Roof Repair in Mount Airy, Philadelphia

Why do trees matter so much on Mount Airy roofs?

Branches and leaves collect in valleys and gutters, and a blocked valley holds water against the covering above it. After a storm, a limb can break a slate or bend the flashing at a chimney. Clearing the debris is often the cheapest step, and it shows whether anything has been pushed out of place.

Photograph the damage before the cleanup, and keep any broken pieces of slate. The insurer will ask for the photos, and a roofer can use the pieces when repairing the roof.

Which slate and shingle jobs are common on these blocks?

The older slate on stone houses is repaired slate by slate. The National Park Service recommends repairing historic slate rather than replacing it wherever possible, and non-ferrous nails are the right choice for resetting any slate.

Shingle roofs on the twins and larger houses are repaired at the valleys, along the edges and around the dormers, where wind and water do the most work. A roof that has been repaired many times may need a section replaced rather than another patch.

Are historic rules in play on every block?

No. Parts of Mount Airy are inside historic districts, and others are not. Where a district applies, the Philadelphia Historical Commission reviews roof work that can be seen from the street, and the status of each address decides what review is needed.

Confirm the status before the work is scoped. A roof that is hidden from the street is usually handled more simply, but the Commission makes that call for the property.

What does a storm do to a slate roof under big trees?

Storm wind is usually less damaging to slate than falling branches. A limb that lands on a slate roof can crack several pieces at once, dislodge the flashing around a chimney, or push a section of gutter from its brackets. The damage is often on the side of the roof the tree faced, so the inspection begins there.

Slate that has been cracked by a branch should be replaced individually where possible, and the nails checked. The National Park Service guidance favors repair over replacement for historic slate, and a roofer can match the replacement slate to the rest of the roof as closely as the stock allows.

Keep any salvaged slate from the storm damage. A roofer can reuse sound pieces, and the rest give the historic-review staff a sample of the original material if a review is needed.