Lakeville, Minnesota
Careful Cedar Shake Roofing in Lakeville, MN
A steep roof is good news for cedar. Most of the newer two story homes in Lakeville have the pitch for it. The trouble is what happens between the gables: hips, dormers and hip returns funnel water and needles into deep valleys, and cedar rots at the valleys long before the open field of the roof shows any age.
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The valleys decide how long cedar lasts here
On a Lakeville roof the tear off slows at every intersection. We open the valleys, the dormer cheeks and the sidewall flashing, and that is where the old roof tells the truth. Snow slides off those long steep planes and stacks where two runs meet, then refreezes over the entry and the lower roof, so the wood at the valley stays wet for weeks. Cedar handles that only if it is detailed for it: open metal valleys rather than woven, shakes cut back and clear of the metal, spaced sheathing so the underside breathes, and ice and water membrane carried well up the valley. Skip one of those and the roof fails in a narrow line down the middle while the rest still looks new. If your roofline is more valley than field, we will say so and point you toward asphalt roofing instead, which takes that abuse with less fuss.
Cedar Shake Roofing in Lakeville
Cedar detailing for valleys and dormers
Woven valleys are the wrong choice
A woven cedar valley traps needles against the wood and stays damp underneath them. We run the valley open in metal and cut the shake ends back off the center, so the water leaves without touching wood at all.
Ice dam protection over entries
Sliding snow stacks where two steep runs meet and refreezes above the entry roof. Membrane goes up the valley and across the lower eaves before a single shake is laid.
Steep pitch works for cedar
The long steep planes on these newer homes shed water and dry fast, which is the one thing cedar needs most. On a Lakeville two story the field of the roof is rarely the problem.
Dormer cheeks and sidewall flashing
Every dormer adds two sidewalls where shakes meet siding. We step flash each course and hold the shakes off the wall so water runs out instead of wicking into the ends.
Hips and ridges capped tight
A cut up roof has a lot of hip and ridge line. Capping laid tight over the peaks, with the exposure matched to the field, keeps those edges from being the first thing to go gray and split.
Maintenance aimed at the valleys
Cut up rooflines collect debris in the valleys every fall. We walk the roof and clear those lines rather than waiting for a leak, because on cedar a packed valley is the start of rot.
How we handle cedar work in Lakeville
The upkeep is quoted with the roof
We put the yearly valley clearing in front of you at the same time as the roof price. Cedar on a roofline this cut up is an arrangement you keep up, not a purchase you finish.
We will say when cedar is wrong
If your roofline is all valley and your trees hang over it, cedar is a bad bet and we say so. We would rather lose the job than put shakes where they will rot.
Scheduling around a whole subdivision
Lakeville subdivisions reach roof age together, so we book neighbors back to back and stage dumpsters and deliveries so the cul de sac is not blocked for a month.
We dry the roof in each night
Cedar goes on slower than shingles, so an open roof at dusk is a real risk. We felt and tarp the exposed valleys and dormers before the crew leaves.
We show you what came off
When the valley metal comes off we set it on the driveway and show you the rust line and where water was getting in. You should see what the old roof was doing.
What people near Lakeville 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
Cedar questions we hear in Lakeville
What people in Lakeville ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Is cedar a bad idea on a cut up Lakeville roofline?
Not automatically, but it raises the bar. Every valley, dormer cheek and hip return is a spot where water slows and debris collects, and cedar rots where it stays wet. If the valleys are open metal, the shakes are cut back off the center and someone clears the lines each fall, cedar lasts. If nobody will do that, choose something else.
Half the houses on my street need roofs the same year. Does that change anything?
It helps. Lakeville filled in fast, so subdivisions hit roof age within a few years of each other, and we can run neighboring houses close together, share deliveries and keep the street clear. It also means your roof choice sets a tone for the block, which is worth thinking about before you switch a whole cul de sac to cedar.
Do the valleys really need clearing every fall?
Yes, and behind the dormers as well, plus a moss check on any plane that sits in shade. Steep Lakeville roofs shed well, so the open field asks very little of you. The intersections are the part that needs hands on them, and they need it every year rather than every ten.
Find out what your valleys are costing you
Count your valleys before you call, or let us do it from the roof. Either way you get a straight answer on whether cedar belongs on that house, and an estimate at no charge.
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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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