Roof repair in Arlington Heights, IL

Roofs in Arlington Heights

The village grew in rings. Scarsdale and the blocks around downtown and the Arlington Heights Metra stop are 1920s–40s: bungalows, Tudors and Colonials with steep pitches, dormers, brick chimneys and, on a good number of them, a slate or cedar roof that has been replaced once with asphalt and is now on that roof's second layer. Pioneer Park, Stonegate, Northgate, Hasbrook and Greenbrier are the 1950s–60s ranches and split-levels — lower pitches, hip roofs, attached garages with the flat-roof section that leaks. North of Palatine Road, Ivy Hill, Surrey Ridge and Lake Arlington are 1970s–80s two-stories with big valleys and 3-tab shingles that have mostly been replaced once already.

Roof repair: Arlington Heights jobs split between the old and the newer stock. On the old side it is chimney flashing, dormer step flashing and ice dams behind the dormers. On the newer side it is hail, wind-lifted tabs and the flat sections.

The tear-down effect

Arlington Heights has a lot of tear-downs and gut rehabs, which means two things for roofs. The rehabbed houses have new, complicated roofs — multiple valleys, dormers, a cricket behind a wide chimney — where a small flashing mistake becomes a $2,000 interior repair. And the original houses next to them are often on a roof that has been deferred while the owner decides whether to sell. Either way, get an honest inspection: a roof with five years left is worth stating in a listing; a roof with none is worth $15,000–$30,000 in negotiation, and the inspection page explains how that works.

Ice dams behind dormers

The 1920s–40s houses in Scarsdale and around Recreation Park were built with no insulation and later stuffed with it, which closed the eaves. Now the dormer cheeks and the eave line behind them dam up every January. The roof-side fix is ice-and-water shield under new shingles at every eave and up both sides of each dormer; the attic side is opening the soffits and adding baffles. Get both quoted. Roof repair covers the ice dam work.

What to check on an older house here

• The chimney. Brick chimneys on the 1920s–40s houses often have flashing mortared into the joints and no cricket. Look for staining on the brick inside the attic.
• Dormer cheeks and step flashing. Every dormer is two walls of step flashing. Stains on a dormer's inside walls point there.
• Asphalt over old cedar. If shingles went over cedar shakes, the deck under them may be spaced boards. A good quote says whether new sheathing is needed.
• Ventilation. Attics packed with insulation and no baffles are why the dams form behind dormers.
• Fascia behind the gutters. Rot here is common on older houses and usually shows up once the old roof is off.

Slate and cedar upkeep

Slate and cedar need different care than asphalt. Walking on slate breaks it, so slate work is done from ladders and roof hooks by someone who knows the material. Cedar lasts longest with good airflow and clean valleys; moss and leaves left on it hold water and split the shakes. On either roof, ask what metal the new flashing will be, since flashing that wears out long before the roof means another tear-up later.

Mid-century ranches, Pioneer Park to Greenbrier

The 1950s–60s ranches and split-levels in the middle of the village are close to Schaumburg's housing stock: lower pitches, hip roofs and attached garages. The usual work is pipe boots ($300–$450), valley rebuilds ($800–$1,500) and the low-slope section over the garage. Many have had one replacement already, often a second layer nailed over the first. If yours has two, plan the next roof as a full tear-off.

Replacement in Arlington Heights

Tear-offs here are often bigger jobs than in Schaumburg: steeper roofs, more layers, more flashing, and on the old stock, plank decking that needs re-sheeting. A 1950s Pioneer Park ranch with 24 squares and two layers runs about $12,000–$17,000. A steep two-story in Ivy Hill with 35 squares, dormers and four valleys runs $20,000–$28,000. Slate and cedar repair is quoted separately; both can be repaired, and cedar can be replaced with cedar or with a synthetic shake where the owner wants the look without the maintenance. Roof replacement has what should be included.

Roofing contractors in Arlington Heights: what a good quote shows

Arlington Heights gets the same spring hail as Schaumburg — the cells cross Palatine Road as readily as Golf Road — and after any storm the north end streets get the same door-knockers. Whichever roofer you call, the quote should list the shingle line, layers to be removed, decking rate per sheet, ice-and-water coverage at the eaves and dormers, flashing and ventilation. Illinois licenses roofing contractors through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR); ask for the roofer's state license number and look it up on the IDFPR license search — it shows whether the license is active and any discipline. We only use roofers licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — ask for their state license number. Storm damage covers what to photograph and how claims work from the homeowner's side.

Lining up two estimates

Roofs in this village vary more from house to house than they do in Schaumburg, so two quotes can be far apart for good reasons. Put them side by side: squares measured, pitch, layers, decking, flashing at chimneys and dormers, ventilation and the permit. If one has more squares, ask how each roofer measured. If one leaves out the cricket or the dormer flashing, ask why. Ask the Village of Arlington Heights building department whether the job needs a permit before work starts.

Also nearby

Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Rolling Meadows and Des Plaines. Zip codes 60004, 60005 and 60006.