Forest Lake, Minnesota
Certified Slate Roofing in Forest Lake, MN
Slate is not what covered the early 1900s cottages ringing the 2,200 acre lake, which is exactly why a slate roof reads as a deliberate choice in Forest Lake, where most homes are either a converted lake cottage or a subdivision build from the 1970s onward. Owners here choose slate on purpose, and the first question is never color, it is whether the framing under fifty years of asphalt can hold it.
Get your estimate today
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
Where Slate Actually Belongs on a Forest Lake Roof
Original quarried slate is rare in this part of Washington County. The cottages near Clear Lake that became year round homes went up with wood shingle and have been re-covered in asphalt more than once since, so when a Forest Lake owner asks about slate, the honest answer is usually a new slate roof rather than the rescue of an old one. That changes the whole conversation. Instead of hunting a hundred year old quarry color, we are working out whether framing sized for cedar, then loaded again with asphalt, can carry a material that weighs several times more. Every slate project here starts with a certified roof assessment that measures rafter span, sheathing condition and the way each added on wing ties back into the original cottage roof.
Slate Roofing in Forest Lake
What a Slate Roof Does for a Lake Home Here
Cottage Framing Sized for Stone
Slate loads a roof far heavier than the asphalt now on most cottage conversions. We size rafters, sheathing and bearing walls first, so the pitch you already have can actually hold the material.
Drift Zones Handled on Lake Elevations
Snow crosses 2,200 acres of open water and stacks against the lake facing side of your home. Slate sheds it once the eave detail, ice barrier and snow retention above the entry are built for that load.
Low Slope Porch Tie Ins Solved
Slate cannot sit on the shallow porch roofs that link the added on wings. We flash standing seam metal into the slate field there, so packed drift drains instead of sitting against the wall line.
A Roof Your Grandchildren Inherit
Asphalt on a lake home here gets replaced several times in a lifetime. A properly fastened slate field outlasts those cycles, which matters on a property families tend to hold rather than sell.
Mismatched Pitches Detailed, Not Ignored
Cottage conversions rarely present one clean plane. Every wing added over the decades meets the original at a different angle, and each valley and transition gets its own copper detail rather than a shared assumption.
Broken Pieces Out, Field Untouched
On the rare Forest Lake home already wearing slate, most failures are broken individual pieces and tired flashing. We replace those with copper hooks and leave the sound field untouched.
How We Approach Slate Work in Forest Lake
Reinforcement Priced Against Synthetic
A 1970s truss roof off Hardwood Creek Regional Trail often cannot carry quarried slate without reinforcement. When that is the case we say so on the first visit and quote a synthetic slate profile instead of selling you an engineering problem.
Hand Nailed, Copper Flashed, No Shortcuts
Slate goes on by hand with the right gauge nail set to the right depth, never a gun. Valleys, chimney pans and the step flashing along your added on wings are formed in copper and soldered on site.
We Measure Each Wing Separately
Before anything is ordered we take pitch, exposure and headlap on every plane of the house, because the original cottage roof and the additions bolted onto it almost never share a single number.
Hail Damage Documented the Slate Way
Hail breaks slate rather than stripping granules, so adjusters need photographs of cracked and punched pieces plane by plane. We build that record and stand on the roof with your adjuster when the claim is written.
Reachable When Lake Owners Are Home
Plenty of these properties get checked on weekends, so our phone is answered around the clock and we drive up from Eden Prairie to walk the roof when you are actually there, with no charge for the visit.
What people near Forest Lake 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
Slate Questions From Forest Lake Owners
What people in Forest Lake ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Are there any original slate roofs left in Forest Lake?
Very few. The cottages around Clear Lake went up as seasonal buildings roofed in wood shingle, and the subdivisions that followed from the 1970s onward were asphalt from the start. Genuine slate here usually turns up on a later custom build. We can settle it in a minute on site, since real slate rings under a tap and composite thuds.
Does the shoreland overlay in Forest Lake affect a slate roof project?
It depends on scope. The overlay caps how much of a lakeshore lot can be impervious, and that math is aimed at decks, driveways and additions. Re-roofing an existing footprint in slate does not change your coverage. Add a dormer, extend a porch or enlarge the wing underneath, and the coverage question comes first, so we raise it before design.
Can slate cover the low slope porch roofs on a converted cottage?
No, and anyone who says yes is setting you up for leaks. Slate drains by gravity and wants steep pitch. Those porch tie ins sit far below what slate tolerates, and snow blown off the lake packs into them for months. The fix is standing seam metal on the shallow sections, slate on the steep main roof, copper at the transition.
Before You Spec Slate on the Lake
Tell us when the wings went on and what the roof looks like now. We will walk the property, work out what the framing can carry, and put a written slate or synthetic option in front of you at no cost. Call (612) 600-8529 any hour, weekends on the lake included.
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
Request your estimate
Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews