has passed.

Request separate prices for initial installation, regular maintenance access, and localized repair. Ask what the installation warranty covers and whether treatment has its own terms. Record who can source matching product and carry out repairs when the original crew is unavailable. A material warranty alone does not supply future service labor.

When reviewing a repair proposal, ask which pieces are split, missing, displaced, or deteriorated and how the contractor distinguished those conditions from ordinary weathering. Require photographs organized by roof area. Use age and condition together to evaluate scope, then the quote comparison guide to align replacement grades, treatment, flashings, deck work, and cleanup.