In April we installed a new lifetime Steel Metal Shingles roof on a house in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The house is located on a beautiful quiet street not far from Attleboro Center, as well as Mass / RI border. The new metal roof replace and old, failing asphalt shingles roof, with some shingle blown off by the wind.

The Metal Roof we installed was a Tamko Steel Shingles with real slate looks, in the beautiful Sequoya Red color. Steel metal shingles are an interlocking metal roof system, where each shingle is locked on all four sides and is held in place by clips and roofing nails and other six shingles around it.

Steel shingles metal roofs offer great flexibility in terms of installation, excellent water-tightness, and prevent Ice Dams formation as metal roofs shed Ice and Snow. On top of being an excellent solution to roof leaks and Ice Dams, metal roofs last in the range of 50 years or more!

Metal Roof installation.

The old roof was two layers of asphalt shingles, which by building code, must be removed before the new roof is installed. Removing the old roof is also beneficial in terms of removing extra weight off the house. Although metal roofs are VERY light, weighting 40 lbs per 100 sq. ft. in aluminum, and about 65 lbs. in steel shingles, they won’t add nearly as much weight as 1 layer of asphalt shingles (about 275 lbs per 100 sq. ft.), and can be safely installed as a second layer, it is a good idea to do a full tear off, to allow the repair of any rotten wood, and to improve roof ventilation.

Once the old roofing was tripped off the roof, we installed GAF Deck Armor breathable synthetic underlayment, and sealed all roof penetrations, such as chimney flashing, vent pipes, etc. GAF deck Armor is an excellent underlayment product that work like human skin – it allows the condensation to escape from the underside, while keeping the water from penetrating inside the house. Deck Armor can be installed without the metal roof on it for up to six month, and will keep the roof water-tight. After six month the UV radiation will begin to wear down the underlayment, but the roof will still hold of the water.

After tear-off was complete and underlayment installed, it was time to start installing the metal roof. First we installed all trim along roof edges. The trim was custom made with the vented bottom, to allow the soffit – ridge vent system to work properly. Since the house had no overhangs (soffits), the vented drip edge was the only way to allow adequate air intake into the attic space.

After the starter trim was installed we started installing the metal shingles, working our way from left to right, and up the roof slope. We also had to maintain the correct stagger pattern for vertical impressions in the steel shingles to maintain straight line and system integrity. We also had to work our way up the hip, so each next course of shingles shifted right by about a foot.

Flashing the chimney on a metal roof:

As we were installing new courses of shingles, we flashed all roof penetrations along the way. Pipe flashings are rather simple to install, and does not take a long time. The real time-consuming flashings, are those around the chimneys and skylights. The amount of preparation work and actual flashing time can be will over 5 hours per chimney or skylight. First the old flashing must be completely removed and the chimney must we wrapped with the underlayment, and be completely water-tight. It is also better to cut the channel for counter flashing before the underlayment is installed, as brick dust on the underlayment is difficult to clean off. Sometimes due to time constrains, this is difficult to do however.

Once chimney is properly wrapped with underlayment, you don’t have to worry about rains (it will not leak) and can install the metal roof at a comfortable pace. Once the shingles reach the chimney, we begin installing custom fabricated chimney flashings, starting with the bottom side of the chimney, we first install the head-wall flashing, that overlaps the course of shingles bellow. After the head-wall flashing, we install side-wall flashing that overlaps the head-wall flashing and channels all the water down, away from the chimney.

Once the bottom and side flashings are installed, we can continue running shingles past the chimney, all the way to the top of the roof. The chimney flashing is no longer holding us, as the back-pan flashing can be installed at any time now. We do however install the back pan flashing right away, so that w do not need to com back to it.

Once all the chimney flashings are installed, it is time for counter-flashing or “chimney-collar” which is an “L” shaped flashing inserted in the channels that we previously cut in the brick. Counter flashing will divert all water that is running down the chimney and prevent it from going behind chimney flashing. We once again start at the bottom, so that all counter flashing is overlapped in the right direction as to not let the water penetrate inside and behind the flashing. We pre-measure and cut / bend all four sides, and mark all bends, before the final installation. After we know everything fits, we remove all flashing, insert a thick bead of Solar Seal 900 caulking / adhesive into the channels in the brick, and then insert the counter-flashings, starting at the bottom.

Chimney and skylight flashing are among the most common leak spots on any roof, along with valleys. Improper flashing around the chimney is what causes most leaks, and this is especially true for the metal roofing. Installing shingles on a straight run roof is easy, and it’s almost impossible for such roof to leak, even if the roofing installed never installed the metal roof before.

Proper detail flashing such as the chimney above, is what determines whether the roof will leak or not, and inexperience metal roof installer will not be able to properly flash the chimney. That is why most roofing contractors do not install metal roofs – after one VERY expensive roof failure, they give up. But you as a home owner should always make sure that your metal roofing contractor knows what he’s doing. Otherwise you will have very sorry experience with your metal roof. It is a fact that almost 99%
of metal roof failures and leaks, are caused by improper installation – not the material failure.

After flashing two chimneys, we finished installing shingles on all four sides of this hip roof. Now the roof needed to be finished off with Ridge Vent and Ridge / Hip Caps. We marked a straight line using a chalk line tool, so that the hip caps would lay in a straight line and look beautiful from the ground. We started installing ridge caps from bottom up, and finished it when the reached the ridge line. Then we installed the ridge caps and main roof was complete. Now it was time to install the metal roof on the additions bellow as well as on the shed and a garage.

Installing metal roof on addition, a shed and a garage:

With the main roof out of the way, we could tear of the shingles on the addition bellow it, without worrying that debris will fall on new metal roof. We also removed the vinyl siding along the roof to wall connection so that we could install the underlayment and metal roof side wall flashing. Once the underlayment, drip edge and side-wall flashing was installed, we started putting up shingle and ridge / hip caps – basically repeating the upper roof installation, on a smaller scale.

We also installed metal shingles on another bump-out in the back of the house, a awning in front and a bay window, as well as shed and garage in the back.

Now this house in Attleboro, MA with the new lifetime metal roof looks amazing and the roof will not only protect the home from leaks and ice dams, but will also reduce the energy use during hot summer months, because it is a Cool Roof and qualifies for $1500 federal tax credit for cool roofs!

Check out other metal roof installations that we installed recently – check out our Massachusetts roofing projects. Also check out our metal roofing prices guide to learn how much a metal roof will cost, and compare metal roof prices for different materials – aluminum, steel and copper, as well as different metal roofing systems – metal roof shingles, standing seam roofs and tiles / shakes. We also recommend that you check out what type of metal roofing materials we install in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Metal roofing is an excellent choice for quality-minded homeowners, as metal roof is virtually the only lifetime roof system that light weight, long-lasting, and most of all – affordable. If you compare prices of metal roof to slate or clay tile prices, you will realize that an average metal roof will cost you only about one third the price of natural slate, while it will look the same or better and last at least as long.

There are many styles of metal roofs and many choices for roofing material – your choices range from galvanized steel / aluminum metal roofs, to premium metals such as zinc, copper and stainless steel roofing. You can choose between a “standard” vertical panel (standing seam) metal roof, or a metal roof made to look as either cedar shingles, shakes, natural slate or flat and barrel tile.

You will also get a wide range of colors to choose from. The result will be such that you will get the look you want with the price you can afford, and the long-lasting performance of metal roofing.

Metal roofing – premium roofing material at down to earth prices:

There is much confusion about the prices of metal roofs, as there is a wide range of metal roof styles and materials to choose form and some will cost a lot more than other. In this metal roofing prices guide, we will show you how much you should expect to pay for different metal roofing systems, and how the choice of metal roofing materials will affect your roofing cost. But before we jump into roof pricing for each type of metal roof, let me clarify one thing: metal roofs are pricey as compared to asphalt shingles roof, but keep in mind that metal roof is a lifetime roofing material and so should be compared to its counter-parts in the roofing market – other lifetime roofs, such as natural slate, clay Spanish tiles, concrete tiles, and lately, synthetic slate roofing.

Asphalt shingles on the other hand are not a lifetime roofing materials and you can expect to replace an average asphalt shingle roof every 15 years. Even the “50 years” or “lifetime” asphalt shingles won’t last more than 25-30 years as they will simply dry out / roast under sun’s heat and ultraviolet rays.





Also we want to mention that metal roofs cost just as much as a cedar shingles roof, but they will outlast cedar shingle by at least 3 times on average, as cedar shingles rarely last longer than 20 years, due to moisture, mold, mildew and moss growth, etc. Also you can get a metal roof that looks just like a cedar shingles roof, at almost the same price.

