Shake roofing —
repair, replace, or convert to Class A.

Doug Heath started this company in 1976. Back then, hand-split cedar shake was the signature roof of California's new neighborhoods. The business grew with that material, and the NuShake name comes straight from it.

Brian Espindola took over NuShake in 2025 under his own C-39 license (CSLB #1142280). The name stayed. So did the specialty. Five decades after the first shake roofs went on, we now spend as much time converting them as installing them.

That history matters for a practical reason. Shake roofs age differently than shingle or tile. A 30-year-old shake field has its own ways of failing. It splits, it slips, and the flashing (the metal that seals roof edges and joints) often gives out first. Knowing those patterns is what separates a real repair from a patch that leaks again next winter.

Whether your shake roof needs a repair, a full replacement, or a conversion to a fire-rated material, this is the work we were named for.

Individual shake replacement

Cracked, split, cupped, or wind-lifted shakes can be pulled and replaced one at a time. The skill is in matching thickness and weave so the new shakes shed water with the old ones. It also means working without cracking the neighboring shakes.

Flashing, ridge, and valley work

On most older shake roofs, the metal fails before the wood does. Valleys, chimney flashing, and pipe boots (the seals around vent pipes) are the usual leak sources. These are fixable without replacing the roof.

Debris and moss removal

Shake breathes through its keyways (the gaps between shakes). When leaves and moss pack those gaps, the wood stays wet and rots faster. Careful cleaning extends the roof's life. Pressure washing destroys it; we never do that.

An honest verdict

Repair money is well spent on a roof with years left. It is wasted on a roof at end of life. We tell you which one you have at the free estimate, in writing. For a photo-documented report — $349 in the Central Valley, $525 in the Bay Area — we can add that on request.

Usually worth saving

• Damage is limited to one slope or one area
• Shakes are still thick and lying flat
• Leaks trace to flashing or valleys, not the wood field
• The roof is under roughly 25 years old
• Your insurer is not raising the roof as an issue

Usually time to replace or convert

• Splitting, cupping, or rot across multiple slopes
• Shakes worn thin — you can see daylight in the attic
• Repeated leaks in different spots, season after season
• An insurance non-renewal notice names the wood roof
• The roof is 30 or more years old

Composite shake

Polymer shakes molded from real hand-split cedar. Brands like DaVinci and Brava are the closest match to true shake, with deep grain, staggered edges, and varied widths. Class-A assemblies available.

• Closest look to real cedar
• Roughly 50-year product warranties
• Light enough for most framing
• Premium price — the costliest option

Presidential-style architectural shingle

Sculpted, multi-layer asphalt shingles give a shake profile at the lowest cost. CertainTeed Presidential Shake is the best-known. As a CertainTeed Select ShingleMaster and GAF Master Elite contractor, NuShake can offer extended warranties like SureStart Plus and GAF Golden Pledge on qualifying systems.

• Most popular conversion path
• Lowest cost of the three
• Class-A fire rating standard
• Extended manufacturer warranties available

Metal shake profiles

Stamped steel or aluminum panels with a shake texture. Lightest weight, longest service life, and Class A as part of the assembly. A good fit if you want one roof for the rest of the home's life. See our metal roofing page for details.

• Longest service life of the three
• Lightest material on the framing
• Sheds embers, snow, and debris
• Mid-to-high price range

What the rules say

Much of our service area sits in or near the WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface, where homes meet wild land). California maps these areas into fire-hazard severity zones. In designated high-hazard zones, re-roofs generally must meet Class-A assembly standards.

Untreated wood shake cannot meet that standard. Fire-retardant-treated shake exists, but it costs more, weathers unevenly, and many insurers decline it anyway. For most homeowners in a mapped zone, conversion is the practical path.

Where this hits locally

The East Bay side of our territory includes mapped fire-hazard zones with active enforcement. Danville and the Diablo foothills are the clearest examples. Valley towns see fewer mapped zones, but insurers apply their own wood-roof rules everywhere, map or no map.

Your city or county building department can confirm your zone. We check it as part of every shake inspection. For the full background, read our WUI fire roofing guide and our Class-A foothills guide.

Why carriers are walking away

Across California, many insurance carriers now decline or non-renew homes with wood shake roofs. After years of wildfire losses, the wood roof is one of the first things underwriters flag. It does not matter how well the roof is maintained. The material itself is the objection.

If you have received a non-renewal letter that names your roof, you are not alone, and the problem is solvable.

How a conversion fixes it

A documented Class-A re-roof removes the wood-roof objection for most carriers. The materials on this page (composite shake, architectural shingle, metal) all qualify in Class-A assemblies. The shake-look options keep HOAs satisfied at the same time.

Our advice: ask your agent to confirm in writing that a Class-A roof resolves the issue before you start. We supply the material specs and fire-rating documentation carriers ask for. Full details in our shake insurance non-renewal guide.

It's the namesake service

This company has carried the shake name since 1976. We know how the material ages, how it fails, and how to replace it without losing the character it gave the house in the first place.

Manufacturer-certified across GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning

GAF Master Elite, GAF Solar Certified, GAF Gold Elite, CertainTeed Select ShingleMaster, and Owens Corning Preferred. On qualifying conversion systems, that unlocks extended warranties ordinary installers cannot offer, like GAF Golden Pledge and CertainTeed SureStart Plus.

Owner-operated, one license

Brian Espindola runs NuShake under his own C-39 license (CSLB #1142280). The person whose name is on the license is the person responsible for your roof.

Built for this territory

From Valley towns like Ripon and Oakdale to East Bay neighborhoods around Danville, the Central Valley & East Bay shake stock is the housing we work in every week. We quote what your neighborhood, your HOA, and your fire zone actually require.