Roofing and Shingles

In this climate a roof is judged in February, not July.

Ice dams are the New England roof problem, and they are an insulation and ventilation problem before they are a shingle problem. We run ice and water shield well up from the eaves and into the valleys, and we make sure the soffit intake and ridge exhaust actually work together instead of fighting each other.

We tear off to the deck so we can see what is under there. Rotten sheathing gets replaced before the new roof goes on, not covered over.

A word about pictures. We have not photographed a roof yet. Every roofing picture that used to sit on this page came from somewhere else, so we took them all down rather than show you work that is not ours. If you want to see this work before you hire us, ask on the estimate visit and we will give you a customer to call.

What a roof of ours is made of

A roof is an assembly, not a product. The shingle is the part you see and the cheapest part to argue about. Everything under it decides whether you get twenty years or eight.

Section through the eave. A drawing, not a photograph.

1DeckPlywood or board sheathing, inspected once the old roof is off. Anything soft or rotten is cut out and replaced before we cover it.
2Ice and water shieldSelf adhering membrane at the eaves, run well up past the inside face of the wall, and again in every valley. This is the layer that stops an ice dam pushing water back under the shingles.
3UnderlaymentSynthetic, over the rest of the deck. It keeps the roof dry between tear off and shingles, and it is the second line afterwards.
4Architectural shinglesLaid to the manufacturer's nailing pattern. Nail placement is where most warranty claims are lost, and it is invisible the day after.
5Ridge ventContinuous exhaust at the peak, with the deck cut open across the ridge rather than just capped over.
6Soffit intake and baffleAir has to get in for the ridge to pull anything out. The baffle holds that channel open where insulation would otherwise block it.

How the job runs

Protect first. Tarps down the walls and over the plantings, plywood against anything that can be hit.

Tear off to the deck. All of it, so we can see what is under there. We do not roof over an existing layer.

Inspect and repair the deck. Soft sheathing comes out. You hear what we found and what it costs before it goes back on.

Dry in the same day. Ice and water shield, then underlayment. The roof is weathertight before we leave, whatever the forecast says.

Shingles, flashing, ventilation. Step flashing at the walls, valleys, pipe boots, then the ridge.

Sweep with a magnet. Twice: when we finish, and again the next morning, because nails work their way up out of a lawn.

What the job includes

Full tear off down to the deck

Sheathing repair and replacement

Ice and water shield at eaves and valleys

Architectural asphalt shingles

Ridge vent and soffit intake

Step flashing, valleys and pipe boots

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Other Services

One crew from the foundation to the final piece of trim. See everything we do.

Roofing and Shingles