Fall check
One look at the roof and attic before the snow, in writing.
- Roof and attic check, Sept. 15 – Nov. 15
- Photo report by text or email
- A short list of what to fix first
- Term:
- Billed once a year
Roofing and ice-dam steaming
Roofs for the snow belt
New roofs built to shed lake-effect snow, and a steam crew on call when an ice dam sends water into the house.
Why ice dams form
Heat in the attic, ice at the eave
An ice dam is a heating problem that shows up on the roof. It happens in four steps, in this order.
- 01
Heat leaks into the attic
Warm air slips up around lights, hatches, chimneys and the tops of walls, and warms the roof deck.
- 02
Snow melts from underneath
The roof is warm where the house leaks and cold at the overhang, so the snow melts high up.
- 03
Water refreezes at the eave
The meltwater runs down to the cold edge and freezes into a ridge of ice that grows with each cycle.
- 04
The pool backs up under the shingles
Water that can't drain finds the nail holes and laps, and turns up as a stain on the ceiling or inside a wall.
Air sealing and ventilation
The fix starts in the attic
Steaming clears the ice you have. A sealed, insulated and ventilated attic stops the next one.
Seal the leaks
Gaps around recessed lights, the attic hatch, plumbing stacks and wall tops let house heat in. We find them first.
Insulate over the seal
Insulation slows heat but doesn't stop moving air. Seal, then add depth. We'll write down what to ask an insulation crew for.
Let the roof breathe
Cold air in at the soffits and out along the ridge, with baffles that keep insulation off the vents. The roof side is ours.
Winter plan
A look before the snow, a crew when it counts
Three yearly plans. Each starts with a roof and attic check in the fall. They differ in what comes after.
Winter plan
Most chosenThe fall check, clear eaves, and a place near the front of the steaming list.
- Everything in the fall check
- Eaves, valleys and gutters cleared before the snow
- A place near the front of the steaming list
- Steaming itself, billed by the hour on a ticket
- Term:
- Billed once a year
Winter plan with attic check
The winter plan, plus a walk through the attic for air leaks.
- Everything in the winter plan
- Attic air-leak check with a written list of gaps
- What each gap would take to seal, in writing
- The sealing and insulation work itself
- Term:
- Billed once a year
A plan is a service agreement. It is not insurance and not a roof warranty. Steaming is billed by the hour on a written ticket; a plan moves you up the call list, it does not pay for the work. Billed once a year. To cancel, call or write before your renewal date and you are not charged again.
Re-roofing
A roof built to shed snow
Three kinds of roof we replace most. Each one is built for snow first.
Asphalt shingles, with an ice barrier
A self-sealing membrane runs along every eave and up past the warm wall line, with underlayment above it. Soffit intake and ridge exhaust go in on the same job.
Ice barrier at eaves and valleys
Soffit intake and ridge exhaust
Drip edge and sealed flashing
Standing-seam metal, with snow guards
Metal sheds snow in a rush. Guards hold it back over doors and walkways, so it comes off in pieces and not in slabs.
Guards above doors and walks
Clip-fastened panels that can move
Closed ridge, vented below
Flat and low-slope sections
Porch roofs, dormers and additions hold snow the longest. We replace them with a seamed membrane and a slope to the drain, not another patch.
Sloped to drain
Seams checked before we leave
Flashing carried up the wall
The crew
Who answers the phone, and who comes to the house
Four people you'll deal with from the estimate to the last ridge cap.
Bozena Sokolowski
Owner and estimator
Walks every roof before she writes the estimate, and answers for what's in it.
Orville Hylton
Steam and ice-dam crew lead
Runs the steamer from November to March. Works from ladders and anchors, and never on iced shingles without a tie-off.
Myrlande Desir
Office and winter on-call line
Answers the winter line, builds the steaming list and sends the photo reports.
Anil Bissessar
Re-roof foreman
Runs tear-off and install days, and walks you through the vents before the ridge closes.
Where we work
Syracuse and the snow-belt towns
Onondaga County, the lake-effect towns to the north and the hills to the south.
Onondaga County
- Syracuse
- DeWitt
- Camillus
- Liverpool
- Baldwinsville
- Cicero
- Clay
- Manlius
- Fayetteville
- Jamesville
- Solvay
- Geddes
- Skaneateles
- Marcellus
- Tully
Oswego County
- Fulton
- Central Square
Madison County
- Cazenovia
We don't take roofs in Cayuga or Oneida counties, or north of Fulton.
ZIP codes: 13202, 13203, 13204, 13205, 13206, 13207, 13208, 13210, 13219, 13224, 13066, 13031, 13090, 13027
Sample reviews
What neighbors say
“The icicles were a foot long on the north side and water was coming through the dining room ceiling. They steamed it open in an afternoon, and in the fall they showed me where the attic was leaking heat.”
Pasquale T.Homeowner, Eastwood
“I joined the winter plan after my second dam. They came in October, cleared the gutters and sent photos of the attic. In February I called and a person picked up.”
Kerlande G.Homeowner, Strathmore
“The new roof went on in November. They laid the ice barrier up past the wall line and showed me the vents before they closed the ridge.”
Weiming X.Two-family owner, Westcott
Sample reviews.
Get in touch
Ask for an estimate or a steaming visit
Tell us what's happening on the roof. Orville or Bozena reads the form each business morning. If water is coming in now, call.
Phone(315) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed
- Winter on-call line, Nov. 15 – Mar. 31
- 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. every day