Melrose crams more architectural complexity per block than most towns have in an entire neighborhood. The Queen Annes and Richardsonian Romanesques that line the older streets weren’t built for easy roofing — they were built for looks. Turrets, bay windows, decorative trim, intersecting gables, dormers stacked on dormers. Replacing a roof on one of these homes isn’t a weekend job with a nail gun.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ・ HEAR FROM OUR CLIENTS
5.0 Stars Across 150+ Reviews
A century-old home needs more than new shingles on top. Here’s what every Melrose replacement includes — the full system, from deck to ridge cap.
Most Melrose replacements fall between $12,000 and $30,000. The range is wide because this city’s homes are wildly different — a 1,200-square-foot bungalow with a simple gable is a different job than a three-story Queen Anne with a turret, six dormers, and intersecting valleys. Deck condition drives cost too. On Melrose’s oldest homes, we almost always find sheathing that needs replacing once the old roof comes off. We provide a detailed written estimate after inspecting the roof in person.
Everything above the gutters. Victorian-era homes in Melrose have original board sheathing instead of plywood, hand-framed rafters with irregular spacing, and rooflines that architects drew for curb appeal, not ease of construction. Turrets are round or polygonal — try running straight courses of shingles around those. Dormers meet valleys at odd angles. Decorative trim restricts flashing access. Every detail takes longer. We plan for it because rushing a Victorian roof is how mistakes get built in.
Melrose’s Victorians are ice dam magnets. Balloon-framed walls let warm air travel straight from living spaces into the attic through open wall cavities, driving up attic temperatures and melting snow unevenly. Add steep pitches with complex valleys where meltwater concentrates, and you get dams forming in the same spots every winter. We install ice & water shield at every eave, valley, rake, and penetration — well beyond code — and address ventilation with ridge vents, soffit intake, and baffles. A replacement is the best opportunity to fix the root cause.
Most homes take 1–2 days. Larger Victorians with steep multi-slope roofs, extensive sheathing damage, or turret details may take 2–3 days. Melrose’s tight lot spacing adds staging time — getting materials positioned and dumpsters placed without blocking shared driveways or crowding neighboring properties. You’ll have a realistic schedule before we start, and we stick to it.
CertainTeed Landmark and Landmark Pro architectural shingles. We hold CertainTeed’s Master Craftsman certification — their highest contractor level — which means we install to manufacturer spec on every project. That’s what qualifies for the strongest available warranties. The shingle is important, but on Melrose’s complex rooflines, installation precision is what determines whether the roof performs for 20 years or 30.
We photograph it, show you, and replace it before the new roof goes on. On Melrose homes, the most common damage is around chimneys that have been reflashed half a dozen times over a century, at eave lines where ice dams have been backing up water for decades, and in areas where bathroom fans vent into the attic instead of outside. Sheathing replacement is priced per sheet and only done when needed — we don’t replace good wood, and we don’t cover up bad wood.
Yes. The City of Melrose requires a building permit for roof replacement. We handle the application, schedule inspections, and make sure the work meets current code. You don’t need to deal with City Hall – we handle everything top to bottom.
