St. Paul, Minnesota
Dependable Cedar Shake Roofing in St. Paul, MN
On the first hard thaw of February, the streetcar era duplexes of Summit Hill in St. Paul show a cedar shake roof's trouble before you're within fifty feet of the yard: a dark stripe of refrozen melt sitting right where a shed dormer eave narrows down to a few inches of soffit. That same eave geometry repeats across the story and a half and two story homes that fill Highland Park and Lake Phalen, and it decides whether cedar shake here lasts or rots from the eave inward.
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- Licensed and insuredMinnesota exterior contractor
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- Storm and insurance workWe handle the claim with you
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Cedar shake built for St. Paul's dormered streetcar roofs
Most of St. Paul's older housing stock was framed for a shingle roof that sheds water fast off a plain gable, then had shed and gable dormers added later to squeeze a third bedroom out of the upper half story. Those additions left short eave returns and valleys that cut up into each other at odd angles, which is exactly where a cedar roof needs the most attention to detail and the least improvisation. A crew that has only ever installed asphalt roofing on these roofs will often carry the same underlayment and flashing habits over to cedar, and cedar does not forgive that the way composition shingle does. Shake needs its own spacing, its own ice and water shield coverage at those shallow dormer eaves, and hand cut valley metal sized for the pitch, not a generic roll.
Cedar Shake Roofing in St. Paul
What a properly built cedar shake roof gives a St. Paul home
Dry knee wall space through spring thaw
Correct ice and water shield coverage at the shallow eaves under your dormers keeps refrozen melt from backing up under the shakes and soaking the heated knee wall framing behind it.
Valleys that shed instead of pool
Hand formed valley metal sized to your roof's cut up geometry moves water straight to the gutter instead of letting it stall where two dormer planes meet, which is where cedar rots first.
A roofline that matches the block
Proper coursing and butt exposure on a steep streetcar era pitch keeps the shadow lines even across gables and dormers, so the roof reads the way the original builders intended it to.
Knee wall airflow that resists ice damming
Spacing shakes off the deck with the right ventilation gap lets the narrow soffit runs common on these homes breathe, which slows the ice damming that starts under a sealed off eave.
A roof that clears Heritage Preservation review
Detailing that matches historic profile, exposure and material specifics gives you a straightforward package to bring to the city if your block falls inside a designated heritage district.
Fewer surprises at the next storm claim
Documented flashing and underlayment work at every dormer and valley gives your insurer a clear record of what was installed, which matters when wind or hail hits a steep St. Paul roof.
Why St. Paul homeowners call Orange Exteriors for cedar shake
We measure every dormer before we quote
Because Summit Hill and Highland Park roofs are rarely two simple planes, we walk each dormer, valley and eave return on site before pricing the job, so the estimate reflects your roof's actual geometry, not a flat per square rate.
Ice and water shield goes wherever the eave is short
On roofs where the heated knee wall sits close behind a narrow soffit, we extend membrane coverage well past the code minimum at every eave and valley, because that geometry is exactly where these streetcar era roofs have failed before.
We handle the Heritage Preservation paperwork
If your address sits on a designated heritage site or inside a local heritage district, we prepare the documentation Heritage Preservation review requires before the city issues a building permit, so the project does not stall in the queue.
Family run, faith based, and reachable around the clock
Orange Exteriors is a family run, faith based company working out of Eden Prairie, licensed and insured, and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so a discovered leak during an overnight thaw does not have to wait until Monday.
A no obligation estimate before any commitment
We walk your roof, explain what your dormers and valleys need, and give you a free, no obligation estimate in writing, backed by a rating of 5.0 from 217 Google reviews from homeowners across the Twin Cities.
What people near St. Paul 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
Cedar shake questions from St. Paul homeowners
What people in St. Paul ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Do the mature boulevard trees in neighborhoods like Highland Park make cedar shake a bad idea?
Not on their own. What matters is how much afternoon sun a given slope actually loses to shade and for how long. We check each roof plane's exposure during the estimate, and where shade is heavy we adjust spacing and recommend a shorter cleaning interval rather than ruling cedar out.
How often does cedar shake need attention on a St. Paul roof compared to other siding options like asphalt roofing?
Cedar shake here typically wants a cleaning and inspection every few years, sooner on shaded north facing dormers, because freeze thaw cycles work moss and debris into the butt joints faster than they affect composition shingle. We set the interval based on each roof's actual exposure.
I have original cedar on a Summit Hill house. Is it worth restoring instead of replacing?
Often yes, if the deck underneath is sound and less than roughly a third of the shakes are split or cupped. We inspect the deck, flashing and valley metal first, since restoring shakes on a failing eave just delays the same ice dam damage you're already seeing.
Get a cedar shake estimate for your St. Paul roof
Whether you are in Summit Hill, Highland Park, or Lake Phalen, we will walk every dormer and valley on your roof and give you a free, no obligation estimate, plus straight answers on Heritage Preservation review if your address needs it. Storm and insurance work welcome, day or night.
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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