Lynn & the North Shore
Roofing Services
Four kinds of roofing work, explained plainly — what each one is, and how to tell when your house needs it.
Roof replacement
A strip-and-re-shingle job takes the old roofing off down to the wood deck, so soft or rotted boards can be found and replaced before new underlayment and asphalt shingles go on.
It's time to think about one when shingles are curling, cracking or shedding granules across the whole roof, or when leaks keep turning up in new places. In Massachusetts a re-roof needs a building permit, pulled before the work starts.
Rubber & flat roofs
Porches, additions, dormers and the flat tops of two- and three-deckers can't shed water the way a pitched roof does, so they need a continuous waterproof membrane. Rubber (EPDM) roofing goes down in large sheets with few seams, which is what makes it a common choice for low-slope roofs.
Call about a flat roof if water sits in puddles for days after rain, the surface is blistered or cracked, seams are pulling apart, or there's a leak under a flat section.
Roof repair
Not every problem means a new roof. A leak, a few shingles blown off in a storm, or lifted flashing around a chimney, vent or wall can often be repaired — the job is finding where the water actually gets in, which is often not right above the stain.
Call sooner rather than later: water that reaches the roof deck and framing turns a small repair into a bigger one.
Skylights
A skylight is a hole in the roof, so the flashing around it matters as much as the glass. Leaks around an older skylight usually show up as stains on the ceiling or the drywall around the shaft.
New skylights, replacements and re-flashing are often best done along with a re-roof, when the flashing can be tied in with the new shingles.
Free estimate
Not sure which one you need?
Call and describe what you're seeing — a stain, a puddle, missing shingles — and we'll set up a free estimate.