Roofing in Portland is moss on composition, fir needles in every valley, and rain that finds a lazy edge. Shaded slopes grow a skin that holds water in the granules and lifts the tabs. Gutters and valleys dam up, and then the water runs sideways under the covering. The east side is a little drier, and a shaded roof there still mosses. Name the slope and what it is doing this week.
The deck is the part people skip. A ridge can look calm while the boards under a north eave have been wet for months. Ask what happens when the sheathing is soft around a boot or a chimney. Underlayment and the way the eave is detailed belong in the talk before anyone pulls a shingle. Say if you want a patch or a slope that is actually finished.
Schedule the opening for a stretch that can dry the deck. A mild drizzle week is how a tear-off becomes a ceiling stain of your own making. If a claim is delaying the work, photograph the moss line, the packed gutter, and the drip while they are obvious. Needles will hide the same valley again as soon as the firs shrug. Ice is not the story in this city. Persistent water is.
Sidewall flashing, dormers, and the little roofs over bungalow bays are where Portland leaks. A big empty field of shingles is often the honest part. Refuse a scope that never mentions moss, needles, or the direction of the rain. A limb resting in the gutter is cleanup plus a roof look, and you should say so. If the attic is too tight to enter, say that too, because the stain on the ceiling is then the only map.
Say the part of Portland, whether the covering is mossed, dammed, or leaking, and whether the deck is soft. Mention a claim if one is open. A dry ceiling after three nice days is not a certificate. The next rain will use the same valley. Call the number on this page.