We install new roofs on houses and commercial buildings across Madison and repair the ones worth keeping. Asphalt shingle, standing seam metal, low-slope and flat roofing systems: we put them on and we take the old ones off. The median Madison home was built in 1979, so a good share of what we tear off is already the second or third layer over the original deck. Before we quote a replacement we look at that deck, because a new roof over rotten wood is not a new roof.
Most leaks start at the flashing, not out in the open field of shingles. Chimneys, valleys, skylights, and the line where a roof runs into a wall are where water gets in first, and where a hurried installation shows soonest. Those joints get our attention on every job, whether it is a metal roof installation on a new addition or a full replacement on a house that has already been patched twice. We take the same jobs in Middleton. Call for a free estimate on repair or replacement.
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Most repair calls start with a stain on a ceiling. We trace the water back to where it got in, which is usually not where it shows. Common culprits: lifted shingles, a cracked rubber pipe boot, rusted step flashing along a sidewall, or a nail head that backed out. We replace the failed piece, seal it, and check the surrounding courses so the same leak does not return with the next hard rain.
A proper inspection means walking the roof, not judging it from the driveway. We check shingle wear, granule loss, exposed nails, flashing at chimneys and skylights, valley condition, and the boots around every vent pipe. In the attic we look for daylight, staining, and wet insulation. We photograph what we find and go through it with you, so you know whether you are looking at a repair or a replacement.
Replacement starts with tearing the old roof down to the deck. On homes built around 1979, the median here, we often find a second layer of shingles or soft sheathing that has to come off before anything new goes on. We replace bad decking, lay ice and water shield in the valleys and along the eaves, run synthetic underlayment, set new drip edge and flashing, then shingle. Old materials go in our dumpster, not your yard.
New roof installation on an addition, garage, or new build skips the tear-off, but the layers are the same: deck, underlayment, flashing, then the finished surface. For metal roof installation we use standing seam panels with concealed fasteners, which keeps screw heads out of the weather. Flat sections get a fully adhered membrane. Every seam, penetration, and edge gets its own flashing detail, because that is where roofing systems actually fail.
A roof holds up because of how it is put together, not because of a piece of paper. So we start there. Flashing gets cut and set at every wall, chimney and valley, the underlayment runs under the metal or the shingles without gaps, and the fasteners go where the manufacturer says they go. Every new roof installation is permitted through the City of Madison and inspected before we call it finished.
Whatever we agree to on your job, we put in writing before the first shingle comes off, and you read it before you sign. We also keep a record of what went on the roof: which materials, which fasteners, which day. Half the homes around Madison went up before 1979, and a roof that age has usually seen other hands. If water shows up later, call us. We start at the flashing, since that is where most leaks begin, and say what we find.
Most of the roofs we install in Madison are architectural asphalt shingle, standing seam metal, or a single-ply membrane on flat and low-slope sections. The median home here was built in 1979, so much of our new roof installation work is a full tear-off rather than a first roof. We pull the old material off, check the sheathing, and start clean. Metal roof installation suits a steep residential roof that the owner does not want to think about again, and it is the standard answer on most of the commercial buildings we see.
The material matters less than what goes under it and around it. Water gets in at flashing, valleys, chimneys and skylights far more often than through the field of the roof, so we cut and fit new flashing on every installation rather than reusing what was there. Ice and water membrane goes at the eaves and in the valleys, synthetic underlayment over the rest. On flat roofs the seams and the drains decide performance. A roofing system built this way needs little maintenance beyond a look after a hard storm, whether the house is in Madison or Middleton.
Two roofs with the same square footage can come in far apart, and the reason is usually already on the roof or in the yard around it. Walk the property with the list below before you take bids. Most of it you can check from the driveway or the attic hatch. A house built around 1979, the median in Madison, has often had one replacement already, which is where the first row starts.
| What changes the price | Which way | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Layers already on the roof | costs more | Two layers of shingles mean twice the tear-off, twice the disposal, and a closer look at the decking underneath. Count them at the eave edge. |
| Decking that has to be replaced | costs more | Soft or delaminated plywood under old leaks comes out before anything goes on. Push on the sheathing from the attic. If it gives, plan on new panels. |
| Pitch and number of stories | costs more | Steep slopes and second-story eaves slow every step and need more staging. A walkable ranch goes faster than a two-story with a 10/12 pitch. |
| Truck and dumpster access | costs less | A driveway the dump trailer can back up to keeps materials moving. Tight lots, long carries, and shared drives add labor hours. |
| Penetrations and valleys | costs more | Every vent, chimney, skylight, and valley gets new flashing cut and fitted. A plain gable with a couple of vents needs far less. |
| Low-slope sections and eaves | costs more | Flat porch roofs, valleys, and eave runs get ice and water membrane instead of felt. More of those areas, more membrane. |
| Metal roof installation instead of shingle | costs more | Standing seam panels are cut to length on site and need more trim and clip work than a shingle installation on the same roof. |
| Gutters and downspouts that need work | costs more | Sagging gutters or undersized downspouts get corrected with the new roof, or the new roof sheds water straight onto the fascia. |
Compare bids line by line, not by the total. Each one should state how many layers come off, what the decking replacement is figured on, where membrane goes, which flashing is new and which is reused, and how the panels or shingles are fastened. A bid that skips those lines is guessing, and the guess usually shows up as an extra later.
Yes, when there is only one layer up there and it is lying flat. We walk the roof first and check for soft decking, curled tabs, and rot around the edges. Two existing layers means a tear-off, no exceptions, because the framing was never meant to carry that weight. An overlay also hides whatever is wrong underneath. If we find water damage or a bad deck, we will tell you plainly and price a full replacement instead.
Yes, on flat and low-slope roofs, as long as the old insulation is dry. We cut test cores before anything else. Wet board gets removed, because covering it traps water against the deck and the new membrane fails early. Dry board stays, and we add rigid insulation on top, then a new roofing system over that. Cover board goes between the layers where the roof needs a firmer surface for foot traffic and performance.
Yes. This is called a recover, and it works on a lot of commercial buildings in Madison and out toward Middleton. The existing membrane has to be dry, well attached, and sitting on a sound deck. We check all three before quoting. Flashing at curbs, drains, and parapets gets rebuilt rather than layered over. A recover saves the tear-off and keeps the building open. When the old roof is soaked or the deck is rusted, replacement is the honest answer.
Longer than most people expect, and shorter than most people hope. Shade, moss, and poor attic ventilation shorten a wood roof by years. Sun, airflow, and regular cleaning stretch it out. Thick hand-split shakes outlast thin sawn shingles. Look at the ridge and the north slope: cupping, splitting, and loose keyways show up there first. When repairs turn into a yearly habit, the roof is telling you replacement is close.
Most roof damage is invisible from the yard. Lifted shingles, cracked pipe boots, open flashing at the chimney, and nail pops all hide until water shows up on a ceiling. The median home around here was built in 1979, so plenty of roofs are on their second or third covering with old flashing underneath. We get on the roof, check the attic for stains, and give you photos of whatever we find.
We do. Curb-mounted units on flat and metal roofs, tied into the membrane or the panel system with proper flashing and counterflashing. Most leaks people blame on skylights are actually flashing failures, so that is where we spend our time. We install new skylights during a roof installation or replacement, and we replace units on existing roofs. Bring us the building drawings if you have them and we will look at the structural layout before cutting.
