Roof Repair and Replacement in Bristol, RI

What lies under the shingles on a house that survived 1778?

Houses that old were framed with hand-fitted timber and have been roofed many times since. As a general pattern, you may find several layers of shingles, uneven decking and skylights or dormers cut in decades later. Each of those needs a closer look than a modern tract house would.

A good quote for a Bristol colonial describes how the old layers come off, what will be done if the boards beneath are soft, and how every chimney will be flashed. If the quote just gives a number, ask for the details.

Our guides on roof replacement and chimney flashing repair explain each step.

Do Bristol's historic areas need review before roofing?

Historic-area projects in Bristol may need review before work. The research does not say which streets, so do not guess. Ask the town about your address, and ask before ordering materials or signing a contract.

Review often turns on the material. If you have an older roof with a distinct look, tell the roofer what is there now. Newport's rules, as one local example, treat slate, standing-seam metal, wood shingle and tile as significant, and synthetic substitutes as generally not appropriate. Bristol's rules may differ, and our guide to historic district roofing shows the kinds of questions that come up.

How does the harbor setting affect a roof?

Bristol is a peninsula town, and roofs on a peninsula catch bay wind from several directions. Hurricane Bob in 1991 caused extensive roof damage and a 12 to 15 foot surge up Narragansett Bay, and Sandy in 2012 caused widespread roof damage across Rhode Island.

After a big blow, check the ridge, the chimney and the lowest courses of shingles from the ground. If you see lifted or missing pieces, storm and wind damage repair describes the next steps.

What should I keep in mind when a Bristol roof has a chimney, a skylight and a dormer?

Every opening in a roof is a joint, and an older house may have many of them. A roofer who sees three of them on one slope will want to look at each, because water follows the weakest one. That is why a leak can be hard to trace without someone on the roof.

Ask the roofer to photograph what they find at each opening and to say whether the flashing is repairable or needs replacing. For a skylight that leaks, the page on skylight leak repair explains how the problem is separated from roof leaks nearby. Keep the photographs with your quote.