Chaska, Minnesota
Expert EPDM Roofing in Chaska, MN
The low slope roofs behind the parapets of downtown Chaska sit on masonry that was laid between 1860 and 1920, and cream colored brick does not forgive a flashing detail done in a hurry. Rubber is still the right membrane for most of these buildings. Getting it to stay put where it meets the wall is the whole job.
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Old brick decides how this roof goes
On a building near Walnut Street the roof itself is often the simple part. What we find is a small field of rubber, sometimes over two older layers that never came off, ringed by tall brick parapets and a shared wall with the building next door. Those walls drive the work. Termination bars pulled into soft brick and old lime mortar will not hold, so the base flashing gets carried up and tucked into a cut reglet with counterflashing over it, and the joint gets tuckpointed where the mortar is gone. Skip that and the first freeze and thaw cycle opens it. On roofs that are tight in the field but tired at the details, the sensible answer is sometimes roof coatings and another season of watching before anything comes off.
EPDM Roofing in Chaska
What careful work on a Chaska roof looks like
Flashing cut into the brick
Base flashing on a masonry wall gets a real termination: a reglet cut into the joint, counterflashing set in and the mortar made good around it. Bars screwed to the face of soft old brick let go.
Old layers taken down to deck
Downtown roofs often carry rubber over gravel over the original tar. Two layers or more and everything comes off, which means we plan the debris route and the alley before the first cut.
Parapet tops kept watertight
Coping and the back of the parapet get as much attention as the field. Water that enters over the wall runs down inside the masonry and shows on a tenant ceiling far from where it got in.
Roof work the district can live with
The Walnut Street Historic District was listed on the National Register in January 1980 and covers about 17 acres. On those blocks we keep edge metal and coping quiet, because the roof line is part of the street.
Access worked out before we start
These buildings sit tight against the sidewalk and the neighbor next door. We sort out the hoist, the material drop and the debris path so the block keeps its parking and its front doors.
Seams rolled, not just stuck down
Rubber pinned between two masonry walls moves hard between January cold and August heat. Splices get cleaned, primed and rolled so the lap is not the first thing to open.
How we work on old buildings
We look at the walls first
Before the membrane conversation we look at mortar, coping and the back side of the parapet. On a masonry building the roof usually fails at the wall, so that is where the scope starts.
The block gets cleaned every night
Work downtown happens over sidewalks and parked cars. Fasteners, tools and torn membrane come off the ground before we leave for the day, not at the end of the job.
Estimates you can hold side by side
The quote lists what comes off, what goes back on and how each wall is flashed. If someone else bid the same roof, you can compare the two line for line.
We meet your adjuster on the roof
Hail claims on a rubber roof get argued in test squares, not from the parking lot. We are up there when the adjuster walks it so the damage gets counted properly.
Masonry does not scare us
Roofing an 1800s brick building means touching mortar, coping and old wood decking. We are set up to do that work carefully instead of hoping a bead of sealant holds.
What people near Chaska say
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 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
Questions from Chaska building owners
What people in Chaska ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Does the Walnut Street Historic District change what I can do to my roof?
It changes what shows. The membrane itself sits behind a parapet and nobody on the sidewalk sees it, but coping, edge metal and any new curb or vent that breaks the roof line can read from the street. We keep those choices restrained and talk them through before ordering metal. The rubber underneath is the same rubber either way.
Can new rubber go straight over the old tar roof on my Chaska building?
Sometimes. If there is one sound layer and the insulation under it is dry, a recover works and saves a lot of mess. On older downtown buildings we often find rubber over gravel over the original tar, and that stack has to come off. We cut a few test squares first, so the answer comes from what is actually up there.
Why does my downtown Chaska building leak along the brick wall every spring?
Usually the wall, not the roof. Freezing and thawing works water into open mortar joints and under coping, and it runs down inside the masonry until it shows on a ceiling. A membrane replacement that ignores the parapet fixes nothing, so when we scope a roof here we scope the wall above it at the same time.
Have us look at the downtown roof
Send us the address and we will get on the roof, check the parapets and the flashings, and write down what actually needs doing. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
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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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