Roofing Contractors in Medford, MA

West Medford slate that outlived its flashing

Those west-side singles went up when slate was standard, and much of it is still sound. Slate outlasts the metal around it. Valley flashing goes first, then the chimney step flashing. Under 780 CMR slate can never be roofed over. But most calls out there are slipped tiles and dead valley metal, which is slate roof repair, not a tear-off.

Two-families near the Hillside and College Avenue

These are the roofs we strip most often. Layered asphalt, board sheathing with gaps between the planks, and a rear porch stack standing where the staging needs to go. Once two layers are up, the next roof is a tear-off. We go to bare deck and reroof in architectural asphalt shingle.

Fells canopy: leaves, moss and gutters

Roofs backing onto the Fells take more damage from trees than from weather. Wet leaves hold moisture in a valley all winter. Gutters pack solid, back up under the first course, and rot the fascia. Cutting the overhang and sizing the gutter installation right buys years.

Ice dams on a Fulton Heights cape

The story-and-a-half Cape is the biggest ice-dam generator in this region, and Fulton Heights, Glenwood and Haines Square are full of them. Bedrooms sit under the deck and insulation blocks the eave. We get about 92 days a year at or below 32 degrees but only 23 that stay frozen all day. That gap builds the dam.

We treat the cause with attic ventilation and insulation, not heat cable. Every asphalt roof we install carries an ice barrier from the edge to 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and 36 inches along the slope on 8:12 or steeper.

Low-slope in Medford Square and Wellington

Not every Medford roof has pitch. The storefronts near the Chevalier Theatre, rear ells on old two-families, and the buildings toward Wellington are low-slope decks patched with tar. Those go back as single-ply membrane over clean sheathing, our flat roof replacement system.

Permits, snow load and cost

Medford permits through its own Building Department. No Boston ISD short form here, and no Boston Landmarks Commission review, because the BLC has no jurisdiction outside Boston. Medford has its own historical commission, so check with the city if your property is designated. Design ground snow load is 40 psf, verified from the 780 CMR Eighth Edition table.

Prices swing here because the housing stock does. A cape in Glenwood and a slate hip in West Medford are not the same job. On timing, see how long a roof lasts in New England. We also cover Somerville and Malden.