Houses built in the 1950s and 60s were often decked with plank boards, the 1x6 and 1x8 lumber under the roof, rather than the sheet decking on newer homes. In three of the cities we work in, houses of that age are a large share of the streets, and the deck is the part of a re-roof nobody can see until the old roof comes off.
Housing figures from the US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024, table B25034. City rules checked in October 2026.
Where the 1950s and 60s houses are
In the Census Bureau's latest five year estimates, 57% of the homes in Del City were built between 1950 and 1969, and 49% of the homes in Bethany. In Midwest City, 40% were built between 1940 and 1969.
| City | Share of homes | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Del City | 57% | 1950 to 1969 |
| Bethany | 49% | 1950 to 1969 |
| Midwest City | 40% | 1940 to 1969 |
What happens to plank decking
Over the years the boards shrink and the gaps between them widen, and the nails driven through earlier roofs leave the wood worn. In the end the deck no longer holds a nail. That cannot be judged through an existing roof, which is one reason a complete tear off matters.
We look at the decking from the eave before we price, and the rest is inspected and photographed once the old roof is off. Where boards are soft, damaged or do not meet code, that gets documented rather than covered over.
What the cities say about the deck
- Midwest City requires a solidly sheathed roof, and the replacement of any decking that sags under the old roof.
- Yukon's roofing guidelines treat a deck with gaps over a quarter inch as not solidly sheathed.
- Norman requires shingles fastened to a solidly sheathed deck, and accepts sawn lumber such as 1x boards as solid sheathing. Some shingle makers allow their shingles on lumber sheathing and some do not, so the manufacturer's instructions decide.
- Oklahoma City wants a photo of the decked roof on the permit before the inspection.
How decking is documented on an insurance claim
On an insurance job, decking that fails code is photographed once the tear off exposes it and sent to your carrier as a supplement: a request to add work the adjuster could not see on day one. Your carrier decides whether to approve it.
If you are paying for the roof yourself, you hear about the decking before anything is done. When we give you a price, that is the price. The exception is a condition nobody could have known about, such as a structural problem hidden under the decking, and even then you hear about it first.
