Anoka, Minnesota
Thorough Luxury Roofing in Anoka, MN
The county's oldest houses stand in Anoka, where 1800s and early 1900s gable front and Victorian frames put roof, porch and bay together in ways no modern plan repeats. That is the housing a designer profile was made for, and it is also the housing that punishes shortcuts, because these roofs are steep, cut up, and full of metal that has to be right.
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Old roofs fail at the metal first
Walk a cut up roof near Windego Park in March and you can read the winter off it. Wind driven snow packs into the valleys, sits behind dormer cheeks and chimney flashing, then melts and backs up under whatever it can find. That is where the failures start, not out in the field, which is why a slate look or shake profile on an old Anoka house is really a metal job with a roof covering over it. Valleys go in wide, flashings get formed to the actual angles rather than bought in stock lengths, and membrane runs up the cut ups before anything else. Plank decking under the old shingles often needs renailing or sheathing over before it will hold a heavier profile. Homeowners weighing the real thing should read our cedar shake roofing notes first, since a wood roof on a house this old asks for real upkeep.
Luxury Roofing in Anoka
What an old Anoka roof needs
New metal at dormers and chimneys
Failures on these houses start behind flashing. Dormer cheeks, chimney counterflashing and the step runs beside them come off and go back in new metal, formed to the angles your house actually has.
Heritage review handled first
The city keeps a Heritage Preservation Commission, and several properties near downtown are on the National Register. If yours falls under that, the profile and color go through review before we order anything.
Porch and bay roofs carried around
Roof, porch and bay meet on these houses in combinations no stock piece fits. Those small roofs get cut and formed on site so the profile carries around them instead of dying at a seam.
A profile scaled to the house
A narrow gable front does not want a heavy shake. Synthetic slate at the right exposure keeps the scale of an 1890s roof, and a smaller tile pattern suits the steep pitches downtown.
Valleys built for packed snow
Wind pushes snow into a cut up roof and it sits there. Wide open valleys, membrane up both sides and flashing legs run high are what keep meltwater on top of the roof instead of under it.
Plank decking checked before weight
Boards laid in the 1890s with gaps between them do not hold a heavier profile the way plywood does. We look at the deck first and tell you if it needs renailing or a layer of sheathing.
How we work on Anoka's older houses
We photograph the details first
Before tear off, the existing valleys, returns, dormer trim and flashing get photographed from the ladder, so the new roof repeats what the house already does rather than guessing.
Porches and plaster protected
Debris off a steep old roof lands on porch roofing and shakes plaster loose inside. We hand strip the sections over porches and bays instead of letting the whole plane slide.
Licensed and insured on old work
We are licensed and insured, which matters more on a steep, cut up roof over a hundred year old porch than it does on a simple ranch.
Sometimes it is a repair
If the field shingles are sound and the failure is a valley or a chimney, we will tell you to fix the metal and keep the roof you have for now.
Tight lots worked carefully
Older blocks near downtown have narrow side yards and neighbors close on both sides. We place the dumpster and the loading so the job does not take over the street for a week.
What people near Anoka say
Orange Exteriors did an excellent job with my new roofing install. Very professional, on time and hard working crew. Completed the job in one day.
Dick JohnsonRoof installation We live in Eden Prairie. Orange did an excellent job on our siding replacement and provided great customer service all the way through.
Thomas DeSutterSiding replacement, Eden Prairie, MN Fantastic guys to work with, did an excellent job of fixing our siding. You can tell it’s a high integrity company. Definitely recommend.
Carolyn MillerSiding repair
Old house roofing questions in Anoka
What people in Anoka ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
My house is in a historic district in Anoka. What can go on the roof?
That depends on the property and on review. The city keeps a Heritage Preservation Commission, and listed or district properties go through it before work starts. In practice a synthetic slate in a muted color reads closest to what these roofs originally carried, and it is easier to get through review than something modern looking.
Why does my old roof leak at the chimney but not anywhere else?
Because the shingles are not what is failing. On a steep, cut up roof, wind driven snow packs behind chimney and dormer flashing, melts against the masonry and finds the lap. Old counterflashing that was face nailed and caulked lets go long before the field does. The fix is new metal, cut into the joint properly.
Can an 1890s Anoka house carry a slate look roof?
Usually, but the deck decides it. Synthetic slate weighs far less than quarried slate, so the framing is rarely the problem. Plank sheathing with gaps is, since fasteners need wood to bite. We pull a section, look at the boards and tell you whether it needs renailing, a layer of sheathing, or nothing at all.
Have the flashing looked at first
Tell us where it is staining inside and we will start there. On the older houses near downtown, a proper look at the roof usually shows whether you need metal work or a whole new profile.
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Tell us what is going on with your roof, siding, windows, or gutters. We will take a look and give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you can wait.
- Phone(612) 600-8529
- Emailadmin@orange-exteriors.com
- Office6600 City West Pkwy Suite 375, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
- HoursOpen 24 hours, Sunday to Saturday
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