Benefits of metal roofing:

• Metal roof is a lifetime roofing material, and you can expect an new metal roof to easily outlast your house (when installed correctly). Even the galvanized steel metal roof, which is usually warranted for 50 years, will usually last well beyond its warranty period, unless it is subject to corrosion due to external sources/causes, such as salt-air environment or mixing of different, incompatible metals, such as copper, aluminum or zinc.
• Main benefit of metal roof is that it is made out of the most durable roofing materials available, and metal does not deteriorate with ages, unlike asphalt shingles. Sun’s UV rays have no effect on metal roof performance, with the exception for the paint fading, which happens rather slow and gradually, and goes virtually unnoticed, for metal roofs coated with Kynar 500 / Hylar 5000 coating.
• Metal roofs are light weight, and do not require any special framing to support the wight of a roof systems. Average metal roof weights 50-80 lbs. per 100 square feet, or one roofing square, compared to 250 lbs for asphalt shingles and as much as 800 lbs for slate or tile roofs. Due to low weight of a metal roof, they can easily be installed over  existing shingles, which will further reduce your roof installation price. However there are some exceptions, which we will discuss bellow.
• Metal roofs are Cool Roofs by nature, as they do not store solar heat, and unlike asphalt shingles, quickly cool down as soon as sun goes down. When coated with “Cool Roof” coating, metal roofs will qualify for a $1500 cool roof federal tax credit.
• Metal roofs shed ice and water and are a natural solution for ice dams problems and related roof leaks. Although Ice Dams are more than just a “roof problem”, nearly every asphalt shingles roof will be subjected to ice dams, no matter how well it is ventilated and insulated. Metal roofs prevent ice build up, as any snow and ware will slide off a metal roof. Even when ice build up occurs on a metal roof, continuous vertical panels and interlocking metal shingles design will not let the water back up under the roof and leak inside your house.

Metal Roofing Prices:

Although roof prices differ from region to region, metal roofing prices are more stable and even, compared to cost of asphalt shingle roofs. We will look at metal roof prices based on metal roof type and material. Metal roof prices described bellow, are the going average in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, but there should not be much difference in metal roof cost, where you live, unless the economic situation in your region is very dire. Usually roof prices have direct co-relationship to the cost of living in your area and metal roofs are not exception.

Before we dive into metal roofing prices, lets establish a reference point for which roof prices are given: Our model roof will be a 1500 sq. feet gable roof with one chimney, a ridge and two roof “planes”, as well as 3 bathroom vent pipes. There are also two skylights on the roof and about 50 feet of roof to wall flashing (side-wall flashing). Our “model” roof has a plywood deck with no shingles or any other roofing materials on it and all wood is in sound shape. We will install 3 feet wide Ice and Water Shield along the eaves of our roof and GAF DeckArmor underlayment on the rest of the roof. We also will install 5 snow-guards over each door used in the winter, and over garage doors, and a ridge vent along the ridge.

So here is a basic rundown on roof specs:

• Roof slop – walkable – 3 to 6 roof pitch.
• No tear-off.
• Roof installation to include Ice and Water shield along the eaves / valleys, and GAF DeckArmor over the rest of the roof.
• Roof installation includes Ridge vent cut in and installation.
• Roof installation includes new, color-matching chimney flashing and counter flashing.
• Skylight flashing and chimney flashing for more than one chimney is usually extra, and is not included in the following per-square roof pricing.
• Snow guards are normally installed only over doors which you use in the winter – typically 5 or 7 snow-guards per door. Any additional snow-guards are charge for at about $15 per snow-guard.
• When roof difficulty goes up, the price-per-square goes up. So a roof with many valleys, dormers, side-wall flashing, etc., will cost more, than a simple roof in the picture bellow.

We will list the metal roofing prices for different metal roof materials in the order of low to high price. Also notice that there is a difference in price of steel roof vs. aluminum roof, with aluminum being about a $100 more per square, compared to G90 or Galvalume steel.

Steel shingles metal roof prices:

Steel interlocking shingles is the least expensive architectural metal roof system, though id does not mean that it is “the worst quality”. In fact, steel shingles, such as those demonstrated above, are a very high quality metal roofing system, but cost the least as they are the least expensive metal roof material for us to purchase and a metal roof shingles are the “easiest to install”.

On average, one square of steel shingles will cost you about $800 to install on a simple roof such as the one described above, excluding any tear-off, and other extras such as multiple chimneys/skylights flashing, gutters, leaf-guards, etc. This price includes any one of the three available profiles: Slate, Wood Shingle and Tile.

Aluminum shingles metal roof prices:

Similar to prices of steel interlocking shingles, aluminum shingles will cost $900 per square, which includes the difference in material prices. All other items remaining the same. Aluminum shingles installation is virtually the same as steel shingles, with the exception of using aluminum ring-shank nails and usually not using clips, as aluminum shingles are smaller (1 sq. ft. each) and have a built in attachment “ear”.

Standing seam metal roofing prices:

Standing seam metal roof material costs more to install, and is usually more difficult / time consuming to install if there are any roof penetrations such as sky-lights or chimneys, as the flashing method for roof curbs on standing seam metal roofs is very complicated due to roof design. Additionally, the roofing material prices for standing seam are considerably higher, as the metal gauge is higher compared to metal shingles in both steel and aluminum.





A simple roof with standing seam metal panels will cost about $1000 per square for steel metal roof. As soon as difficulty of a roof goes up, the installation process becomes much more complicated as compared to metal shingles, and the price difference per square  becomes higher than is the case with metal shingles. This is due in part to the lack of a method to install roof staging on a standing seam metal roof, and a need to use the hydraulic lift on most hip roofs, as there is no way to attach a hook ladder on a hip roof.

Aluminum standing seam metal roof will usually cost about $1100 per square to account for material price difference. Also, the snow-guards choices for standing seam roofs offer great range for styles, but also increase the overall cost.

Exposed fasteners (EF) metal roofing – Multi-rib / R-panel / V5 crimp panel / corrugated metal roof prices:

Unlike the architectural metal roofing such as standing seam, exposed fasteners metal roofs cost considerably less, but are also of a much lower material quality and are limited in terms of installation / flashing methods for complicated roofs. EF metal roofs are designed to be a cheap metal roof for farm / industrial / commercial buildings, and are rarely used in residential metal roofing. This type of metal roofing is usually made with a cheap 29 ga steel and acrylic paint / coating, instead of a minimum 26 ga steel and Kynar 500 paint for architectural standing seam. Also the limited flashing method, makes this type of metal roofing a bad choice for complicated roofs. Exposed fasteners also pose a great possibility of a roof leak and will normally require re-sealing and re-tightening in about 10 years, as neoprene rubber gasket dries out and water begins to sip in.

Price of an EF metal roof averages between $600-650 per square. The difference in roof price is due in part to considerably lower quality and cost of roofing material as well as faster, simpler installation.

Specialty metal roofing products – stone coated steel, copper and zinc metal roofs:

Stone coated steel is one example of specialty metal roofing. Although it is pretty common in the south and med-west, it is rather rare in New England, and due to high material costs ad complicated installation, stone coated steel metal roofing is only installed when a specific style of a light metal roof is required. Most common style if stone coated steel roofs is the Spanish tile impressions.

Stone coated steel roofing is usually made form a 24 or 22 gauge, G90 galvanized steel, and is coated with tiny stone granules painted in typical colors of of clay tile roofs installed throughout Southern Europe, with dominating red and orange shades.

Stone coated steel roofs are usually installed over horizontal battens, and installation goes from top to bottom instead of typical bottom-up installation process.

Stone coated steel roofs usually cost about $1300+ per square, including installation of 2×2″ battens, and underlayment. All roof penetration flashing is rather complicated due to design limitations of stone coated steel metal roofs and hence will cost even more than curb flashings for standing seam roofs.

Despite higher than usual roof prices, stone coated steel roofs offer a beautiful look of a Spanish tile roof, at a fraction of the total cost of the real clay tiles, while the roof quality is at lease the same if not better. The relatively light weight of stone coated steel roofs eliminates the need for special framing required to support the weight of real clay tiles.

Spanish tile stone coated metal roof which we installed at Venus De Milo restaurant in Swansea, MA

Copper roofing prices

Copper is rarely installed over entire roof due to extremely high material prices. Copper is usually used for smaller, custom roofs, such as decorative bay-window roofs, curved metal roofs, etc. However if you want to have a copper roof installed over your entire house, the most cost-effective copper roof would be to use copper interlocking metal shingles, which have the same design as aluminum shingles, and are once again, the easiest type of copper roof to install and cost less than copper standing seam.





Since copper is a pretty soft metal, is can be molded and formed to look like almost any type of roof. Copper looks particularly “awesome” when it’s made to look like Spanish tile, especially when the natural green patina occurs on it due to normal oxidation. The Spanish tile copper roofing is by far the most expensive copper roof, when you price it for the whole house. Of course it will still be less expensive per square foot, compared to custom copper roofing.





Copper roof prices:

The least expensive copper roof shingles will cost you about $2000 per square. This number is not very firm though as copper prices are very volatile and have risen dramatically in the recent months (since Jan. 2010). This price includes all flashing made from 16 oz. copper as well as copper shingles which are also made from 16 oz. copper. You also have a choice of 20 oz. copper, but that will bump up your copper roofing cost another $100 per square.

Copper Spanish tile will cost you about $2750 per square, as it is made from 20 oz. copper by default, costs considerably more than copper shingles and the installation of copper Spanish tile roof is also much more complicated.

Any custom copper work will be priced on per job basis as there is really no way to provide standard pricing for custom copper roof work. However, a typical straight panel copper way window will cost you between $2500 and $3000. Any curved copper roof installation will increase the roof price dramatically.

Zinc Roof prices:

Zinc roofing costs virtually the same as copper, though in some cases it is actually less expensive. Zinc roof is usually installed as standing seam, though, custom zinc roofing shingles can be ordered and manufactured as a special order. In general, you can expect to pay $1800-1900 per sq. for zinc roofing on roof sizes over 500 sq. feet.

Metal Roofing Resources:

Use our Roofing Calculator to estimate metal roof prices in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, as well as get free roofing price quote, when you submit a roofing estimate request.

Solar Metal Roofing – Did you know that standing seam metal roof can be combined with a thin-film solar panels such as PV laminates made by UniSolar? Solar metal roofing is the most cost effective way to combine green metal roofing materials with Solar Panels, and get the best price for both!

You can use the Solar Calculator to estimate solar roofing prices based on the roofs size as well as the size of the solar system you are looking to install. Solar calculator will also help you estimate the break-even period and the solar electricity production of your solar PV panels.

References

Metal Roofing prices – a helpful guide to understanding metal roofing prices for materials and labor.

Roofing Costs – related guide to understand roofing prices for common roof types.

Last week, Boston was a host to hordes of roofing sales people, roof manufacturers’ reps and local roofing contractor from all aver Massachusetts and New England. It was the NERCA (North East Roofing Contractors Association) annual roofing convention, where most roofing materials, tools and equipment manufacturers were present, promoting their new products and services.

After being to a few of these shows already, the don’t get any more exciting, but it’s always nice that NERCA sets up up open bars with semi-decent wine, and cheese / crackers / fresh veggies & berries tables. I think for roof sales professionals, these roofing conventions have become a boring necessity as all they do is schmooze with each other and talk about competition. As for me and other roofing contractors, we can always find some new and exciting roofing materials and roofing tools, equipment and services, such as infra-red roof scanners, roof lifts, hydraulic-powered dumpster which can be lifted to the roof level to speed up roof tear-oof and clean up process.
As an Flat Roofs contractor we were there supporting IB Roofs which had a booth there, and I got to meet IB’s new Regional Manager Dana Spurgeon, as well as IB’s local reps in Massachusetts – Jerry Lang and Kevin Laprte (whom I already know of course).

Roofing Equipment presented at Boston Roofing Show:

Besides the obvious and now ritualistic visit to the IB Roofs stand, I wanted to find as many cool, interesting and innovative roofing products at this show, and quickly wondered off, to explore the unknown. My first find was an excellent new automatic hot-air welder by Leister – the new Varimat V2.

This new auto welder, unlike the original Varimat V, has increased and elongated nozzle, and much more powerful fan built into its heat gun, which allows siginificant increas in welding speed from 15 feet per minute for the Varimat V to a maximum 39 feet per minute and realistic 30 feet per minute for the new Varimat V2!

The new Varimat also has new computer controller which lets you save your setting into profiles of various welding speeds and temperature, which can be used for winter and summer roof installation and different roofing membranes, such as TPO roofs and IB single-ply PVC roofing. This new Leister automatic welder is the most advanced tool in its class, and can dramatically speed up roof installation time on large commercial roofing projects. However it comes at a premium price-tag of about $8000 before taxes, requires a more powerful, 6800 watts generator, and of course heavy gauge 240V extension cords, which can easily make the total price for this unit to be over $11000-12000.

Another interesting piece of equipment I found is the hydraulic-powered dumpster lift, which can be driven right up to the roof line and will let roofing contractor to dump old shingles or other roofing materials right off the roof, eliminating clean up, using tarps to cover the exterior walls of the hows and the grass, as well as roofing nails all over your yard, at the end of the day.

Another really interesting piece of roofing equipment is the automatic plates and fastener driver from OMG Roofing. Last year, at the roofing show held at Foxwoods in Connecticut, OMG Roofing demonstrated such unit for flat insulation plates, but did not have one that would quickly fasten the barbed plates used to hold down single ply roofing membranes.

Bellow you can see a video of this plates and fasteners driver in action, attaching a piece of PVC roofing membrane to an ISO insulation over wooden deck roof assembly: Once again, this unit uses barbed plates that are 2 3/8″ in diameter and are made to mechanically attach single ply roofing systems to the roof deck.

Solar Roofing products presented at Boston roofing convention:

Soprema Roofing also had a pretty nice stand where they displayed new Modified Bitumen roofing systems with cool roof reflective layer on the top and SopraSolar roof integrated solar systems. This solar systems, just like the IB’s Solar Wise solar roofing system, uses the UniSolar thing film Solar PV panels, adhered to the roofing membrane.

This new SopraSolar system is a much cleaner installation than Soprema’s original roof-integrated solar systems. The roof integrated solar PV systems are more expensive than regular solar systems, but they offer completely water-tight installation of the roof and solar panels and virtually eliminate roof leaks – calculate solar system cost using Solar Calculator – a free tool that allows you to estimate solar system size, number of kW and how many solar panels you will need as well as solar payback period.

Solar Roofing Tiles:

One more cool roofing product, also using UniSolar thin-film solar panels, which is made in Pennsylvania, is a Spanish roofing tile product, made to easily be installed with clay tiles and provide roof integrated solr panes without any roof penetration or solar mounting racks:

Other interesting roofing materials and products:

Soprema also had a demonstration stand showcasing its PVC roofing systems coated with natural copper, which would actually turn green and the patina process begins. This PVC roof systems also comes with PVC made ribs, so the complete roof system imitates Copper Standing Seam metal roof at a fraction of the cost.

Another interesting product, this time for the sloped roof is a roof vent, which can be installed along th roof eaves, when your roof does not have soffit vents, and improve ventilation of your roof, which will increase the time that your roof will last, make your roof deck last longer and help prevent Ice Dams on your roof.

Ultimate car for the roofing industry:

There was also a rather unconventional vendor present at this year’s roofing convention, who designed a vehicle specially for the roofing sales professionals. This new hybrid concept car features high gas mileage, wide wheel base and extra cargo space for all your roofing samples, brochures and equipment. Unfortunately there is no roof rack on this car, so you won’t be able to take a normal ladder with you, but you can always use a folding telescopic ladder, or as most roofing sales people do – measure the roof off the ground

This new hybrid car is rumored to be a replacement for Toyota Prius, which recently has had a lot of problems with it’s brakes systems and sudden acceleration. This new “bucket” car is supposed to eliminate most problems of a Prius and provide many additional benefits, together with great gas mileage.

Massachusetts is our home state and here is where we install majority of our roofs (with Connecticut being in second place). In Massachusetts, roofing market is very different, depending on location, and although there are a lot more sloped roofs, not only in Mass., but in the rest of the country, we still install more Flat roofs than Metal roofs. As for geographic location of your home in Massachusetts, up north, toward the New Hampshire border, roofs are more prone to Ice Dam roof leaks and damages than houses located in the southern MA.

Although Massachusetts is not a very big state, the your location can have a dramatic effect on the amount of snow fall in the winter, and thus your chances of having Ice dams and and related roof leaks. For example on the same day, an average roof in Sharon or Norwood will have 1-2 inches of ice alone the eaves, whereas an average roof in Lowell will have 5+ inches of ice build-up. If you go further north of south away from Boston the amount of annual snow accumulation and ice dams will increase or decrease respectively.

Why do I mention Ice dams and roof leaks in the intorductory part? It’s simple – most commercial roofs are flat, and are not prone to ice dams, though they have their own list of problems that I will discuss bellow. Residential roofs on the other hand are the ones mostly affected by ice dams. These are both sloped roofs and low-slope / flat roof, and we have the best and longest lasting solutions for both - Metal Roofing for sloped roofs and IB Roof for low slope flat roofs, such as shed dormer roofs, and completely flat roofs.

Bellow we will give you a quick overview of most recent and some older roof installations that we’ve completed in Mass. Keep in mind that these are not the complete job profiles. Complete job overviews will be posted separately, as time permits us to write them. In the overviews bellow I will provide basic information about each roof, accompanied by a few pictures and short description of roof installation process and challenges we had to face.

Before we go into job reviews, here are a few additional articles you may find useful, when choosing a roof product for your home and a roofing contractor to install it:

How to prevent Ice Dams – comprehensive guide on which focuses on the root cause of Ice dams which is usually a combination of poor ventilation and and inadequate insulation in the attic space or between roof rafters. This guide will help homeowners minimize heat leaks in the attic, improve ventilation and eliminate the effects of ice dam leaks by installing a Metal Roof or an IB low-slope roofing membrane.

Low-slope roofs – Overview of common problems associated with low slope residential roof such as shed dormers or roof on most cape-style homes located in the norther MA. Common issues with such roofs include rotten roof decking / rafters and Ice-dams. Since this roofs are prone to Ice dam leaks, most of the rot damage is an effect of ice dams and although many roofing contractors will insist that using Ice and Water shield will do the trick, our experience shows that most of the time I&W fails to protect the roof even if entire roof deck is covered in Ice and Water. Therefore we believe that best solution for permanent protection of low-slope roofs and eliminating ice dams is the use of metal roof of IB flat roofing membrane in conjunction with solving ventilation/insulation issues described in the article above.

Roofs we installed in Massachusetts:

Low slope shed dormer roof in Westminster, MA

This roof we installed in early May of 2009. The house is located in heavily wooded are of central Mass, just north of mount Wachusett. Westminster, MA is located along Rt. 2, and not very far from New Hampshire border. These areas get major snow falls in the winter, together with colder temperatures than those in Boston and ice dams are a major problem in Westminster, even for high slope roofs. Low slope roofs such as the one we replaced there, are very likely to have ice dam leaks and other problems such as rotten roof deck, wet insulation, and mold.

The roof has been leaking for some time around the chimney in the center of the roof and was patched many times with tar, but rather unsuccessfully. Also, due to Ice Dams and roof leaks caused by ice formation along the roof eaves, the home owner installed heating cables to stop the Ice dam leaks. These however did not help either and after one more unsuccessful roof repair, home owner decided to get an IB roof installed.

The home owner and their cousin who is a roofer in NH, did the roof tear-off and replaced all rotten plywood decking, to reduce the cost of roof installation, while we installed the roof itself, insulation, chimney flashing, ridge vent and snow guards (snow retention system).

Note – even though before we installed IB roof, home owner’s main concern was to get ice and snow off the roof. After IB roof was installed, our concern was that due to roof’s pitch, which was about 3 in 12″, the snow and Ice would just slide off the roof in a large pile, crushing down onto deck and perch bellow it. Also there was a grill on the deck which was not movable since it was tied to a gas line.

The chimney flashing, which may seem to take not to much time, actually took about 6-7 hours to properly flash. The reason ot turned out to be so lime consuming it that it is located in the center and separates the ridge vent as well as creeping onto another side of the roof. Due to its position, size and the way IB roof is installed it not only took long to work around, but also slowed down the rest of roof installation. Because the the ridge vent buts into the chimney, we had to make sure that not only ridge vent is raised an inch off the roof level to prevent the wind-driven rain from leaking into the house, but also that it is completely tied to the roof, and flashed up the chimney. Once the chimney flashing was installed and counter flashing reglet had to bi installed as well.

All in all it took us 3 days to install this roof, though 3rd day was rather short. What really slowed us down, was the first heat wave of that spring and unrealistic number of bugs / flies / mosquitoes in this wooded / swampy area of central Mass.

Roofing membrane used: 50 mil mechanically attached IB PVC flat roofing system.

Insulation used: 1/2″ fan-fold Styrofoam insulation with clear plastic / metal facing.

Total roof square footage: Approximately 500 sq. ft.

Standing seam metal roof in Wayland, MA.

Right after the roof in Westminster was installed, we started getting ready for a big metal roofing project, which used .032 Aluminum standing seam metal roof in 1 3/4″ snap lock profile with 16″ wide pan and stiffening ribs. This roof took about two weeks to install between tear-off of old asphalt shingles, siding removal, replacement of rotten wood replacement, delays with material shipments and wrong type of flashing being delivered.

Actually one of the delays happened because our supplier ran out of Grey aluminum coil after 80 % of roofing panels were rolled out of their mobile standing seam roll-forming machine, which was based in Manchester, NH. As the supplier received more aluminum coil 3 dais later the send a different truck, from New London, CT. As that truck arrived and rolled off the first test panel, just out of curiosity I decided to compare first batch to the second one. It turned out that the machine on the New London truck was set up to be 1/8″ wider than Manchester truck. This, over the course of 23 panels gave us an extra 3″ of panel which converted to two extra panels – 1 1/2″ wide – on either side of the rear roof section and exactly 23 panels on the front. We had to send the truck back and wait for the Manchester, NH truck to deliver and roll out the same coil. Even the guys working for the supplier were not aware if this mismatch between the two machines.

In the end the Manchester truck delivered the right-width panels and we were able to finish the jobs without any more delays. The homeowner – Glenn – was also very concerned with snow and ice falling off the roof and damaging the gutters bellow, so we installed a commercial-grade double rail snow retention system to eliminate the possibility of snow falls form the roof.

We already posted a full review of this roof installation on our blog, a few months back, so if you want to know more details, read the standing seam metal roof in Wayland, MA job profile.

Rubber roof in Boston, MA.

In August of 2009 we’ve completed a rather small, but very tricky and complicated flat roof installation in Boston, on one of the traditional Boston-style homes/buildings, which you can see all alogn Mass. ave, Comm. ave as well as Blue Hills avenue, on which this house is located. It was originally a EPDM rubber roof, which had over 50 percent of seams separated due to adhesive failure. The two-tower wood design made this roof much more difficult to repair and our client – Jim – chose to eliminate the hassles of frequent roof repairs and decided to have an 80-mil IB roof installed.

Although this should have been a pretty much straight-forward roof replacement, with rubber tear-off performed first and a new IB roof installed, I sensed that it will not be an easy job. Until we opened up the roof I could not say for sure what obstacles we’re going to face, but once we did remove the rubber, we found that entire length of the masonry parapet wall was damaged by water and poor quality of brick mortar. We also found that we would have to rebuild the parapet walls much as 4 layers of brick deep.

Because a chose a careful approach to the rubber removal, by only pulling back the rubber membrane off the parapet wall, and not cutting it, we were able to do entire brick repair work and roof preparation, while having the roof watertight each night with original rubber membrane.

Once all brick repair war was complete and mortar had sufficient time to cure, we installed a 2×8 pressure treated perimeter wood nailer to which IB wall flashing and drip edge would be attached. Only on the last day did we remove the whole rubber roof, installed new insulation and laid dawn the new, mechanically attached IB PVC flat roofing membrane.

We had to come back one more time to install the new gutter and downspouts, IB two-way membrane vents and 9″ IB attic vents over specially cut holes in the roof deck. These attic vents were installed to vent out the moisture that accumulated in the small attic space when the old rubber roof was leaking. Once in place these oversize vents will eventually dry out the attic and prevent any future mold growth.

Now Jim can enjoy his watertight roof and get sun baths sitting in his beach chair on the roof of his home, and not worry about damage to membrane – he chose a very durable, commercial grade 80-mil IB roof. He will also enjoy a cooler home, due to IB cool roofing features.

You can read the complete job profile about this Flat roof in Boston, MA on our Cool Roofing Blog.

Flat roof in Framingham, MA

One of the more recent roofs we’ve installed was in Framingham, MA, where we installed an IB roof on yet another shed dormer roof for Ed Kelly – a high-end remodeling contractor out of Northborough, MA. The builder had his crew remove old asphalt shingles off this roof an replace most of the old decking with new 3/4" plywood. We were there to install just the membrane and flash it 2 feet up the sloped roof.

During my conversation with Ed (builder), he told me me why he chose the seemingly more expensive IB roof over a cheaper rubber EPDM membrane. His main reason was the IB’s hot-air welded seams, and hassle free roof performance. Before, Ed would use a rubber roof on a few of his projects, end all but one of them leaked due to problems with seams, and required expensive rubber roof repair. Ed decided to end his flat roofing nightmares and constant rubber roof leaks, and went with IB roof.

The entire job took us one day to complete. The roof was ready to start, as we arrived to the job site in the morning, and before dark we packed our tools and were ready to leave, as the roof was all done. The roofing crew which did the tear off and deck replacement was putting the new asphalt shingles and aluminum fascia trim back on, as we were driving away.

Roofing material: 50 mil white IB roof, mechanically attached.

Insulation: 1/2″ fan-fold Styrofoam.

Total roof size: Approximately 450 sq. ft.

Flat roof deck in Wellesley, MA

Just before the Framingham flat roof job described above, we did another job for Ed – an 80 mil IB roof that would be a water-proofing membrane for a roof deck over a garage being built as an addition to an already huge home in a very secluded area of Wellesley.

Once again, a complete job profile for this roof deck is already on our blog, so there is no point to rewrite it here – read the Wellesley, MA  flat roof deck installation overview.

