Boston & North Shore Roofing
Roof Replacement in Boston, MA
Patching a worn-out roof gets expensive fast, and a second layer of shingles just hides the rot underneath. We strip Boston roofs to the bare deck, replace what has failed, and build the ice barrier the code actually requires.
- Full tear-off to the bare deck
- Rotted sheathing replaced, not covered
- Boston ISD Short-Form permit filed by us
- Magnet sweep before we leave each day
A roof replacement is the biggest single job most Boston property owners ever buy. It is also the one most often sold on a handshake. We do it on paper: full tear-off, every rotted board replaced, and a written scope that names the underlayment, the flashing and the ventilation.
Paulo Silva walks every roof and writes every estimate himself. No commissioned salesperson stands between you and the crew that shows up.
We work across Boston and the surrounding towns, from three-deckers to post-war capes on the North Shore.
- Full tear-off to the bare deck
- Rotted sheathing replaced, not covered
- Boston ISD Short-Form permit filed by us
- Magnet sweep before we leave each day
Free Roof Replacement Estimate
Know The Signs
Signs your Boston roof is past repair
Not every leak needs a new roof. These are the conditions where patching stops being honest.
Two layers are already on it
Massachusetts allows two roof coverings, maximum. If someone laid a second layer over the original, your next roof is a full tear-off. There is no third.
The deck feels soft underfoot
Springy spots mean the sheathing has stayed wet for years. On board-sheathed three-deckers, rot runs along the grain. You cannot nail into a bad deck.
Granule loss and bald patches
Granules in the gutters and shiny black spots on the shingle face mean the asphalt mat is exposed. Curling and cracking follow fast.
The same eave leaks every February
A roof that backs up at the eaves each winter has a ventilation problem and an ice barrier that stops short. [Ice dam removal](/services/ice-dam-removal-boston/) buys a season. Replacement fixes it.
You have paid for the same repair twice
One flashing repair is maintenance. Three calls in two winters on the same slope means the system is failing. Get a straight [roof inspection](/services/roof-inspection-boston/) first.
Tear-off or overlay: the code decides
Overlay is legal in narrow cases and wrong in most. Two roof coverings is the ceiling. Some materials always come off, whatever sits under them.
- Slate and slate-type roofing
- Clay and cement tile
- Wood shake and wood shingle
- Asbestos-cement tile
- Any deck that is water-soaked or deteriorated
We tear off anyway. You cannot inspect a deck you never uncover.
The deck is the part you never see
The three-decker form matured around 1890 in Dorchester and stopped going up by the 1930s. The survivors are sheathed in boards, not plywood. Wet boards split, and one valley leak tracks along the grain.
The Specialty Construction Supervisor License for roof covering allows replacing up to 25 percent of the sheathing and sistering rafters. Past that, the job needs a full CSL and a structural review.
Ice barrier is code, not an upsell
780 CMR R905.1.2 requires an ice barrier under asphalt shingles, slate and wood shingles: two cemented layers of underlayment, or a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. At 8:12 or steeper it also extends 36 inches along the slope.
Boston hits freezing about 92 days a year but stays frozen all day only about 23. That 69-day gap is the freeze-thaw cycle that drives meltwater under shingles. Pair the barrier with attic ventilation and insulation work or you will fix the same eave twice.
Mansards and flat center decks
A Back Bay or South End mansard is two roofs: slate or metal on the near-vertical face, low-slope membrane on the flat top behind it. Miss the transition and it leaks. A hipped three-decker splits the same way, and its center deck is a flat roof replacement in EPDM rubber.
Our Process
How a full roof replacement runs, start to finish
Every job runs in the same order, and you have the schedule in writing before we pull a shingle.
Roof walk and written scope
Paulo measures the roof, counts layers, checks the attic side and photographs the flashing. You get a line-item scope, not a lump sum.
Permit and paperwork
A Boston reroof with no structural work runs on an ISD Short-Form permit: $20 plus $10 per $1,000 of the work estimate. We file it.
Protection and staging
Tarps over plantings, plywood on the walkway, staging set first. On [Dorchester three-deckers](/service-areas/dorchester-ma/), porch stacks and party walls decide where the dumpster goes.
