Elk River, Minnesota
Licensed Cedar Shake Roofing in Elk River, MN
Cedar wants sun and moving air, and large parts of Elk River sit under hardwood canopy on the glacial hills, where wet leaf litter freezes into the short valleys of these cut up 1990s and 2000s rooflines. We will tell you which houses here are good candidates for shake and which ones will rot a north slope in a decade.
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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
The north slope tells you if cedar fits
On the township farmhouses left standing after Elk River and its township consolidated in 1978, we still pull original cedar off steep simple gables, and some of it is worth restoring rather than replacing: pull the split and cupped courses and leave the sound wood alone. The subdivision two stories are the harder call. Cut up rooflines give you short valleys that hold leaf pack, and shakes that sit wet through a February thaw cup and grow moss on the north side long before the south field is tired. We space the courses, detail an open metal valley we can sweep clear, and vent the deck so the wood dries from below. When the canopy is too heavy to thin, we say so and quote asphalt roofing instead. Re-roofing is on the city's list of permits that skip plan review, and applications usually come back in one to two business days.
Cedar Shake Roofing in Elk River
Cedar under Elk River's hardwoods
Shade mapped through the day
A plane can look sunny at noon and sit in shadow from three o'clock on. We note when each slope loses the sun rather than judging the lot at one moment, because drying time is what a cedar roof runs on.
Valleys sized for leaf pack
Cut up subdivision rooflines here run short valleys that catch hardwood litter. We detail them open, in metal, wide enough that they can be swept clear every fall without a fight.
Original farmhouse cedar restored
On the township farmhouses, sound old shakes often outnumber the failed ones. We replace what is split or cupped and leave the rest, which keeps both the roof and the look of the house intact.
Deck vented so wood dries
Shade slows drying from above, so we make sure air moves under the shakes and through the attic. A cedar roof that dries from both sides survives the shaded years.
A maintenance schedule you can keep
Under this much hardwood, cedar needs sweeping and moss treatment more often than a roof out in the open. We tell you the interval your particular lot calls for.
An honest no on dark lots
Some Elk River houses sit under canopy that no amount of detailing fixes. If yours is one of them, we say so during the estimate and talk about what else fits the house.
Working under Elk River's canopy
Permit pulled before the tear off
Re-roofing is on the city's no plan review list, and applications usually come back in one to two business days, so the schedule is rarely held up by paperwork.
Restoration priced against replacement
If your old cedar is mostly sound, you get a quote for repairing it next to a quote for full replacement, plus the reasoning behind each one.
Trimming does more than we can
We point out the limbs that need to come off the roof plane before installation. Trimming first does more for the life of the roof than anything we install.
We tell you what we would do
Family run and faith based, and we answer questions the way we would answer them for our own house, including when the answer is that cedar is the wrong call.
Reviews worth a look first
Our Google rating is 5.0 across 217 reviews. Cedar asks more of an owner than asphalt does, and the people behind those reviews are the ones who got told that before they signed anything.
What people near Elk River 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
Shade, moss and old farmhouse cedar
What people in Elk River ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Is my Elk River lot too shaded for a cedar shake roof?
Maybe. Cedar needs sun and air to dry after every rain. If mature hardwoods overhang the north and east slopes and cannot be trimmed back, the shakes stay damp, grow moss and cup early. We look at the actual canopy over your roof planes, not the neighborhood average, and tell you either way.
What does a partial cedar replacement on a farmhouse roof involve?
We pull the split, cupped and thinned courses, weave new shakes in against the sound ones and reset the flashing while the roof is open. On the steep simple gables out in the townships that work holds for years. Once most of the field is gone the weaving stops making sense, and a full replacement is the better use of your money.
When should the valleys be cleared on a wooded lot?
Late fall, once the hardwoods have finished dropping, and again in spring if the winter was hard on the north field. Between the canopy and the freeze thaw cycles that litter turns into a wet mat sitting on the wood. Moss treatment comes as needed. Roofs that get none of this fail from the shade side first.
Find out if cedar fits your lot
Send us the address and we will walk the roof, look at the canopy over it, and give you a free estimate for cedar, for restoration, or for something else entirely.
Get Your Free Exterior Estimate
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