Stillwater, Minnesota
Straightforward Asphalt Roofing in Stillwater, MN
The lumber era houses on the North and South hills of Stillwater were built steep, with dormers, turrets, porch roofs and cornice returns. A modern gable gives you a handful of places where flashing matters. A house on the hill gives you one at nearly every change of plane, and that is where the job is won or lost.
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A century roof is mostly flashing work
Open a South Hill roof and you can read its history in layers: asphalt over asphalt, and under that, sometimes, the original wood shake still nailed to skip sheathing. All of it comes off, and the deck usually needs solid sheathing over the old boards before anything else happens. Then the slow part. Every dormer cheek, every cornice return, every porch tie in gets flashed as its own small roof, and step flashing goes in course by course rather than caulked in a strip afterward. The valleys matter twice over here, because canopy above the ravines drops leaf litter into them and a valley holding wet leaves stays wet. Steep pitch also means snow leaves in one sheet onto the porch roof and the stairs below, which is why some owners put the porch in metal roofing and keep asphalt on the main house above it.
Asphalt Roofing in Stillwater
What a century roof on the hill needs
Flashing rebuilt, not caulked over
Cornice returns, turret transitions and porch tie ins each get metal formed to fit and layered into the courses. Sealant is a finish detail on these roofs, never the thing holding the water out.
Old shake and skip sheathing handled
Plenty of these roofs still carry cedar under the asphalt, nailed to boards with gaps between them. We tear it all off and lay solid sheathing, so the new nails have real wood to bite into.
Snow held off the porch and stairs
A steep roof sheds in one slab onto whatever sits below, usually the porch roof and the front steps. Where that is a problem we set snow retention above the entry rather than letting winter sort it out.
Historic district paperwork respected
Exterior alterations downtown fall inside the Stillwater Commercial Historic District, listed in 1992, and the Heritage Preservation Commission reviews a design permit before work begins. We build that step into the schedule.
Hillside access planned in advance
Narrow hill streets, retaining walls and steep driveways decide where a dumpster can sit and where a ladder can stand. We work that out on the estimate visit, not on tear off morning.
Shingle chosen to suit the house
A thin three tab looks wrong on a house showing this much roof. We look at profile and color against the trim and the neighbors before ordering, since on the hill the roof is most of what you see.
What working on the hill takes
We slow down at the details
Most of the day on a hill house goes into flashing and transitions. We bid it that way, so nobody is rushing the fiddly part in order to make the schedule work.
Estimates that show the scope
Free and written out by area, so you can see what the porch roof, the dormers and the main planes each carry rather than one lump number for the whole house.
No sealant shortcuts
If a cornice return or a turret transition needs metal formed on site, we form it, even when that costs us the afternoon. Sealant over a bad detail lasts one winter.
We fit the house we find
These roofs were framed by hand and almost nothing is square. We cut and fit to the actual roof instead of forcing a modern detail onto a nineteenth century frame.
Rated 5.0 across 217 reviews
Orange Exteriors is family run and faith based, with a 5.0 rating from 217 Google reviews. On streets where every house belongs to somebody's neighbor, that record is the advertising.
What people near Stillwater say
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 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
Stillwater roofing questions
What people in Stillwater ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Do I need Heritage Preservation Commission approval to reroof in Stillwater?
It depends where the building sits. Exterior alterations downtown fall inside the Stillwater Commercial Historic District, listed in 1992, and the Heritage Preservation Commission reviews a design permit before work begins there. A house up on the North or South hill outside that district generally does not need one. We check which side of that line you are on first.
My steep roof dumps snow onto the porch in one sheet. Can that be stopped?
It can be managed. On a pitch this steep the snow leaves all at once onto whatever sits below, usually the porch roof and the front steps. Snow retention set above the entry breaks that slab up so it comes off in pieces rather than one load. It is worth doing where the porch roof is taking the hit, or where people walk underneath it.
Why do the valleys on these old hill houses keep leaking?
Usually leaves rather than shingles. The canopy over the ravines fills the valleys every fall, wet litter sits there through the thaw, and water backs sideways under the courses. Rebuilding the valley with metal and a clear open channel fixes most of it. Keeping the valleys swept in late fall does the rest.
Have your hill house roof looked at
We will climb it, count the layers, and go through every dormer, valley and porch tie in with you. The estimate is free, written, and comes with an honest read on how much roof you have left.
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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