Roofing Contractors in Malden, MA

Why most Malden roofs are tear-offs

Massachusetts allows two layers of asphalt. Not three. A large share of the two- and three-families in 02148 already carry two, so the next job is a full strip. Slate and wood shake can never be covered at all. Our breakdown of roof repair versus roof replacement shows where the line sits.

The flat center deck is where Malden leaks

On a hipped two- or three-family the pitched perimeter does its job. The flat middle is the problem. Water finds a tired lap seam, runs along a joist and shows up on a third-floor ceiling two rooms from the hole. We strip those decks to clean sheathing, correct the pitch toward the drain, and set a single-ply membrane with welded seams, which is our standard flat roof replacement build.

What we find under the old layers

• Punky planks behind the gutter return at the rear ell.
• Chimney flashing patched with roof cement instead of step metal.
• A low corner on the flat deck that holds water every spring.
• Nail pops across the field where a second layer was driven through the first.

Leaf load from the Fells, Fellsmere and Pine Banks

Malden carries more canopy than most inner-ring cities. The Olmsted firm laid out Fellsmere Park and Pine Banks, and the Middlesex Fells runs along the Oak Grove and Forestdale side. Valleys pack with leaves and gutters fill by early November. Properly pitched gutter installation with oversized downspouts earns its keep here.

Ice dams on a finished third floor

Those third floors were finished long after the roofs went on. Insulation got packed against the rafters, the eave path closed, and the deck runs warm while the overhang stays cold. We get about 92 days a year at or below 32 degrees but only about 23 that never rise above it, and that gap builds the dam. Every asphalt roof we install carries an ice barrier at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, as 780 CMR requires. We fix the cause with attic ventilation and insulation, not heat cable.

Permits, snow load and cost

Malden is not Boston, so neither the Landmarks Commission nor the ISD short-form permit applies here. Your reroof permit goes through the City of Malden building department, and we pull it. Design ground snow load is 40 psf, verified from the 780 CMR Eighth Edition table and worth confirming with the local building official on anything structural.

Full roofs in 02148 land in a wide range depending on size, sheathing condition and whether the flat deck is in scope. We put the number in writing after we walk it. On the border we also cover roofing in Medford and Everett roof repair.