Roofing in Quincy, Historic Houses and Metal Roofs

Quincy, FL

Roofing in Quincy runs from the tall, porch-wrapped houses a few blocks off the courthouse square to farmhouses out on the county roads with a metal roof and a barn behind them. The two have more in common than it looks. Both tend to be old, both were built by people who expected the roof to be repaired rather than thrown away, and both deserve a roofer who checks what can be saved before quoting what has to go.

Historic houses near the square

The older homes in town have steep main roofs, porch roofs at a gentler pitch, dormers and at least one brick chimney. Every one of those joins is a place for water to get in. On these houses the leaks we find most often are at the chimney, where old flashing has been tarred over more than once, and where the porch roof meets the wall of the house.

We fix those joins properly: old patching off, new step flashing and counter flashing worked into the brick, and the porch tie-in rebuilt so the water runs past it. When the porch is simply too flat for shingles, our post on why low-slope porch roofs leak walks through the materials that suit it. That’s a roof repair, and on a sound roof it can buy years. When the main roof is worn out, a roof replacement on a house like this means matching the look of the street as well as keeping the water out, and we’ll walk you through the material choices before anything is ordered.

Metal roofs in Gadsden County

Out in the county, a lot of homes, porches and outbuildings wear crimped metal. A metal roof can last a very long time, but its fasteners don’t. The rubber washers under the screws dry out in the sun, screws back out as the panels heat and cool, and the water that gets in rusts the panel laps and rots the purlins underneath.

Most of the metal roofs we see can be put right without a tear-off: new screws with fresh washers, sealed laps, replaced panels where the rust has gone through, and new trim at the ridge and the eaves. If a homeowner wants to go from worn shingles to metal, we do that too, and we’ll tell you honestly what it costs next to a new shingle roof.

When the storms come inland

Quincy is a long way from the beach, and that hasn’t kept it out of the path of hurricanes. Hurricane Michael was still a strong storm when it crossed Gadsden County, and it snapped pines and pecans across the county. Most damage here comes the same way: a tree or a limb on the roof, rather than wind peeling it bare. Our hurricane damage visit covers the opening first and then checks the framing under the strike, and the insurance claim paperwork puts the photos, the report and the price into one packet for your insurer.

Permits

A re-roof needs a permit and inspections. We find out which office covers your address, file the permit there, book the inspections and tell you when each one has passed. No deposit is due before the permit is issued.

Other towns we cover

From Quincy it’s a short drive east to roofing in Tallahassee and on down to roofing in Crawfordville, with the same crews and the same written price wherever you are.

Services in Quincy

• Roof replacementFull re-roofs in Tallahassee for older ranch and two-story homes, torn off to the deck, with the old plank or plywood sheathing checked board by board.
• Roof repairRepairs in Tallahassee for limb strikes, punctured shingles, leaking valleys full of oak leaves and the chimney flashing that older homes are known for.
• Hurricane damageTarping and storm inspections across Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties after hurricanes, tropical storms and the straight-line winds that bring oaks down.
• Insurance claim paperworkDated photos, a written damage report and an itemized repair price for a roof claim in Tallahassee. You and your insurer handle the claim itself.

Guides

• Why Low-Slope Porch Roofs Leak, and How to Fix ThemLow-slope porch roofs on older houses leak where the pitch is too flat for shingles or the porch meets the wall. Why, and which materials suit a flatter roof.

Questions from Quincy

• Can an old metal roof be repaired, or does it have to be replaced?

  Often it can be repaired. Loose and missing screws, worn washers and a few rusted laps are all fixable. If the panels are rusting through across most of the roof, or the wood they're fastened to has gone soft, we'll show you the photos and explain why replacement makes more sense.

• My house is in the historic district. Can I change the roof material?

  Sometimes, and it's worth checking before you choose. Before we price a change of material on a house in the historic district, we ask the city whether any review applies, and we tell you what we hear back.

• Do you work out in the county, away from town?

  Yes. We cover homes across Gadsden County, from the streets around the square out to farmhouses near the county line, at the same inspection and the same written price.