What's Under a Century-Old Roof in Riverside, Bayside, or North Everett?

Everett’s Riverside neighborhood has one of the highest concentrations of pre-1939 housing of any neighborhood in the country — more than 61% of its residential stock predates 1939. Bayside and North Everett carry their own dense pockets of similar-era construction. That means a specific, recurring roof-deck condition shows up here far more than in newer-construction markets.

What skip-sheathing is

Original construction on many of these homes used skip-sheathing — individual boards nailed to the rafters with visible gaps between them, rather than a continuous solid deck. This wasn’t a shortcut; it was the correct method at the time for ventilating wood shake roofing, which needs airflow underneath to dry out properly and resist rot.

Why it matters for a modern re-roof

Most modern roofing materials — asphalt shingle in particular — are engineered to be fastened to a continuous solid deck, typically plywood or OSB. Installing modern shingle directly over skip-sheathing risks poor fastener hold and an uneven surface. The standard approach is to add a layer of solid decking over the existing skip-sheathing before installing new material.

This is a real, separately-priced line item — not something that should get buried inside a bigger number. We assess deck type and condition at the inspection and quote it honestly as its own cost, since it genuinely changes the scope of the job compared to a newer home with existing solid decking.

What this means if you’re keeping cedar shake

If you’re restoring or replacing an original cedar shake roof rather than switching materials, the skip-sheathing can often stay as-is, since shake still benefits from that ventilation. See our cedar shake restore vs. replace guide for how we make that call.

Other common findings on century-old decks

• Sistered or doubled-up rafters from a prior repair, which can affect how new material is fastened
• Localized rot near chimneys or valleys where moisture has concentrated over decades
• Non-standard rafter spacing compared to modern framing conventions, which occasionally requires adjusted fastening patterns

The bottom line

If you own a pre-1939 home in Riverside, Bayside, or North Everett, budget for a deck assessment as a real part of any re-roof conversation — not an afterthought. We check it at the free inspection and price it as its own line, so you know exactly what you’re paying for and why.