Ten Lakes Roofing

Roofing contractors in the Twin Cities

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 — fatigued by the annual swing Point 2 — the field of the roof 2 The field — snow load and age Point 3 — valleys 3 Meltwater runs under the snowpack 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 ice dams 6 Eaves — ice builds where attic heat escapes

The work

Why roofs fail in this region

The metro built out in waves, so whole plats reach the end of a first roof within a season or two of each other. Sixty degrees of annual temperature range works every fastener loose, escaping attic heat turns February snowmelt into standing water at the eaves, and the whole job has to happen inside a five-month season. Most of what gets reported here is predictable.

Cities