Roofing Contractor on the South Shore
Roofing contractors on the South Shore get hired for shingles, and shingles are the cheap part. What keeps water out of a New England house is the ice barrier at the eaves, the flashing at every interruption, and enough ventilation to stop the roof from melting snow onto its own edge.
Around here, roofs leak in February
Not in the rain. In the thaw.
Warm air escapes the living space into the attic, melts the snow sitting on the roof, and the water runs down until it reaches the eave, which is cold because there is no house under it. There it freezes. The next melt runs into the back of that ice and has nowhere to go but sideways and up, under the shingles.
Shingles shed water running downhill. They do not stop water being pushed uphill. What stops it is a waterproof membrane bonded to the deck along the eaves, and an attic cold enough that the snow never melts in the first place.
That is why a roof installed by someone who only counts squares and nails can leak the first winter while looking perfect from the street.
What homeowners say
Roofs we have stripped, repaired and replaced
A roofing contractor on the South Shore gets judged on the finished photo. Some of these are the part you only see for two days: the deck stripped, the underlayment down, the roof on before the siding. That part decides the other twenty-five years. Click any of them to see it full size.
Roofing contractors on the South Shore: what a roof actually is
Six layers, and the shingles are the last one. Four of the six are gone from sight within a day of going on.
Tear-off and deck inspection
We strip to the sheathing and look at it. Soft decking, old leaks around chimneys and rot at the eaves are found here or not at all. So we price the repair before covering it, not after.
Ice barrier at the eaves
A self-adhering membrane bonded to the deck along the bottom edge and in the valleys. Code requires it in our climate for a reason, and it is the single detail that decides whether an ice dam becomes a ceiling stain.
Flashing at every interruption
Chimneys, walls, skylights, valleys and vents, including the kick-out where a roof meets a wall and the siding takes over. However, step flashing is where most leaks actually start, and reusing old flashing to save a few hundred dollars is the most common false economy in roofing.
Attic ventilation
Intake at the soffit and exhaust at the ridge, balanced. A roof that cannot breathe cooks its own shingles in summer and builds ice in winter.
Underlayment and shingles
Synthetic underlayment over the field, then the shingles and the ridge. In every case installed to the manufacturer's spec, because that is what keeps the warranty real.
Permits and cleanup
Pulled with your town, inspected, and the property swept with a magnet before we leave.
Shingles shed rain. Ice is what takes a roof.
The membrane under the edge is the whole jobOne company, and the rot is ours to fix
Most roofing contractors on the South Shore price a tear-off and a reinstall. When they find rotten sheathing or a rotten rafter tail at ten in the morning, that is a carpenter's job and they are not carpenters. Because of that, the usual outcome is a change order, a delay, or decking nailed over something soft.
We are a building company that roofs. If what is under the shingles is rotten, we replace it the same day and keep going.
- Strip to the deck, inspect, and show you what is there before covering it
- Ice barrier at the eaves and in the valleys, not just underlayment
- New flashing everywhere, never reused
- Intake and exhaust ventilation balanced, not just a ridge vent added
- Permits pulled and the property cleaned with a magnet
How a roofing contractor on the South Shore runs the job
Free inspection
First we get on the roof and into the attic. The attic usually tells the real story: staining at the eaves, matted insulation, frost on the sheathing.
Estimate
Then comes a written estimate with the scope itemized, including what happens if we find rot, so the number does not change in a phone call from the driveway.
Permit and schedule
Pulled with your town, with a date. Weather moves roofs and we tell you when it does.
Tear-off, repair and install
Strip, inspect, repair, membrane, flash, shingle, vent. Then the magnet and the walkthrough.
What a roofing contractor on the South Shore costs
Square footage is the smallest part of the difference between two roof quotes.
What raises it:
- Rotten sheathing found at tear-off. Common on older roofs and not fully predictable
- Pitch and height. A steep roof or a third story is a different job to stage and work
- Layers. Stripping two or three old layers costs more than stripping one
- Chimneys, skylights, dormers and valleys. Every interruption is flashing, and flashing is labor
- Ventilation that has to be built, when there are no soffit vents at all
What keeps it down: a simple gable with one layer to strip, sound decking underneath, and architectural shingles rather than a specialty product. After the inspection you get a written estimate with the scope itemized, including the per-sheet price of decking if we find rot.
When we are not the right call
If you want a second layer nailed over the existing roof, we will not do it. It hides the deck, it voids most warranties and it doubles the weight on the frame. It is cheaper, and it is why the next roof costs more.
There is always a cheaper roofing contractor on the South Shore, and someone will reuse your flashing and skip the ice barrier. You will not be able to tell from the ground.
We are worth it when you want the roof to be the last one for twenty-five years, and when you want the rot under it dealt with rather than covered.
Roofing questions homeowners ask
Ice, leaks and when to replace
I get ice dams every winter. Is that a roof problem?
It is usually an attic problem that shows up as a roof problem. Heat escaping into the attic melts snow that refreezes at the cold eave. Ice barrier along the eaves keeps the water out of the house, but fixing the air leaks and the ventilation is what stops the ice forming. We look at both.
How do I know if I need a new roof or a repair?
Age, granule loss, curling, and what the attic looks like from the inside. A single leak around a chimney is usually flashing and is worth repairing. Widespread curling on a twenty-year roof is not.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof?
Yes, in essentially every South Shore town. We pull it.
Warranty, timing and licensing for roofing contractors on the South Shore
How long does a roof take?
Most houses are one to three days of work, weather permitting. Of course the tear-off and the dry-in happen the same day, because an open roof does not stay open overnight.
What about the warranty?
There are two: the manufacturer's on the shingles and ours on the installation. Most manufacturer warranties require the roof to be installed to spec, including ventilation, which is one more reason the parts nobody sees matter.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold an Unrestricted Construction Supervisor License in Massachusetts and carry liability and workers compensation insurance. For roofing especially, ask for the certificate of insurance before anyone gets on a ladder on your property. Registrations can be checked with the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
Also on the South Shore: siding, decks and our finished projects.
Tell us about your roof
A free inspection from a roofing contractor on the South Shore, including the attic, and a written estimate with the scope itemized.