Meramec Roofing

Roofing contractors in Greater St. Louis

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 quits in the middle. It quits at the transitions. Six of them, numbered. Five are places where the roof meets something else.
Garage Point 1 — ridge caps 1 Ridge caps — first to fatigue in the swings Point 2 — the field of the roof 2 The field — thaw cycles and age Point 3 — valleys 3 Litter holds water against the covering in the valleys Point 4 — flashing 4 Flashing — chimney, and where a lower roof meets a wall Point 5 — vent boot 5 Vent boot Point 6 — eaves and gutters 6 Eaves — refreeze and plugged gutters back water up

The work

Why roofs fail in this region

The metro built out in waves, so whole streets reach the end of a covering within a season or two of each other. A winter that oscillates around freezing works every fastener and joint, a humid July cooks the attics that cannot breathe, and the older suburbs add their own chapter — cornice gutters, brick counterflashing, a canopy that never stops dropping things. Most of what gets reported here is predictable.

Cities