Solar flat roof in Medford, MA

This job, was actually sponsored by Cool Flat Roof (us) and IB Roof Systems, as it was a non-profit project, competing in the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition, sponsored by the US DOE. We installed an IB roof on a Boston solar home with some help from the project volunteers and Architecture students from BAC and Tufts.

Once again, we have a complete coverage of the installation of the IB flat roof and the Solar PV panels on this roof - Solar roof installation in Boston, MA.

Low slope shed dormer roof in Hingham, MA

Yet another shed dormer roof and also with major ice dams problems and leaks. This roof was just a year old when we removed the old asphalt shingled, and installed a new 50 mil IB traditions roof with asphalt shingles pattern printed onto IB white roofing membrane. This roof was completely covered with Ice & water shield which failed miserably and forced homeowner to climb up the slippery ladder all winter long, sometimes two times a day, to brake off the ace along the roof edge.

Homeowner – Paul – tried everything, from sodium-filled socks above the skylights to heating cables – nothing seemed to help, as with lack of proper ventilation and inherent limitations of asphalt shingles, his roof was still leaking, as it faced north, and sun never shined over it in the winter.

Paul wanted a permanent solution to stop roof leaks and not a single roofing contractor that Paul contacted could explain to him how they would stop the leaks or promise that their roof will work. Some even offered to  install asphalt shingles with Ice & Water shield – Really? Paul already had shingles with Ice and Water and it was not working.

Initially, Paul contacted us about getting a metal roof installed on his house, but after examining the roof, I suggested ti install IB roof instead, and residential flat roofing solution form IB  - Traditions Classic seemed to be the best option as it combined all the benefits of IB roof with the classic look of architectural asphalt shingles printed onto the membrane. After a little decision making, Paul and his wife chose to go with a seamless one piece IB roof. In this case there would be zero possibility of ice dam leaks.

All skylights now have seamless 1-piece plashing whelded to the roof, and the rodge vent is raise by an inch above the roof level to prevent wind driven water from penetrating the roof.

Now that Paul has a new IB Traditions roof, which is in effect a seamless, one piece blanket over entire roof, he and his wife won’t have to worry about roof leak and breaking ice off the roof any more.

With this, we conclude the first part of our Massachusetts job profiles list. We will update it as we have time to add more pictures and descriptions to each job, and will also add complete job profiles for each roof, when we have a chance.

Getting IB roof or a metal roof installed on your home in Massachusetts:

If your roof is leaking or you have Ice dams,and are tired of fighting with the ice, using heat cables, sodium-filled socks, raking your roof, and risking to fall of a ladder, you need to contact the low-slope roofing experts ( us ), request a free roofing price quote and schedule a roof inspection / estimate. You can also use our online roofing calculator to estimate your roof replacement cost and compare the roof prices of IB PVC membrane to Rubber roofing and Modified bitumen / Tar and gravel roofs.

It is October, and the cold weather is upon us. Now most homeowners who did not have a chance to replace their leaking roofs during spring and summer, want to get it done now – before he cold weather arrives. August, September and October are the busiest months of the year for a roofing contractor (for us at least) we get many calls and online estimate requests from homeowners looking to install a new IB Flat Roof or a Metal Roof on their home. At least 75 percent of these inquiries, mention that they would like to have a new roof installed before the winter.

While we do understand your concern about having a new roof before winter weather comes, I must point out a misconception among homeowners, assuming that a roof can only be installed during the warm months. While this is partially true, due to limitations of specific roof types (technologies), for us, installing our roof systems in the winter is the same as if it was summer – just a little colder.

Basically, it is the best time for homeowners to have their roof installed during winter, as you will get the best roof prices, as well as a choice of best roofing contractors, as work is limited and contractors compete for work and lower their prices to get the job. However, be aware that some roofs can’t or should not be installed in the winter – read bellow to find out what you should know about winter roofing and which roofing materials should not be installed in the cold weather.

Which roofs can be installed in the winter and which can’t:

As mentioned before, there are certain types of roofing systems that should not be installed in the winter, and also those that can, without any compromises in quality. Let’s look at them, but first I will divided them into two logical groups - flat roofs and sloped roofs. Also lets establish that by “winter” I mean temperatures bellow 40 degrees F.

Flat Roofs:

When it comes to flat roofing, there are virtually only two systems that can be safely installed in the winter – PVC and TPO. These two are thermoplastic single ply flat roofing products which are installed using the Hot Air Welded seams instead of various types of adhesives.

In the winter, glues and adhesives will freeze, which will distort it chemical composition in one way or another, which can and will cause premature failure. This is why most, if not all liquid roofing products (be it adhesives, or liquid-applied roofs such as acrylic or urethane coatings)  should not even be stored under 40 degree F temperatures – never mind being installed in cold weather.

PVC and TPO on the other hand are attached to the deck using mechanical assembly with heavy duty screws and plates, and all seams are sealed using Hot Air welding equipment which usually operates at 800-1100 degrees F. Such high temperatures ensure that even during cold winter months, all seam welds will not be affected by the outside temperature. I do have to mention though that PVC and TPO roofs are not equal or identical. They are only similar in how they look and installed. Besides that, PVC and TPO roofs are very much different and cannot be compared directly. I encourage you to read our PVC vs. TPO roof comparison.

Following flat roof systems should not (cannot) be installed in the winter:

- Rubber Roofs (EPDM)

- Modified Bitumen (cold applied or torch applied)

- Any type of Peal-n-Stick flat roofing products, such as GAF Liberty or similar.

The three roof types listed above represent some of the most common roofing systems available on the market today, with the exception of PVC and TPO single ply membrane flat roofs. The PVC and TPO did not not make the list above since the can easily be installed in the winter without and spec violations, or quality reductions. As for the rest of these systems, they are installed using adhesives (except torch applied Mod. Bit. roof) and therefore installing them in the winter will result in leaks and potential roof blow-off.

In example of Rubber roofs, entire system is usually installed with several different adhesives (one to glue rubber to the insulation, on for seams, special seam primers and cleaners, etc.) and EVERY rubber roof manufacturer explicitly points out that their roof should not be installed in temps bellow 40 degrees. I encourage you to read the following heated discussion on Roofing.com forums about flat roofing in frigid north where many contractors, including some from New England, will insist that Rubber can be installed in the winter, by pre-warming the glue and working when the sun is out, so it would warm up the black rubber membrane, for better adhesion. I also was talking to on of the sales reps for a big rubber roof “private label” distributor, who was telling me that winter months installation should be times perfectly – all glue applied between 10 am and 2 pm, only when the sun is out, and then the seams can be done between 2 and 5 pm, provided that all glues and primers are kept warm.  My take on it is following: Rubber roof manufacturers clearly state that such roofs should not be installed in less then 40 degree temperatures. Reps will encourage their contractors to install in the winter, because the make a sales commission and contractors will install because they need to stay busy, all the while violating installation specs. The only one at a disadvantage is you – the roof owner and here is why.

Because rubber roof installers have to go through so many additional hustles to install rubber in the winter, while they still have to charge their normal rates or even less, because competition is fierce and there is not enough work to go around, they will have to cut SO many corners to stay a bit profitable. Therefore, what you get is a roof that was installed outside of manufacturers specifications, frustrated roofers installing it, and and potentially frozen adhesives and glue which will most likely result in roof leaks, and warranty claims would likely be denied. Despite the fact that PVC is far superior to the above roof types, if you still choose to have a rubber roof installed (for financial reasons for example), do not do it in the winter.

Peal and Stick roofing systems and underlayment should not be installed in the winter for obvious reasons – they will not properly stick to the roof deck or base ply, making leaks or even blow-off almost certain. Such roofs should ONLY be installed during warmer months of the year.

Sloped Roofs:

When it comes to sloped roofs, the choices are many and very few at the same time. Basically you have asphalt shingles, metal roofing, and other very rare types of roofing material which usually cost at least as much as metal roofs or more. These are Slate roofs, Tile roofs, Synthetic slate, Cedar shingle or shakes and that is about it. Since asphalt shingle is the most used typo of roofing material (merely because it is the very cheapest roof you can find) rivaled by metal roofs on the premium side, I will only consider these two types for the comparison.

Asphalt shingles can be installed in the winter, but extreme care must be taken by roofers installing it, not to bend and crack the shingle as well as not to trap moisture under the shingles. Because of the reality of winter roofing, very often both of the above are ignored by roofers, causing premature roof failures. Also, because asphalt shingle roofs are highly dependent on the proper seal between the overlapping shingles, which requires the solar heat to melt the seal strip, such roofs installed in the winter, often do not seal properly until warm weather rolls around, causing them top leak, and as a result, wood rot often develops under a brand new roof.

