Longleaf Roofing

Roofing contractors in the Carolina Piedmont

Most of the difference between two roofing quotes is not the shingle. It is what happens underneath it, and what happens if the decking turns out to be soft.

What separates a complete quote from a cheap one

  • Flashing — replaced, or re-used and sealed? Re-using it is the most common reason a new roof leaks in its first year.
  • Decking — what is the price per sheet, and how many sheets are assumed? Nobody knows the real number until the old roof is off.
  • Underlayment — does ice-and-water shield go at the eaves and in the valleys, or only where code requires it?
  • Ventilation — corrected, or simply reinstalled? A hot attic shortens the life of whatever goes on top of it.
  • Warranty — the manufacturer covers the material; the contractor covers the labour. The second is worth more.
A roof almost never fails in the middle. It fails where it meets something else. Six of them, numbered. Five are places where the roof meets something else.
Garage Point 1 — ridge caps 1 Ridge caps — the first to work loose Point 2 — the field of the roof 2 The field — granule loss and age Point 3 — valleys 3 Valleys carry runoff from two slopes at once Point 4 — flashing 4 Flashing — chimney, and where the garage roof meets the wall Point 5 — vent boot 5 Vent boot Point 6 — eaves and ice dams 6 Eaves — ice dams push water back uphill

The work

Why roofs fail in this region

The Piedmont built out in waves, so whole phases reach the end of a first roof within a season or two of each other. Five hot months a year bake the covering from above and — in an under-vented attic — from below, humidity streaks every shaded slope with algae, and the pines load the valleys and gutters. Most of what gets reported here is predictable.

Cities