Minneapolis, Minnesota
Certified Slate Roofing in Minneapolis, MN
Real slate is still on roofs across Minneapolis, usually on foursquares and steep-pitched bungalows in Longfellow, Nokomis and Northeast, and often buried under a layer of asphalt somebody added in the 1970s. Tearing into one of those roofs, we are usually deciding between saving the original slate and setting a new roof in kind.
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Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews
- Licensed and insuredMinnesota exterior contractor
- 5.0 from 217 reviewsVerified on Google
- Storm and insurance workWe handle the claim with you
- Faith-based, locally ownedRefreshingly honest
What we find under the asphalt layer
On an older Minneapolis roof the first question is whether the slate up there is still sound. Most of what fails is not the stone. It is the nails, the flashing at dormers and chimneys, and the eave detail on houses with shallow soffits that ice up every February. Slate outlives its fasteners, so a roof can have decades left if someone will set slates back one at a time instead of pulling the whole plane. Where the field is genuinely spent, we match the new run for color, thickness and exposure so the repair does not read as a patch from the sidewalk. Tight lots and alley access shape the schedule too. If you are unsure which side of that line your roof sits on, start with a certified roof assessment and get a straight read on the deck, the fasteners and the flashing before anyone talks about tear-off.
Slate Roofing in Minneapolis
What a slate job here should include
Sound slate saved, not scrapped
Before we quote a tear-off we count how much of the original field is still holding. On a lot of Longfellow and Nokomis roofs most of it is, and the fix is fasteners and flashing.
New slate matched to the old
Quarried slate varies in color and thickness. We set the new run to the original coursing and exposure, so a replaced slope does not announce itself to anyone standing on the sidewalk.
Alley staging and tear-off planning
City lots leave little room. We work out where the dumpster sits, how the slate gets lifted and which side of the alley stays open before the first truck shows up on your block.
Dormer cheeks and sidewalls in metal
Old slate roofs rarely leak in the field. They leak where a dormer meets the slope and where a wall runs into the roof, so those get new step flashing woven into the courses instead of sealant.
Eave detail built for ice dams
Shallow soffits on these houses ice up through the thaw cycles. We detail the eave, the underlayment and the starter course so meltwater backing up behind a dam has nowhere to get in.
Repair quoted against replacement
You get both paths laid out: what it takes to keep the roof you have, and what replacing in kind involves, with the honest reason one of them wins on your particular house.
How we work on old Minneapolis roofs
Estimates start on the roof
Free and no-obligation means an actual climb, a look at the underside of the deck where there is access, and a written scope. Nobody asks you to decide on the spot.
We will tell you to repair
We are family run and faith based. If the slate on your house is worth keeping, we say so, even though the repair is the smaller job for us.
Open at any hour, any day
We answer 24 hours, seven days a week. A slate that slides off in a January wind is not a Monday morning problem, and neither is water showing on a bedroom ceiling.
Claims documented slate by slate
Wind damage on an older roof gets recorded piece by piece, so the claim reflects what actually broke rather than a guess made from the ground with binoculars.
Rated 5.0 from 217 reviews
Our Google rating is 5.0 across 217 reviews. In neighborhoods like Northeast, where houses sit close together, how a crew behaves on the block is part of the job.
What people near Minneapolis say
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 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
Slate questions from Minneapolis owners
What people in Minneapolis ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Do Minneapolis houses actually still have original slate roofs?
Yes, more than people expect. Houses built between roughly 1900 and 1930 in Longfellow, Nokomis and Northeast often went up with slate, and a fair number still have it under a later layer of asphalt. If your attic shows heavy old nails and the roof looks unusually thick at the eave, it is worth a look.
Will a historic district limit what I can put back on my roof?
If your property is designated or sits inside a district, materials visible from the street can be subject to review, and that usually pushes toward replacing slate in kind rather than switching to asphalt. We can write up the slate type, color and coursing so you have the detail the review asks for, and we work to whatever the ruling allows.
Should I repair the slate on my Minneapolis home or replace it?
It depends on the stone and the nails. If the slates ring solid and the trouble is at flashing, valleys or a few slipped pieces, repair is the right call and it can buy decades. If slates flake apart at the edges across whole slopes, or the nails have rusted through generally, you are chasing leaks and a replacement in kind is the honest answer.
Get a straight answer on your slate
Send us the address and we will look at the roof, the dormers and the eaves. Free estimate, no obligation, and a plain answer on whether your Minneapolis slate should be saved or replaced.
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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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Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews