Roofing in Revere
and Greater Boston

Roofs in Revere, Lynn, and Saugus sit within reach of open water. Onshore wind drives rain sideways, so it gets under shingle edges and into flashing joints that would be perfectly fine a few miles inland. Salt carried in that same air works on metal: fasteners, drip edge, chimney flashing, and vent collars all age faster near the beach than they do in Malden or on the inland side of Everett.

A Nor'easter adds sustained wind from an unusual direction. Roofs are laid to shed weather coming down the slope, and a storm that pushes water up the slope finds every detail that was done quickly. Rakes, ridges, and the first three courses at the eave are where we see storm damage most often.

Winter finishes the job. Heat leaking into an attic melts the snow sitting higher on the roof, the meltwater runs to the cold eave and refreezes, and the ridge of ice that forms holds the next round of meltwater on the roof until it works under the shingles. That is an ice dam, and it damages ceilings, wall cavities, and insulation well away from where the ice is visible. The durable answer is attic insulation, intake and ridge ventilation, and ice and water barrier at the eaves, not chipping the ice off every February.

Materials get chosen for the building, not for our convenience. Architectural asphalt shingle is the most common roof on homes and triple deckers here: thicker and heavier than the old three tab style, so it sits better in wind, and straightforward to repair years later. Metal suits exposed roofs, porches, dormers, and bay roofs, sheds snow quickly, and lasts a long time when the panel layout and fasteners are right for the salt air.

Rubber membrane, usually EPDM, covers the flat and low slope sections that sit behind parapets or over rear additions. Those roofs do not shed water, they hold it and drain it, so the seams, the perimeter, and the outlets are the whole job. Commercial and multi unit buildings across Greater Boston use the same systems at a larger scale.

Underneath whatever you can see from the street, the layers do the real work. Underlayment is the water resistant sheet laid under the finished roof. Ice and water barrier is the self adhering membrane at the eaves, valleys, and penetrations. Flashing is the metal that seals every joint where the roof meets a chimney, a wall, or a skylight. Most leaks we trace start at one of those joints rather than in the open field of the roof.

Roofing here is carried out under the Massachusetts building code, 780 CMR, and replacements are generally permitted through the building department of the city where the house stands. We handle that permit as part of the job, so the work is on record with the city.