Materials & roof types
Roof Types We Repair in Westchester
Asphalt shingle, natural slate, cedar shake, standing-seam metal, concrete tile and low-slope membrane — how each one fails in this climate, and what a repair that lasts actually involves.
Know what you're looking at
Six roof types, six different failure modes
Roofing advice that treats every roof the same is the reason so many repairs fail. An asphalt shingle roof fails when granules wear off and the mat dries out. A slate roof fails at the fasteners and flashing while the stone itself is still good for another century. Cedar fails from trapped moisture in shade. Flat roofs fail at seams and drains.
Knowing which failure you're looking at changes everything about the repair: the material, the access, the expected lifespan and the price. It also tells you when the honest answer is that the roof has reached its limit — and when it absolutely hasn't.
- Material-matched repairs, not approximations
- Salvage sourcing for slate and cedar
- Metal where metal belongs, membrane where membrane belongs
- Underlayment and ventilation addressed with the repair
"Match the material, rebuild the detail, and don't seal what should be flashed."
Our standard on every job
What we handle
Material by material
What each roof type needs, and how we approach repairing it.
01
Asphalt Shingle
The county's most common roof. We repair wind-lifted and creased shingles, replace blown-off sections color-matched to your existing field, and replace full roofs with architectural shingles rated for our freeze-thaw cycles.
02
Natural Slate
Slate fails at the flashing and fasteners long before the stone does. We replace broken courses, re-flash valleys and chimneys, and source salvaged Pennsylvania and Vermont slate to match.
03
Flat & Low-Slope
Porch roofs, additions and garages leak at seams and penetrations. We weld TPO, glue EPDM and torch modified bitumen, then correct the drainage that caused the problem.
04
Cedar Shake
Cedar needs air and slope. We replace split and cupped shakes, rebuild valleys, restore ventilation and treat for the moss and rot that Westchester's shaded lots invite.
05
Standing-Seam Metal
Metal roofs are repaired, not replaced, when the panels are sound. We re-secure fasteners, replace pan sections, and re-seal penetrations and gable trim.
06
Concrete & Clay Tile
Heavy tile roofs hide underlayment failures. We lift and reset tiles, replace cracked units, and renew the underlayment beneath without disturbing the field.
When to call
One symptom, several possible materials
Where a leak shows up rarely tells you which material failed. These clues do.
- Granules in the gutter — asphalt shingle wear
- Broken or slipped stone tiles with a dry interior — slate, not a leak yet
- Green moss and dark streaks on wood shakes — cedar moisture
- Ponding water visible on the roof surface — flat roof drainage
- Rust streaks below panels or at fasteners — metal roof detail failure
- Cracked, displaced tiles with visible underlayment — tile roof
- A leak only at a chimney or skylight — flashing, on any material
Why matching material matters on a repair
A repair that doesn't match the surrounding roof fails faster and looks wrong from the street. On asphalt roofs, that means matching profile, color and warranty line — shingles from a different manufacturer's lot can read as a patch years later.
On slate and cedar, matching is a sourcing problem. We keep relationships with salvage yards and mills so a repair on a 1920s Vermont slate roof uses the same size, thickness and color range, rather than a modern tile that happens to be rectangular.
What lasts in this climate
Westchester's cycle of wet winters, freeze-thaw springs and humid summers stresses different materials differently. Ice-and-water shield at the eaves is non-negotiable on any roof with a pitch under 4/12. Ventilation has to be balanced or the roof will form ice dams regardless of what's on top.
Our approach is the same on every material: correct the water path first, protect the assembly at the edges and penetrations, then install the visible layer. Where a homeowner wants to upgrade, we'll show the cost and lifespan difference honestly — including when staying with the existing material is the smarter call.
"Two other roofers told us we needed a full replacement. Westchester Roof Repair found the actual leak at the chimney flashing, fixed it in an afternoon, and we've had a dry ceiling all winter."
Dana R.
Scarsdale, NY · Chimney flashing repair
"They replaced a section of our slate roof with salvaged stone that matches the 1920s original. You cannot tell where the repair starts. The crew swept the driveway twice before leaving."
Michael P.
Bronxville, NY · Slate repair
"A nor'easter took shingles off at 11pm. They were out with tarps before morning and had the insurance photos ready before the adjuster called."
Alicia G.
Mamaroneck, NY · Storm damage
Where we work
All of Westchester County
From Yonkers to Yorktown, Sound Shore to the Rivertowns. If your town isn't listed, call — we probably cover it.
Southern Westchester
Yonkers · Mount Vernon · Pelham · Eastchester · Bronxville · Tuckahoe · New Rochelle · Mount Vernon Heights
Sound Shore
Larchmont · Mamaroneck · Rye · Rye Brook · Harrison · Port Chester · Scarsdale · White Plains
The Rivertowns
Tarrytown · Irvington · Dobbs Ferry · Hastings-on-Hudson · Ardsley · Sleepy Hollow · Ossining · Briarcliff Manor
Northern Westchester
Chappaqua · Armonk · Mount Kisco · Bedford · Katonah · Pleasantville · Somers · Yorktown Heights
Upper County
Croton-on-Hudson · Cortlandt Manor · Peekskill · Putnam Valley · Thornwood · Valhalla · Elmsford · Hartsdale
Common questions
Straight answers
What homeowners ask us before booking this work.
Can you repair slate and cedar without replacing the whole roof?
Usually, yes. Slate and cedar are designed to be maintained. We replace broken slates or shakes, re-flash the penetrations, and match material from salvage or mill runs. Keeping a 100-year slate roof alive is almost always cheaper and better than replacing it.
Do I actually need a new roof, or will a repair do?
In our experience, most failing roofs in Westchester are failing at one detail: flashing at a chimney, a valley, a skylight or a wall intersection. If the field of shingles or slate is sound, a repair is the better investment. If the deck is saturated or the underlayment has failed across the roof, we'll show you why a replacement is the only durable answer.
What causes ice dams on Westchester roofs?
Ice dams are a ventilation and insulation problem that shows up on the roof. Warm attic air melts snow, it refreezes at the cold eave, and water backs up under the shingles. Clearing the ice is temporary; correcting intake and exhaust ventilation and air sealing the ceiling plane is the fix, and we build that into repair and replacement work.
How much does roof repair cost in Westchester County?
Most targeted repairs fall between a few hundred dollars for a flashing or shingle repair and a few thousand for valley, chimney or flat-roof work that requires opening the roof. Full replacements are priced by square and system. We give a written, fixed price before any work starts, and the inspection itself is free.
Free roof inspection
Not sure what's on your roof? We'll identify it.
Free inspection anywhere in Westchester County — we'll tell you the material, its condition and what a repair on it actually involves.