Roofing for shore houses
A family roofing crew for second homes in Cape May and the shore towns around it. We check the roof after the storms, keep cedar treated on schedule and book the big work for the off-season, when you are not there.
The caretaker year
The house is full from June to Labor Day and quiet the rest of the year. The plan follows that: look in spring, stay out of the way in summer, check after storms, and do the work when nobody is there.
We walk the roof, photograph every slope, clear the gutters and send you a dated photo report before your first weekend down.
No crews on a roof over a full house unless something is leaking. A leak is a call, or a text with a photo, and we come when it is safe to climb.
After a named storm or a hard nor'easter, text us. We walk the roof when the wind and the wet allow, photograph it and tell you what we found in plain words.
Cedar is cleaned and re-treated on the treatment maker's schedule. The repairs from the spring report are priced and booked.
Larger jobs run while the house is empty. We hold your dates, and plan members choose first.
Caretaker plan
Pick how much of the calendar you want us to hold. Your plan lists the price for your roof.
One visit in spring, so you know the roof before the first weekend down.
Spring and fall visits, post-storm checks and the small repairs they turn up.
Year-round, plus the cedar kept clean and treated on the maker's schedule.
A caretaker plan is a service contract, not insurance and not a roof warranty, and it doesn't cover damage inside the house. It renews once a year; we send a reminder 30 days before, and you can cancel in writing before the renewal date.
Cedar on the shore
Cedar near the water silvers, cups and grows moss on its shaded side. Slate outlasts the house it covers but loses a tile to a hard wind now and then. Neither is hard to keep if someone looks every year, and neither is cheap to replace if no one does.
Cedar shake and shingle, laid with room to dry
Slate, copper valleys and flashings
Repairs that match the roof you have
Cedar or slate
Lifespans are general ranges and depend on the material, the exposure and the care. We match what your house already has unless you want to change.
| Slate | Cedar shake | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it lasts | SlateCommonly 60 to 150 years, depending on the stone. | Cedar shakeOften 25 to 50 years; nearer 20 to 30 in damp, shaded places. |
| Weight on the frame | SlateHeavy. Older framing may need a look from us, and sometimes reinforcing. | Cedar shakeLight. Most old shore houses carry it without changes. |
| What it asks each year | SlateA walk to find slipped or cracked tiles and to check copper and flashings. | Cedar shakeCleaning, moss control and, where it is treated, a re-treatment schedule. |
| After a hard storm | SlateCheck for broken tiles and slipped nails; a few replaced by hand. | Cedar shakeCheck for lifted and split shakes at ridges and edges. |
| Cost to lay | SlateUsually the most of the three. See how we price it. | Cedar shakeUsually less than slate, more than asphalt. |
What we roof
Who walks your roof
Seven more people work on the roofs. These are the ones who answer the phone and go up on every estimate.
Walks every estimate and writes the photo reports. Runs the plan calendar from the office on Lafayette Street.
Lead shingler
Graca's son. Splits, fits and lays cedar, and runs the crew on the roof.
Foreman, slate and copper
Sets slate by hand and forms copper valleys and flashings in the shop.
Caretaker visits
Does the spring and fall walks and the post-storm checks, camera in hand.
Scheduling and plans
Books visits, holds off-season dates and sends the plan reminders.
From owners
“The spring report came with a photo of every slope. I forwarded it to my husband with the two shakes circled, and Thiago had them replaced the same week.”
“We are in Philadelphia from October. After the nor'easter I sent a text and had pictures of the roof that afternoon. Nothing had lifted.”
“They quoted the copper valley as its own line. When Nikos opened it up, the number on the invoice was the number in the estimate.”
Sample reviews.
Service area
Most of our roofs are second homes between Cape May Point and Sea Isle City. We go as far as Ocean City for a roof worth the drive.
We don't roof north of Ocean City or across the bay in Delaware, and we don't take flat or commercial roofs.
ZIP codes: 08204, 08212, 08202, 08210, 08226, 08243, 08247, 08251, 08260
A roof walk with photos in spring, gutter clearing, and checks after storms, depending on the plan. Higher plans add small repairs, cedar care and first pick of off-season dates. It is a service contract, not insurance and not a warranty.
No. Most of our plan members are not. We ask for a key code or a neighbor's number once, and we send photos and a written note after each visit.
Not on a roof over a full house unless it is leaking. Big jobs are booked for October through May.
It can. Many older houses are reviewed by the city's Historic Preservation Commission before exterior work. Check with the city first; we photograph the roof and write down the materials for your application.
Often 25 to 50 years, less in damp and shaded places. Cleaning and treatment on schedule help; the photo reports show you which slopes are going first.
Contact
Tell us what the roof is made of, where it leaks if it does, and when the house is empty. Graca or Filipa calls you back to set a day.