Another major limitation of asphalt shingles is its weakness against Ice Dams. Ice and Water (I&W) shield is the most commonly used method to prevent ice dam leaks. First of all I&W fails about 25 percent the time, and because it  also requires sun’s heat to properly adhere to the roof deck, in the winter, moisture develops between roof sheeting and underside of ice & water underlayment potentially making it useless.

Metal Roofs on the other hand can easily be installed in the winter without any compromises in quality of installation. First of all, with metal roof it is actually absolutely not necessary, as metal roof sheds water and ice, minimizing ice build up on the roof. Also the interlocking design prevents water from traveling upward. All this renders the ice & water shield useless. At the same time it prevents the proper breathing (ventilation) of the roof deck which shortens its service life. And ultimate goal is that the roof deck lasts as long as the metal roof over it, which in the case of aluminum shingles is a very long time. Therefore, unless you or the building inspector want Ice & Water to be there, I think it is best not to put it on. We use a premium breathable synthetic underlayment – GAF DeckShiled which makes the roof watertight even without a metal roof over it, and helps the wood “breath”.

Cold weather also does not affect metal roofs as they won’t crack due to “improper handling” and metal roofs are designed to allow for expansion and contraction, so the outside temperatures won’t make a difference.

As you can see, IB PVC roofs and Metal roofing systems are the best system to have installed, year round!

If you are looking to replace your flat or sloped roof, we invite you to look at jobs we’ve done around New England. You can also fill out our Roof Estimate request form to get a free price quote for replacing your roof, or use our interactive roofing price calculator to estimate the cost of your new roof.

- Massachusetts Roofing

- Connecticut Roofing

We constantly update these pages, adding jobs we’ve done recently and those that were done some time ago. It is a slow process as we try to describe each job in as many details, and point out certain common roofing problems and how we overcome them. Soon we will add roofs that we have completed in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, as well as more MA and CT roofing jobs.

Some Massachusetts and Connecticut roofs we’ve installed in the winter:

Flat roof in Lowell, MA – one of the most recent roofs, installed in the beginning of Dec. 2009. Here we removed old epdm rubber roof, which shrunk and pulled away from the walls and roof edges. We replaced this roof with new IB PVC flat roofing membrane, and added 4″ of ISO insulation to improve weather-tightness and energy efficiency of this home.

Flat roof in Andover, CT – this roof was installed in January 2009, right in the middle of brutal cold storm which overtook New England for almost two weeks, and temperatures reached as low as -16 degrees F. There, the homeowner, with help of his buddies, removed the old roof, and fixed the roof deck, and covered the roof with a tarp. We had to quickly come in and install a new 50-mil IB roof, right before another snow storm hit.

Metal Roof in Brighton, MA – an new aluminum shingles metal roof was installed on a roof of a very busy IHOP restaurant, while it was open for business. This large roofing project involved complete removal and replacement of old metal shingles, all plywood decking, which was mostly rotted, replacement of some rafters and installation for new GAF Deck Armor underlayment and a new metal roof. Due to many major snow storms during that winter, this project took almost two month to complete. About same time 2 years ago we also installed another metal roof on an IHOP restaurant in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

When a flat roof begins to leak, repairing it usually will get you about 3 months, after which it will leak again. This is especially true for roofs such as built-up tar and gravel, rolled asphalt or modified bitumen, because these roofs degrade with time, and start to leak because of material failure, seam adhesive breaking down, ponding water and in some cases, faulty roof installation. Hence, if possible, I recommend avoiding roof repair all together as it is in my opinion a waste of money in most cases.

Jump to:

• Our rubber roof repair services – overview of what we will do to professionally fix your roof
• Cost of rubber roof repair – learn what we charge to fix your roof.

Video example of a rubber roof repair in Cambridge, MA

This video shows about how much roof repair work we can do in 2 hours, and what’s involved i a rubber roof repair.

Rubber roofs are different, and although the whole EPDM rubber roofing system is inherently flawed (IMHO) because it relies solely on adhesive (seam glue, primers, peel-and-stick tapes, etc.), the membrane itself will not break down for many years, so even if it begins to leak you can often salvage the roof by doing a roof repair, fixing the seams, installing new flashing at skylights, chimneys and other protrusions. With the recent move of EPDM roofing industry to peel and stick accessories, you can expect the seams to last at least a couple of years longer than older black glue seams.

We now offer rubber roof repair service in Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Connecticut

We understand that money can be tight and you want to get as much out of your roof as you can or maybe you do not want a new roof at all or just waiting unlit finances allow for it. Although we will never install a new rubber roof because we consider it to be inferior, we can professionally repair your existing rubber roof, at a reasonable cost and highest workmanship standards.

If you need to stop roof leaks now, and have a repair that will last, or want to get a some more time out of your rubber roof, until you are ready to have a new IB PVC roof installed, or just need a quick and inexpensive fix, we will professionally repair your rubber roof using the best materials, and will pay special attention to details, to make sure you get the best repair that will last.

If your roof is located anywhere in southern New England – Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, we will come to you, inspect your roof and perform repairs during the first visit.

Here is how it works:

Our initial roof inspection includes looking for all the sources of leaks, identifying wet insulation, ponding water problems, rotten roof decking and most economical ways to fix your roof related problems. We will also perform a roof repair during the first visit, using only the best (yes, most expensive) rubber roof accessories such as Peel-and-Stick flashing, seam tape, Peel and Stick cover tape and will use if necessary, reinforced rubber membrane. We will not use the cheap, and outdated rubber flashings that are installed using black rubber glue (Rubber Seam Adhesive) unless it is necessary.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not want there to be any confusion about Peel-n-Stick rubber roofing accessories. Peel and Stick is better, lasts longer and costs about 3 time more than regular, non peel and stick accessories, which are installed with black rubber glue.

What we will do during our rubber roof repair visit:

• We will look for all possible sources of roof leaks – seam adhesive failures, flashing failures, ponding water, etc.
• We will perform up-to 1.5 hours of repair work using ONLY Peel and Stick flashings and accessories.
• If after 1.5 hours of roof repair work, there is more repairs to be done, we will identify problem areas to you and will give you a price to perform those repair. If agreed upon, we will continue with repair work, or will come back at your discretion.
• During roof repair, we will thoroughly clean the the area of repair using water and brush to get heavy dirt off, and then with Rubber Membrane cleaner to remove any carbon settlement and other contaminants that will prevent a proper adhesion of slashing membrane to the roof. We will not use gasoline to clean the repair area, as it is against the manufacturers requirements (although membrane cleaner costs about 10 times more than gasoline).
• We will identify thing that in our professional opinion need to be done to extend the service life of your roof, and will think of the lease expensive ways to do it.

Cost of roof repair:

The cost of initial visit, roof inspection and TWO hours of repair work is $350 if roof is located within a 50 miles form North Attleboro, MA. If your roof is located further than 50 miles from our office, we will charge an additional $50 for added travel.

Cost of additional repairs will be determined on site and you will get either verbal or written quote. If agree, we can either perform repairs while there or come back at a later time.

Warranty:

Because of variety of rubber membrane manufacturers, different age of rubber roofs and as a general industry practice, we (nor do any legit and reputable roofing contractor) do not warranty a roof repair. However, we will perform the repair service to the best of our ability, not only because we want your potential future business and value our reputation, but also as a homeowner, I personally know what it’s like to hire a bad contractor, and do not want my customers to experience it when doing business with us.

Schedule rubber roof repair now, or call: 617-444-9020

Roof repair service: $350 flat fee for 2 hours of roof repair including peel-and-stick rubber flashing materials. Any work after initial 2 hours will be discussed and priced accordingly.

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	Please describe your roof, leak problems (eg near skylight or at the roof-to-wall flashing, etc), and any additional information that would help us better prepare for your roof repair.
Roof Details:

You can also request an estimate to replace your existing roof. Select one or more products. You can select multiple products by clicking on multiple boxes.

IB Standard Membrane: IB 50-mil White IB 80-mil White/Color IB 80-mil ChemGuard

IB Specialty Membrane: IB DeckShield IB Tradition Classics IB Solar PV Roof

Other Roofing products: Metal Roofing (Standing seam, Steel or Aluminum Metal shingles) Thermo White Spray-On Roofs (For steel standing seam)

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Additional roof repair information

How to request a rubber roof repair or IB roof installation:

You can either call us at our toll free number – 617-444-9020 or fill out our roof estimate request and specify that you need a rubber roof repair service performed.

You can also use our interactive roofing price calculator to estimate the cost of your roof replacement and compare the IB PVC roofing systems prices to Built-up roofing, Tar and gravel and EPDM rubber roof cost.

Other roof repair resources:

If you do  not live in MA, CT or RI, or want to try repairing your rubber roof yourself, we’ve created two detailed how-to guides:

1 – Our original Rubber roof repair guide that focuses on fixing a roof using rubber membrane adhesive (black glue).

2 – Our second EPDM rubber diy guide that is focused on using Peel-and-Stick flashing, seam tape and cover strip.

