Editorial standards
How our guides get made — and kept honest
Our guides exist to help you make a good decision, not to sell you a roof. That only works if you can trust how they're written. Here's exactly how we research, review, and update them — including where our knowledge comes from and where its limits are.
Where the information comes from
Every guide is built on three things: hands-on field experience from crews and inspectors who work on Northwest roofs year-round, our own documented project and job-cost records, and authoritative outside sources — manufacturer installation and warranty documents, adopted building codes, and state licensing and insurance regulators. Where a guide leans on outside sources, we cite them.
How field experience is used
The "what we see in the field" observations in our guides come from real inspections and installations across Washington, Oregon, and North Idaho. They're patterns we've seen repeatedly, described honestly — including when the honest answer is that a homeowner doesn't need to buy anything yet.
How we summarize our own cost data
Price ranges come from our completed-job files, summarized — never a single quote presented as a universal price. When a guide gives a range, it states the geography, the year, and what the range includes (typically full tear-off, disposal, permits, underlayment, flashing, and ventilation) and excludes (usually unforeseen decking replacement, which we price per sheet). We don't publish a false level of precision, and we don't expose any individual customer's confidential information. Your actual price always comes from a measured, line-item bid — the ranges are for orientation.
How we handle product comparisons
We install many of the products we write about, so we're transparent about it: Peaks & Valleys is a working contractor, not a neutral reviewer. When we compare materials or brands, we aim to describe real trade-offs — including cases where a product we don't primarily sell is the better fit for your situation. If we have a preference, we say why.
Authorship and review
Guides carry the name of the person who wrote them and, where relevant, a named field or claims reviewer from our team — real people you can reach on our team page. A "last reviewed" date means a person actually re-checked the guide for accuracy on that date. We never change a date just to make a guide look fresh.
How often we review time-sensitive content
Prices, insurance rules, and codes change. Our review cadence:
| Content type | Reviewed |
|---|---|
| Cost & pricing guides | At least annually, and whenever our job-file pricing materially changes |
| Insurance & claims guides | When state rules, insurer practices, or policy language change |
| Permit & code guides | When a jurisdiction adopts a new code cycle or process |
| Product comparisons | When a manufacturer changes a product line, spec, or warranty |
| Storm & emergency guides | Before each major PNW storm season |
| Maintenance & evergreen guides | On a defined cycle, or when reader questions reveal a gap |
The limits of general guidance
Our guides are general education, not individualized professional advice. Insurance coverage varies by policy; permit and code requirements vary by jurisdiction; and no article can diagnose your specific roof. Nothing here is a promise about how an insurance claim will turn out. For a determination about your home, there's no substitute for an in-person inspection.
Corrections
If you spot something that's wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it. Email office@peaksroofs.com or call 360-404-7835. We'd rather correct a guide than defend it.