04/15/2025
Give us a shout for Slate/Tile Roof replacements(and detach/resets).
Many of the beautiful historic buildings in the area with active leaks in their slate/tile roofs remain that way until someone does a replacement to plastic fake slate or asphalt shingles.
Asphalt shingles are awesome. They have a decent lifespan (about 20-30 years for the best shingles) and have their place for sure(preferably on buildings without slate/tile present already...but sometimes the budget requires asphalt and in those situations, we will make sure your slate/tile is recycled and sent on to yards elsewhere so they can be reused on another structure rather than thrown in a dumpster).
Plastic roofing on the other hand we won't install(or whatever the manufacturer wants to call the material they are using..."Engineered Polymer...Virgin Resins...UV/Thermally Stabilized Composite....it all means plastic....)
Plastic will expand and contract considerably in our hot/cold snaps and while many of the plastic roof manufacturers have *amazing* written warranties stating the blend they use for their plastic roofing will *resist* warping/expansion/contraction ...many haven't been around long enough for their warranties to be truly tested (the top plastic slate/tile brands out there have been around for under 30 years ...and many other competing plastic roof manufacturers who have come have gone just as quickly because their products simply don't last like their testing told them they would)
Slate doesn't come with a written manufacturer's warranty ...it doesn't need to. It has proven itself as a tried and tested roofing material (with examples standing in place since the Roman Empire was in full swing). Slate is repairable, removable, and able to withstand whatever weather Michigan throws at it (wind, hail, snow, sleet, ice, high UV index in July or low Vitamin D Seasons....you name it, it will take it).
We will work with you to bring your 70-100 year old roof back to its original glory by either fully replacing(and saving the original slate/tile to be sent on to reuse yards throughout the country so it can be used elsewhere rather than sent to the landfill).
Another (more budget friendly option) would be detaching your original slate, throwing out the broken/damaged pieces and then source and mix in new slate. (Maybe even from the same quarry it came from. In and around the 1920's when these roofs were put on, Ann Arbor primarily shipped in slate from a quarry on the East Coast...which is still active and who we would be ordering from).
You'll want to go with a Vermont Slate rather than a Pennsylvania slate and having us take a look at what you have now is how we can figure out the best method moving forward. (Most likely if your original slate roof is still standing beautifully...it isn't Pennsylvania Slate).
Contrary to popular belief, this is not a dead trade in SE Michigan and we are testament to there being a local builder with the labor, material network, and experience in our team to take on these projects and add another 70+ years to your slate/tile roof.
These roofs deserve to be preserved rather than quick sold to a product that will need changed out 3+ times in the same time a slate/tile roof will last.
Don't destroy the history in your home if it has slate/tile. Work with us to replace or restore it!
We can offer financing on these projects (in some cases with 0% APR for 21 months) and you can get roof leaks eliminated and life put back in your property.
If you or someone you know have a slate/tile roof, tell them to drop a message on our website or give us a call for an inspection/consultation to plan the last restoration you'll have on your slate / tile roof!
In the meantime, check out two projects our crews completed this last year down south.