Additional information if you’re considering to fix the roof yourself:

While fixing the roof yourself may be a good choice if you are handy and want to save some money, the “save some money” part is what you need to consider.

All rubber roof accessories such as flashing tape, patches, seam tape, adhesive, membrane cleaner, rubber primer, etc., are sold in contractor quantities – usually 100 feet rolls, or 1 gallon cans, so if you need to just patch a skylight, you can easily spend 250-350 between all the tools (membrane roller, seam probe, etc.), shipping costs and so on. In the end you will be left with 95 feet of flashing material and nearly full cans of cleaner, primer and adhesive, which you won’t be able to return and probably will not need any time soon. At the same time, your firs repair has a high chance of leaking fairly soon because of lack of experience in fixing rubber roofs.

You may also purchase something that you will actually not need, or the wrong type of flashing as there so many choices. This happened to me a few time even considering that I am a roofer.

We now have a new, dedicated website that covers EPDM rubber roof repair ONLY – Massachusetts Rubber Roofing – there you will learn more about EPDM rubber roofing material, detailed DIY rubber roof repair guide, and complete EPDM roof installation how-to guide.

Discover a permanent solution to low-slope roof leaks on shed dormers and other flat roofs.

Many homes in New England have shed dormers, which are build to use otherwise unusable space in the attic, and greatly expand square footage of the home, without huge expenses of building an addition. However, the way these shed dormers are built, requires them to have a very low sloped roof, at times almost flat. These roofs are the first to leak, as conventional roofing material cannot stand up to the Ice Dams build up, and wind riven rain water penetrating the roof between the seams in shingles and rolled roofing products.

The problem with shed dormer roofs is that often asphalt shingles or rolled roofing materials are uses, and the seams on such roofs are held together with adhesives – usually tar that melts under the sun’s heat and seals the seam. When asphalt shingle is used in such roof assembly, the joints between the shingles and the overlaps between them and an easy way for water to penetrate the roof. In the winter, moisture between shingles freezes, expands and breaks the seal. At this point roof leaks constantly and no matter how many patch jobs you do, it will still leak. Also, a low slope on the roof greatly shortens the life of the shingles, and not to mention that when shingles are installed on a pitch of less than 3 in 12″, the warranty is immediately void on them.

While many roofing contractors will try to convince you that with use of Ice & Water shield such as Grace (considered by many to be one of the best I/W shield products),  will make your roof water-tight and leaks free, the real life experience shows that even on a steeper slope such as 3 or even 4 in 12, the  roof still leaks, and Ice dams find its way inside your house.

A metal roof could be used to solve the constant roof leaks and ice dams on such low slope roofs, but in this particular case (the picture above), the pitch of the roof is too low for even a standing seam metal roof to work, and the best solution in this case would be IB Flat and Low-slope roofing membrane. Besides, standing seam would cost double of what an IB flat roof cost would be.

Another solution commonly used by residential roofing contractors is the rolled asphalt roofing, or simply rolled roofing. Please bear in mind that most flat roofing systems come in rolls, but each type has it’s own trade name, such as Tar & Gravel, Rubber roofing, etc., and rolled roofing usually refers to fiberglass  membrane saturated in asphalt and asphalt, and coated with stone granules – very similar to asphalt shingles. Learn more about different types of flat roofing materials. Rolled asphalt was a popular choice for DIY roofing projects and many residential roofing contractors would use it as it was fairly easy to install and easy to buy from a local roofing warehouse, without any special training involved. Unfortunately, these roofs only last about five years, and often begin leaking even sooner, causing expensive to repair structural damages, such as those shown in the picture below. Because the seams of rolled asphalt roofing are sealed with roof cement and fastened with roofing nails right though the membrane, the condensation below and the ice above the rolled asphalt, quickly break the seal and roof begins to leak. Patching such a roof will temporarily stop the leak, but it will actually create more damages and you allow water more time to destroy the roof decking and rafters.

We recommend to homeowners with a flat of low-slope roofs to avoid the cheap alternatives which may last you 5 years, and will cost  much more the next time you ave to replace it, as additional repairs of rotten wood replacement and tear-off / disposal fees add on to the total price tag. Instead, choosing a lifetime IB roof system will make your roof last for decades of leaks free performance and will reduce your cooling costs, as its Cool Roof surface will reflect almost 90% of solar heat. You will also be eligible to receive up-to $1500 tax credit for installing an Energy Star rated Cool Roof, making you final price almost the same as that of a cheap leaky alternative.

Benefits of installing an IB Roof are many, but here are some of them:

• IB Roofing membrane is a fully watertight system, utilizing hot-air fusion welded seams, which insures permanent bond between sheets, flashing and even the drip edge.
• There is no glues or adhesives involved in the installation, as is the case with EPDM rubber roofs. Rubber roofs use splice tape or black glue to keep the seams together and after just a short period of time the adhesives break down, and the roof begins to leak.
• IB Roof is a complete roofing systems with all the components made out of PVC / CPA material which are welded right to the membrane, ensuring permanent water-tightness. There is a flashing for every possible roof penetration, such as in-roof drains, inside and outside corners, air vents, pipe boots, etc.

• IB Roofing membrane does not cure over time, and remains weldable even 25 years after installation. What this means for you? If there is ever a mechanical damage to the roof, such as falling tree branches or accidental cuts,  the roof is easily fixed by just welding a patch to the damaged area. No need for special cleaners or glue. Just wipe the dust off and weld.

As an additional benefit to the environment and to your wallet, IB roof will outlast 2, 3 or even more conventional roofs, which would otherwise have to be dumped in a landfill. As a certified IB Roof Systems Installer, we can install and IB roof for you in any part of Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island, as well as in southern ME, NH and VT. Schedule your flat roofing inspection / estimate today.

It is no secret that a metal roof, although designed to last a lifetime, is only as good as its installers. Additionally, metal roofing is a completely different animal than asphalt shingle roofs, cedar shake or even slate roofing, and to be able to install a metal roof correctly, you need a professionally trained metal roof mechanic.

Usually when a metal roof is installed by a seasoned roofer, who never worked with at least on of many types of metal roofing, the results are more than sad. Roof begins to leak with the first rain, roofers reputation suffers and very unhappy customer seeks to resolve the problems with the manufacturer and files complains with BBB, Angie’s List and other consumer protection organizations. Fortunately all of these of these troubles can be avoided if a professional metal roofing is hired to do the job.

We understand the needs of home and business owners, and their demand for highest quality of materials and installation. We hand pick the best materials and the most thoroughly thought-out roofing systems, and combine them with our unique installation methods, which in the end, provide you with a true lifetime roofing solution, and unmatched beauty for your home.

Examples of our unique approach to installation of metal roofing:

In the above video clip, you may see how we approach the installation of this residential metal roof in Revere, MA. As with most roofs, attic ventilation is crucial to the longevity of the roof, its wooden substrate and the health of the entire home, including its occupants. There are multiple ways to ventilate the attic space, but the most effective way is to utilize a ridge and soffit ventilation system, where the cold air enters the attic through the soffit vents, located along the eaves of the roof and escapes through the ridge vent. However, the ridge vent is often the path through which the wind driven water can penetrate the roof, causing slow, but devastating damages to the roof’s framing. Since amount of water coming through the ridge vent is usually insignificant, homeowners will not notice the leak for many years, at which point damage has already been done, and repairs can cost thousands of dollars. It is very common that the wooden substrate is completely rotten along the ridge line, and so are the tips of the rafters merging at the peak of the roof.

The solution to ridge vent leaks:

Water-tight ridge vent system

We designed a special way to raise the ridge vent off the roof level by 3/4 of an inch. While insignificant in therms of aesthetics, this bump-out prevents the wind drive water to enter the ridge vent cut-out, while the ventilation still works just as efficiently as it would have otherwise. Notice that the custom flashing we use, rests on top of a pressure treated 1×4 board. The flashing is inserted into the top lock of the last course of aluminum shingles, which makes it impossible for wind driven water to penetrate the roof. Just as an extra protection measure, we used  commercial grade exterior caulking, at the joins of top locks between every shingle.

Ice Dams can cause very serious and expensive to fix problems and are usually caused by improper ventilation of your attic space and inadequate insulation of your roof. Ice Dams are a sign of heat loss in the attic and this lost heat is money you through out the window.

This Ice Dams Prevention Guide will help you identify Ice Dams and eliminate either sources of the problem (preferred method, though not always feasible) or the effects, which are just as dangerous for you home, as the cause rot and mold damage not only to your roof, but also inside the walls.

Ice Dams Guide – quick navigation:

What are Ice Dams – technical explanation of ice dams and what causes them.
Ice dams and poor roof ventilation – ice dams are cause by warm air in your attic, which requires adequate ventilation.
How to solve Ice Dams problems – permanent solution to prevent ice dams.

