
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Local Cedar Shake Roofing in Coon Rapids, MN
Wood roofs are not what most of this city put on after the storm. Whole streets of Coon Rapids were reroofed in one stretch after the June 11, 2017 hail, and those roofs are now the ones people ask us about. Cedar comes into that conversation more than it should, because on a shallow pitched rambler it is the wrong roof and we would rather say so at the estimate.
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- Licensed and insuredMinnesota exterior contractor
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- Storm and insurance workWe handle the claim with you
- Faith-based, locally ownedRefreshingly honest
Pitch decides this before anything else
The first thing we do on a cedar call here is measure the pitch. A lot of the older stock is ramblers and split levels, and a shake roof wants a slope that sheds fast. Below about four in twelve, wood holds water in the keyways and we will not install it. Where the pitch is right, usually a steeper 1980s or 1990s two story, the work is a vented assembly over battens, number one grade shakes, stainless fasteners and metal valleys. The other question here is hail. After June 11, 2017, everyone in this city knows what a hail roof looks like on asphalt. Cedar does not lose granules, it splits and bruises, and it takes different photographs to document. If hail is your main worry, asphalt roofing in an impact rated class is the tougher roof, and we would rather point you there than sell you a shake.

Cedar Shake Roofing in Coon Rapids
Cedar done right on 1970s and 1990s stock
Slope checked before anything else
Shakes need slope. We measure the roof before quoting, and if your rambler or split level sits too shallow for wood we say it at the estimate rather than after the tear off has started.
Hail read the way wood shows it
Cedar does not lose granules. It splits, gouges and breaks at the butt. We look for the damage wood actually shows, which is not what an eye trained on asphalt scans a roof for.
A claim written about wood
Photographs, marked test squares and a scope that describes split shakes rather than granule loss. Storm and insurance work is a large part of what we do, and cedar claims need documenting differently.
Exhaust on a long low hip
Ramblers give you plenty of hip and very little ridge, which makes exhaust venting the hard part of a cedar assembly. We work that out before the battens go down, not after.
Shoreline lots get more airflow
Lots running down toward Crooked Lake or Cenaiko Lake hold morning damp longer. On those we open the assembly up further so the back of every shake still dries out by afternoon.
Heavier shakes for hail country
Thin tapersawn shakes take impact worse than a thick hand split. In a city where hail piled two feet deep at some intersections in 2017, that material choice is not a small detail.
Why we get called on Coon Rapids roofs
We meet the adjuster on the roof
Storm and insurance work is a big part of what we do. When your adjuster comes out we would rather be up there with them than read the report afterward and argue about it.
You get both roofs written up
If cedar is not clearly the right roof, you get the shake option and the alternative side by side in one document, so the comparison is yours to make rather than ours.
Decking checked while it is open
The 1960s and 1970s decks under these roofs vary a lot. We look at the sheathing once the old covering is off and show you before anything gets added to the scope.
We will talk you out of it
Wood is a beautiful roof and a poor hail roof. If the storm history in this city worries you more than the look does, we will say so and spec something tougher.
Clean site on a lake lot
Nail sweeps and daily cleanup matter more when the yard runs down toward the water. Debris and loose fasteners get picked up before we leave at the end of each day.

What people near Coon Rapids say
Orange Exteriors fixed a minor leak that involved replacing flashing and a few shingles blown off our roof. Timely, quality work. Great ideas to keep our roof going long term.
Jim ThomasStorm damage repair From sales to construction crew to upper management, they helped make an insurance battle a breeze. This is the best contractor interaction I have ever had.
Jim NormanRoof replacement 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
Common questions in Coon Rapids
What people in Coon Rapids ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
What happens if my roof turns out too shallow for wood?
You hear it at the estimate rather than after a tear off. Shakes need slope to shed and dry, and plenty of the 1960s and 1970s ramblers here sit below the line. Under about four in twelve we will not install cedar, and we will walk you through what does belong on that roof and why it costs what it does.
How does hail damage show up on a cedar roof?
As splits, gouges and broken butts rather than granule loss. That matters for a claim, because an adjuster used to asphalt is looking for missing granules and bare mat. Wood has to be photographed and marked differently. We document it that way, and we would rather be on the roof when the adjuster is.
Our Coon Rapids roof went on right after the 2017 hail. Should we think about cedar?
Probably not yet. Roofs from that repair wave are still fairly young, and swapping a sound shingle roof for wood is a look decision rather than a repair. The right time to have the cedar conversation in Coon Rapids is when the shingles are genuinely finished, or when hail takes the roof again.
Measure the pitch before deciding
Send us the address and we will get on the roof, measure the slope, look at what the 2017 hail left behind, and tell you honestly whether shakes belong up there.
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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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