Full tear-off and deck repair
Everything comes off. We walk the bare deck, mark soft sheathing and show you the rot before replacing it. Boards get matched in kind.
Ice barrier, flashing and shingles
Self-adhering membrane at eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment across the field, new step and counter flashing at every wall and chimney. Old flashing is never reused.
Final walk and magnet sweep
We walk the finished roof with you, then sweep the yard with a rolling magnet at the end of every day, not just the last.
On The Roof
What roof replacement looks like in progress
What Drives The Price
What drives roof replacement cost in Greater Boston
Two houses on the same street can be thousands apart. Here is what moves the number.
Size, pitch and cut-up
Price starts with squares, then climbs with pitch and complexity. A simple gable goes fast. A cut-up hip with three valleys does not.
Layers coming off
Tear-off and disposal price by weight. A second layer roughly doubles the debris, and slate weighs several times what asphalt does.
Deck condition
Bad sheathing is the one line nobody prices from the ground. We set a per-board rate up front so rot is not a surprise.
Access and staging
Beacon Hill and the South End have no dumpster space, one-way brick streets and party walls on both sides. Staging drives the number.
Materials and fasteners
Shingles, starter, ridge cap and ventilation are one system. Within about 3,000 feet of saltwater we use 300-series stainless fasteners, which cost more.
Permit, review and add-ons
The ISD fee scales with job value. In a Landmarks district, approval must land before the permit. Chimney flashing and [new gutters](/services/gutter-installation-boston/) price separately.
These are Greater Boston market ranges and cost drivers, not a quote. The honest number comes after someone measures the roof and looks at the deck. See our [2026 Boston roof replacement cost breakdown](/blog/roof-replacement-cost-boston-ma-2026/).
FAQ
Roof Replacement questions we get asked
Straight answers, including the ones that cost us work sometimes.
Most single-family tear-offs run one to two days. A three-decker with staging, a flat center deck and tight access takes three to five.
Yes. A reroof with no structural work uses an ISD Short-Form permit at $20 plus $10 per $1,000 of work. We pull it. In a historic district, Landmarks approval comes first.
Sometimes legally, rarely wisely. Two coverings is the maximum, and slate, tile and wood shake always come off. An overlay also buries sheathing rot.
We roof year-round. Shingles seal fastest in warm weather, so late spring through fall is the easiest window, but a properly hand-sealed winter install holds fine.
Yes, licensed and insured in Massachusetts. HIC and CSL credentials plus a certificate of insurance come with every estimate, and HIC registration is free to verify on the state list.
Related roofing services
Work that often comes up on the same roof.
- Asphalt Shingle RoofingArchitectural shingle roofs installed to Massachusetts ice barrier code, hand-nailed where board sheathing demands it, with starter and ridge components from the same manufacturer.Learn more
- Flat & Low-Slope RoofingFull tear-off and 60-mil EPDM rubber replacement for triple-deckers, row houses and mansard decks, with tapered insulation that ends ponding water for good.Learn more
- Roof InspectionsFree, documented roof inspection. We get on the roof, check the attic, and hand you photos, a written report, and an honest verdict.Learn more
Read more before you decide
Longer guides on the parts of this that homeowners ask about most.
- CostsRoof Replacement Cost in Boston, MA (2026 Price Guide by Material and Home Size)Real 2026 price ranges for a Boston roof replacement, broken down by material and by home size, plus the local code, permit and access costs that national calculators never account for.5 min read
- Permits & CodeDo You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof in Boston? The ISD Short-Form Permit ExplainedBoston requires a permit for a reroof, and the fee formula is public. Here is exactly what the Short-Form Permit costs, which six documents your contractor has to file, and why a roofer who wants to skip it is telling you something.5 min read
Roof Replacement across Greater Boston
We run this service in 34 communities. Here is where it comes up most often:
Free On-Site Inspection
Get a real number for roof replacement on your roof
Free on-site inspection, photos of what we find, and a written itemized estimate you can compare line by line against any other bid.
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- Licensed & fully insured in Massachusetts
- Written workmanship warranty on every roof
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