Ice dams may seem harmless at first, but they are known to cause thousands of dollars in roof leaks, structural  damages and repairs of your home, and can create dangerous mold growth, which can cause or aggravate allergies, asthma and other respiratory diseases.  Fighting ice dams can be costly, and you also need to know how to approach the problem, to make your efforts more efficient, to permanently eliminate ice dams.

Although ice dams are common on most roofs in the northern regions of US and Canada, they cause most damages and leaks to Low Slope roofs, as it is much easier for water to “travel” up the low pitch roof vs. steep roof.

Additionally, you may see many roofs in New Hampshire, northern Massachusetts, as well as other parts of the country with 2 x 2 feet aluminum pans locked together along the eaves of the roof. These metal sheets are installed so that ice formations would slide off, and ice dams would not build up. This may work for steep roofs, but on a low slope, the ice dams can form in the center of the roof as there is not enough pitch for water to run off.

What are Ice Dams and what causes them?

If you live in northern US, Canada, or any other region with cold winters and lots of snow, you’ve seen and possibly experienced first hand the Ice Dams and problems which they create. Just a few of the most common ice dam related problems include roof leaks, rotted roof decking / exterior & interior walls / framing, mold and related respiratory illnesses (allergies, asthma, etc.), reduction in insulation effectiveness and associated heat-loss.

Ice dams are just that – they are large ice formations along the eaves of the roofs. Main causes of ice dams are poor ventilation and / or inadequate insulation in the attic. In a nutshell, when warm air from the living space of your home rises into the attic it melts the snow, which runs down and freezes at the eaves, creating ice dams. If your attic is poorly insulated, much more warm air escapes, and larger ice dams form.

Lets see how ice dams are created and what  can be done to get rid of them:

When it snows outside, a thick layer of snow settles on the roof, and the warm air from the attic slowly melts the snow. Melted snow begins to run down the rood toward the eave, which are usually colder than the rest of roof surface. There, water freezes thus creating ice dams. As more more water melts at the top of the roof and freezes at the bottom, the ice dams grow to a thickness of over 4-5 inches.

As ice dams become larger and more  melted snow water runs down the roof, it hits the already large ice dams and cant go down any more. At this point it starts to refreeze under the shingles. At the same time warm attic air melts the newly formed ice under shingles, which starts to drip inside the attic and /or down the walls.

Ice Dams and Ventilation:

Even if you have a very well insulated attic, which blocks most of the warm air from escaping your living space, still, some warm air will escape into the attic. This is where you you need a working ventilation, which will vent most of the warm air from the attic and will create a temperature parity between outside and inside the attic. Only then, the snow will not melt artificially and will not create ice dams.

Most effective and commonly used attic ventilation system used toady in residential construction and roofing is the Soffit / Ridge vent system. Although soffit/ridge systems is the best-performing type of ventilation, it is not always possible to implement it. While implementing a good ventilation system on a new construction home is easy, some of the older homes were designed to have no ventilation at all, or optionally were build with two gable vents that are usually two 12 x 18 inches openings at the peak of the gable-side walls. These are not as effective as ridge and soffit vents but still work O.K.

In many cases however having a ventilation system is not an option due to many reasons, such as financial constrains or building limitations. For example, if a home was build with insulation stuffed between the roof rafters, but the the builder did not install baffles, which would create an air pocket to allow the flow of air. In this case no ventilation system will work ans there is no room for air to circulate. Of course this situation can be fixed but it would cost a lot of money and many home owners are unwilling to spend that much.

Other type of roofs that are not designed to accommodate effective ventilation systems such as ridge / soffit vents or gable vents, are Hip Roofs and low slope roofs. In the case of hip roofs, you could get away with static box vents or power vents with a thermostat. These are not as effective, but still provide some ventilation.

In the case of low slope roofs, builders and roofers not only need to solve the ventilation problems but also they have to make sure that there are no leaks cases by the air vents. Unfortunately too many builders and roofers do not include any ventilation on a low slope roof as it is easier for them to avoid potential leaks. For example a ridge vent on a low pitch roof will allow the wind driven water to enter the attic.

Since most low slope roofs are not vented, ice dams are much more likely to occur and cause extensive damages to the roof and interior of the house, as it is a lot easier for water to travel “upward” on a low pitch roof. Most low slope and flat roofing systems are designed to have their seams put together with glues and adhesives, ranging from solvent based seam lap adhesives used with Epdm black rubber to Tar and roof cement used with asphalt and modified bitumen roofs. Du to the nature of adhesives, these roofs are prone to develop leaks as adhesives break down with time and weather affecting it’s longevity, and Ice Dams only speed up the process as Ice melting and re-freezing process expands the gaps between the seams.

Additionally, asphalt shingle are often used on low slope roofs, which is a blunt ignorance on the part of homeowners who did not do the due diligence, and hired roofing contractor to install such a roof, and home owner abuse by shady roofing contractors who do not let the home owner know that the roof the are about to install, violates manufacturers installation guidelines and annuls the warranty on the roof. By definition, low slope roof is pitch less than 3, while ALL shingles manufacturers require at least 3 pitch to install their asphalt shingles product.

In many cases, with luck of proper ventilation and in some cases improper roofing materials used on low slope roofs, some home owners turn to heated electric cables to melt the ice dams. Despite common opinion that heat cables solve the Ice dam problems, it could not be further from truth.

Here is why heat cable do not solve Ice Dam problems:

First of, just a reminder that ice dams are caused by hot air escaping your living space and lack of adequate ventilation. Heat cable use electricity to melt the ice formations. Therefore you are trying to fight a heat / energy problems by throwing more energy into the cold atmosphere, so despite fixing the problem you just add a band-aid which does not even work. At the same time you incur ever increasing energy expenses, while the problem not only remains there, but becomes worse.

Heat cable melt the ice dams along the eaves, but there are still ice dams forming just above the effective range of heat cables, so your ice dam leaks now occur high up the roof slope, affecting more insulation and aggravating the problem even more.

Permanent solution to Ice Dam problems:

The best thing you can do to eliminate ice dams is to improve your attic ventilation and add / improve insulation to minimize heat loss.  Insulation should be your first step as poor attic insulation is the main cause of ice dams, and besides, you don’t want to keep wasting your money on heating up your unused attic. Seal the gaps between insulation, use expandable foam insulation for tight spots, etc. If you have the soffit vents/air intake slots, make sure that loose insulation does not block the air circulation.

Install proper ventilation. As mentioned before, soffit and ridge vent system is the most effective and does not cost a lot if you are having a new roof installed. You can also add it to an existing roof, but make sure there are appropriate conditions for adequate air circulation. Do NOT mix different ventilation systems – if you do so, there is a good chance that one system will minimize the effects of the other, therefore your ventilation will stop working.

What to do if you cannot improve / fix  ventilation and insulation issues:

Although it is best to eliminate the source of the problem – heat loss and improper ventilation, it is not always a viable financial option for many homeowners, and another solution is required. As I discussed earlier, heat cable do not work and only increase your energy expenses. The best solution for a sloped roof is to have a Metal Roof installed.

Metal roofs are designed to prevent the damages associated with ice dams, by preventing the water from traveling upward. Be it a standing seam metal roof or an interlocking shingles systems, Ice formations may occur, but the design of the roof will not let the melting water rise and penetrate the roof surface.

In fact, due to its smooth surface, metal roofs shed ice and snow, which come down like an avalanche, and to prevent this snow from damaging things bellow and falling on some one’s head, special Snow Guards must be used, which you can see in the image above.

For low slope roofs, we install IB roofing system which features hot-air welded seams to prevent water from entering the roof, , and is perfect for residential low sloped roofing as it comes with asphalt shingle pattern to give it an architectural look and design.

To properly ventilate a low slope roof, we’ve created a special assembly method which allows the installation of ridge vent, and eliminates associated roof leaks. We raised a ridge vent by 2 inches from the roof surface. This clearance is more than sufficient to prevent any water from entering your house through the ridge vent.

In conclusion, I’ll once again mention that it is best to go to the source of the problem and fix as much ventilation and insulation as you can. Combine a great, energy efficient attic insulation with a permanent, cool flat or metal roof, and you will get a long lasting, great looking roof that will not leak, will save you money on roof repairs and heating / cooling costs, and take the many headaches out of being a proud homeowner, as well as allow you to enjoy your home without ever worrying about roof leaks.

If you live any where in Massachusetts, Rhode Island or Connecticut, contact us to get a free roofing price quote and schedule a roof inspection and estimate to install a lifetime flat IB roof or a beautiful metal roof. You can also use our online roofing price calculator to estimate your roof replacement costs and annual energy savings.

References and Resources:

• Step by step guide about installing metal roofing.
• Roof repair guide, which includes cost estimates for basic and advanced repairs, as well as what you can expect and how to choose a roofing contractor to fix your roof. Useful information for DIY homeowners, property maintenance personal and business owners.