Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Practical Slate Roofing in Coon Rapids, MN
The low, wide rooflines that make up most of Coon Rapids were never slate country. These are 1960s and 1970s ramblers and split levels, and slate wants pitch and structure that a shallow rambler roof does not have. On the 1980s and 1990s houses with steeper planes, the conversation is real, and it starts with the framing.
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Pitch decides this before anything else does
Slate sheds water by overlap, not by seal, so it needs slope. Below about four in twelve it is the wrong material, and a good share of the older Coon Rapids housing stock sits right there. That is why our first question is the pitch of the plane you want covered, not the color of the stone. On the steeper 1980s and 1990s roofs the answer is often yes, with a deck check and usually a second layer of underlayment under the slate. Then there is hail. The 2017 storm that piled hail two feet deep at some intersections would have broken slate too, in patches, and a slate roof is repaired piece by piece by someone who knows how. If you are still deciding between materials, book a certified roof assessment and let us walk the roof you already have before anything gets ordered.
Slate Roofing in Coon Rapids
What slate does and does not do here
Pitch checked before anything else
Slate needs slope to work. We measure the pitch of every plane on your Coon Rapids house and tell you which ones can take stone and which ones need a different material.
Honest about hail and slate
Slate is hard, but hard is not the same as unbreakable. Hail like June 2017 cracks slate in patches. We say that up front so nobody buys a roof expecting it to be immune.
Broken pieces swapped, not sections
The upside of stone is that damage stays local. A cracked slate comes out with a ripper and a new one goes in on a hook or a nail, without tearing off the plane around it.
Split level transitions handled
Split levels stack short roof planes against upper walls. Those sidewall runs and the step flashing behind them are where a slate job on this housing stock lives or dies.
What the 2017 repair wave left
City permits jumped to nearly 2,500 in one month after that storm. Work done that fast sometimes left old flashing and soft decking in place. Slate goes over neither, so we open it up.
North slopes near the water
Planes that face north over Crooked Lake or the river bottoms near the dam stay damp and grow moss. On slate that means keeping joints clear, and copper at the ridge helps.
How we handle a slate job in Coon Rapids
One crew for roof and wall
We do siding as well as roofing. On a split level where an upper wall meets a lower roof, one crew handles both sides of that joint rather than two trades blaming each other.
Rafters checked from the attic
A 1960s rambler or 1980s two story in Coon Rapids was framed for asphalt. We go into the attic, check rafter size and spacing, and give an honest verdict on whether stone belongs on that house.
We quote the alternative too
Estimates are free and carry no obligation, so we will scope slate and the sensible fallback on the same roof and let you read them side by side.
Broken stone off the lawn
Slate scrap is heavy and sharp, and it hides in grass. We tarp, we haul and we sweep, which matters on lots backing up to Crooked Lake and the park trails.
The scope is written down
Pitch, deck repairs, underlayment, fastener type and every piece of flashing metal are listed before the job starts. On slate the details are the job.
What people near Coon Rapids say
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 The crew arrived early and spread tarps all around the house to capture every bit of debris. By 3:00 PM, my entire roof was completely finished.
Hazel JamesRoof replacement, Minneapolis, MN
Common questions from Coon Rapids owners
What people in Coon Rapids ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Can I put slate on a Coon Rapids rambler?
Usually not, and the reason is slope. Most ramblers here run a shallow pitch, and slate below roughly four in twelve will let wind driven rain track back under the joints. Add the weight and it is the wrong call twice over. On a steeper garage gable or an added second story on the same lot, it can work.
Does hail like June 2017 break slate?
Large hail can crack it. That storm left hail two feet deep at some intersections, and impacts like that break slate as surely as they bruise asphalt. The difference is what happens after: broken slates come out and get replaced one at a time, and the rest of the roof keeps doing its job in the meantime.
Are there original slate roofs in Coon Rapids, or would mine be a new install?
Almost always a new install. Coon Rapids was built out mostly from the 1960s through the 1990s, so its ramblers, split levels and two stories were roofed in asphalt from the start. Slate here is a new build choice, not a restoration. If you do find stone on a house in town, it was likely added later, and we check whether it is sound enough to repair first.
Have us check the pitch first
Send us the address and we will tell you which planes on your Coon Rapids house can carry slate and which cannot, before you fall for a sample board. Estimates are free.
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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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