Minneapolis, Minnesota
Proven Cedar Shake Roofing in Minneapolis, MN
Plenty of the old cedar we uncover in Minneapolis is the first roof the house ever had, buried under two layers of asphalt. Steep bungalow and foursquare pitches shed water fast, which is what cedar wants. The trouble sits lower down, where shallow soffits leave little room for intake air and the eave stays wet through every thaw.
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Cedar dries high and rots low here
On a Longfellow or Nokomis bungalow the upper roof usually does fine. Air moves across a steep plane, sun reaches it by mid morning, and shakes there last. The bottom courses are a different roof. Ice builds at the eave through every thaw, water backs up under the butts, and cedar that never dries goes soft and cups. So we start at the eave: ice barrier carried past the wall line, drip metal the shakes sit proud of, and real intake air, which on a shallow soffit means an over fascia vent rather than the round plugs drilled in years ago. Tear off is its own job on a tight lot. Two layers over original cedar is heavy and the dumpster often lives in the alley. If the deck says no to cedar, we price asphalt roofing the same day and tell you which one we would put on our own house.
Cedar Shake Roofing in Minneapolis
What a cedar roof needs on an old Minneapolis house
Intake air on shallow soffits
Older bungalows were never framed with a vented soffit. We add over fascia intake or vented drip edge so air can actually enter at the eave and carry moisture out at the ridge.
Eave detail built for ice
Ice dams sit exactly where cedar is most vulnerable. Membrane runs well past the inside wall line, and the first courses are set so meltwater leaves over the metal instead of soaking into end grain.
Steep pitches that work for cedar
The pitch on a foursquare or a story and a half is genuinely good for shakes. Water leaves fast, sun and wind reach the field, and the roof spends less of the year damp.
Original cedar checked before removal
Some of these houses still have sound old growth cedar under the asphalt. We open a section and look before assuming it all comes off, because sound decking and spaced sheathing change the job.
Tarred kicks and sidewalls redone
Northeast houses carry dormers, kicks and short sidewalls that were flashed with tar at some point. Cedar needs step flashing at every course there, woven in as the shakes go up, not caulked afterward.
Tear off planned around the alley
Cedar over two layers of asphalt is a heavy load off a small lot. We sort out where the dumpster sits, how the alley stays passable and which side the material lands on before the first day.
How we handle cedar work in the city
We say no to cedar sometimes
If the deck is shot or the eave cannot be vented, cedar will not last and we will say so at the estimate rather than after the tear off.
Straight comparison of two roofs
Cedar is not the only good answer on a bungalow. We put the wood option and the alternative side by side with what each will need from you over the years.
Used to old framing
Century old rafters, board decking and past repairs are normal here. We plan for what we find in a 1920s roof instead of pretending every deck is flat and square.
The neighbors get a warning
On a narrow city lot your roof job happens over someone else's fence. We let the neighbor know before the dumpster arrives and we keep their side of the line clean.
Family run and faith based
Orange Exteriors is family run and faith based, working out of Eden Prairie. That shows up in small things, like being told what we found instead of what sells.
What people near Minneapolis say
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 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
Cedar roof questions from Minneapolis homeowners
What people in Minneapolis ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Is my Minneapolis bungalow a good candidate for cedar shakes?
Usually yes on the upper planes. The pitch is steep, the roof dries, and cedar looks right on that era of house. The question is the eave. If the soffit is too shallow to vent and the house has a history of ice dams, we would want to fix intake air first, because cedar under an ice dam fails faster than anything else on the roof.
There is old cedar under my asphalt. Can it be restored instead of replaced?
Sometimes. If the shakes are old growth, still thick at the butt, and the spaced sheathing under them is sound, a partial repair and a new vented ridge can buy real time. More often the asphalt above it trapped moisture for decades and the cedar is punky. We open a test area and show you what is there before you decide.
Will cedar shakes make the ice dams on my Minneapolis house worse?
Not by themselves, but they are less forgiving of one. Cedar sitting under standing ice absorbs water and stays saturated for weeks. The fix is the same either way: ice barrier carried past the wall line, air moving from the eave to the ridge, and insulation that stops heat reaching the deck. Get that right and the shakes are fine.
Get a cedar estimate for your bungalow
Tell us the block and we will come look at the eaves, the soffit and what is under the shingles. Free, no obligation, and we will say plainly whether cedar belongs on that roof.
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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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