What a Full Tear-Off Looks Like in Lancaster
Replacing a roof on a narrow city street is as much a logistics problem as a roofing one. There is a car parked under the eave, a neighbor's porch four feet away, and one place to put a dumpster. Out in Manheim and East Hempfield there is room to work but a different problem: rooflines cut up with dormers and hips, and attics that were never vented properly to begin with.
This is roof replacement as our Lancaster, PA office does it — the same crew, the same number, the same written estimate before anything starts.
Every replacement is a full tear-off, and on a city block that means protection goes up before anything comes off. Plywood over the neighbor's porch roof, tarps down the shared wall, and a plan for where debris lands. Once the deck is open we walk it. Older Lancaster homes often have spaced board decking under the shingles, which has to be sheathed over before anything can be fastened to specification. Township homes usually have plywood or oriented strand board, with rot concentrated at valleys, chimneys and any spot that leaked for a season before anyone noticed it.
Ice-and-water membrane belongs at the eaves and up every valley, and on a rowhome it belongs along the shared wall too, because that junction takes meltwater from two directions. The remaining field is covered in synthetic underlayment. Anything under a two-in-twelve slope does not get shingles at all, so the rear ells and porch roofs common in the city take membrane instead, since shingles on a near-flat plane leak no matter how neatly they are laid. Ventilation gets balanced rather than added to: ridge exhaust without matching soffit intake pulls conditioned air out of the house and moisture into the sheathing.
The order never changes. Free consultation and itemized estimate, written proposal with a start date, tear-off, deck repair priced by the sheet so nothing appears as a surprise, installation, then a walkthrough with a magnet sweep of the sidewalk, the street and the flower beds. Cleanup happens each evening, not at the end of the week. Flexible financing is available. Two things we argue against: laying new shingles over old ones to save a day, and replacing a sound roof because one plane looks weathered from the ground. If the shingles still flex and hold their granules, keep your money.
Why Lancaster roofs are different
Winter here does not need a deep freeze to do damage. A clear day warms a south-facing plane enough to melt snow, and by evening the runoff has refrozen at a cold eave over an unheated porch, a cycle that repeats through most Lancaster County winters. The dense blocks between Penn Square and the Chestnut Hill district make it worse, since attics above brick party walls stay cold at the edges and warm in the middle. Out toward Lititz and Ephrata, wind takes over as the main problem.
- All Pro Home Improvement and Roofing
- Address: 210 W Grant St #411-C, Lancaster, PA 17603
- Phone: (717) 912-9051
- Hours: Open 24 hours, seven days a week
- Licensed & insured in Pennsylvania — #PA052821
- Serving: Lancaster and Lancaster County
Other roofing work we do in Lancaster
Roof Repair in Lancaster · Roof Installation in Lancaster · Metal Roofing in Lancaster
Roof Replacement in nearby markets
Roof Replacement in Exton · Roof Replacement in Allentown · Roof Replacement in Media · Roof Replacement in Carlisle
Read the full roof replacement service page for the technical detail that applies everywhere we work, or see everything we cover across Lancaster County.
Roof Replacement in Lancaster
Roof Replacement in Lancaster — common questions
Where does everything go on a narrow city street?
We sort that out before the start date rather than on the morning. Depending on the block, it means a dump trailer on the street with the city's permission or a trailer in the alley, plus plywood protection over a neighbor's porch roof and any shared entry. Tear-off debris is contained on tarps and moved as it comes off, so the sidewalk stays passable while the crew works above it.
Can shingles go on my rear porch or ell roof?
Only if the slope allows it. Below roughly two inches of rise per foot, shingles cannot shed water fast enough and will leak at the laps however neatly they are installed. Many of the rear additions on Lancaster homes fall under that line, which is why they get a membrane system instead. We measure actual pitch rather than eyeballing it, and the estimate states which system each section is getting.
Do I need to be home while my roof is replaced?
No, though someone should be reachable by phone. We need exterior access, a spot for material, and power in some cases. Expect noise and vibration through the house, so take pictures off the walls upstairs and move anything fragile stored in the attic, since dust and debris come through gaps in old plaster ceilings. Pets are usually happier somewhere else for the day.
What is spaced board decking and why does it matter?
Older Lancaster roofs were built with boards laid with gaps between them, sized for wood shakes rather than shingles. Shingle nails need continuous support, so a board deck has to be sheathed over before new material can be fastened to specification. It adds material and labor, and it is not optional. We tell you the moment the old surface comes off, and we show you the deck before covering it.
Do you replace roofs on shops, apartments and commercial buildings?
Yes. Mixed residential and commercial blocks in the city usually mean a steep front plane in shingle and a low-slope rear or main roof in membrane, and both are quoted in the same itemized estimate. Occupied buildings need staging and noise planned around tenants and business hours, which we work out in advance. Call (717) 912-9051 with the address and we will arrange a look.
Roof Replacement in Lancaster? Call (717) 912-9051.
Free, no-obligation estimates. Licensed & insured in PA, NJ, MD & DE.