Roofing in Fraser, MI
Fraser is where our shop is. The trucks leave from 31097 Fraser Dr every morning, which means a Fraser roof gets looked at sooner and is easier to come back to if anything needs a second visit after the job.
Most of the housing here went up between the mid-1950s and the early 1970s: single-storey ranches and modest colonials on regular lots, with straightforward gable roofs and shallow overhangs. That matters more than it sounds. A simple roof is cheaper to replace than a cut-up one, but it also means the few details it does have carry all the risk.
Our roofing work
Jobs completed across Macomb and Oakland counties. At the inspection we can usually point you at something within a few streets.
What a Fraser roof of this age is usually hiding
Almost every original roof in Fraser has been covered at least once already. What we find when the shingles come off follows a pattern here:
- Board decking rather than sheet — houses of this era were often decked in 1×6 boards with gaps between them. It holds up fine, but it changes how the new roof is fastened and it is worth knowing before anyone quotes a number.
- No ice barrier at the eaves — self-adhering membrane was not standard practice when these roofs were first built. On a house that has had ice at the eave for decades, that is usually where the deck has gone soft.
- Shallow soffits with little or no intake — the overhangs are narrow, so there is not much room for intake ventilation. Adding exhaust at the ridge without fixing intake makes the attic worse, not better.
- A second layer — common on Fraser houses that were re-roofed in the 1990s. It doubles the tear-off and the disposal, and it is the single biggest reason two quotes differ.
Repair or replace on a simple roof
On a plain gable roof with one bad slope, a repair is often genuinely the right call, and we will say so even though the smaller job is worth less to us. Simple roofs are the easiest ones to repair honestly, because there are few places for water to be coming from.
What pushes a Fraser roof over into replacement is age plus evidence: granules collecting in the gutters, shingles curling across a whole plane at once, or decking that gives underfoot. If it is one specific leak, our roof repair page explains how we trace it back to where water is actually getting in.
Ice at the eaves is the local problem
Fraser sits on flat ground with far less tree cover than the Oakland County communities, so branch impact is rare here. The recurring problem is ice. Narrow overhangs, an attic that was never ventilated properly, and forty years of freeze and thaw put the damage in the same place on house after house: the first three feet above the gutter.
We inspect and photograph everything after a storm or an ice event and give you an itemised scope you can hand to an adjuster. What the carrier decides is between you and them. What we control is that the documentation is thorough, and there is more on our storm damage page.
The roof is only the top of the water path
On a house with shallow overhangs, what happens at the roof edge decides whether the fascia and the wall below it stay dry. We quote the whole path rather than the shingles alone.
- Seamless gutters — sized from the roof area that actually drains into each run
- Leaf protection — worth it or not depending on what is over your roof
- Exterior drainage — where the downspout puts the water once it is down
- Siding and trim — the wall the roof edge is there to protect
Roofing questions from Fraser homeowners
Usually layers. A lot of Fraser houses were re-roofed once in the 1990s and some of those jobs went over the original rather than tearing it off. A second layer means twice the tear-off and twice the disposal, and that difference is real rather than a sales tactic. The written scope should say how many layers are being removed.My neighbour and I have the same house. Why are our quotes different?
Not usually. Board decking that is sound does not need to come off. Where it has gone soft, normally at the eaves under old ice damage, those boards get replaced. It is priced per sheet or per board in the scope before we start, not decided on the day with the roof open.Do I need to replace the board decking?
Often yes, but only if there is intake to match it. The overhangs here are narrow and many have little or no soffit venting. Adding exhaust without intake pulls air from inside the house instead of outside, which makes condensation worse. We check both at the estimate.Can you add ridge vent to a Fraser ranch?
Yes, and the licensed contractor pulls it, not you. That is standard in Macomb County municipalities. A contractor who suggests skipping the permit is telling you something about how the rest of the job will go.Do I need a permit, and who pulls it?
Serving Fraser and nearby
Our shop is at 31097 Fraser Dr in Fraser, and Fraser is on the regular run rather than a trip we schedule around.
The full list is on our service area page.
Book a roof inspection in Fraser
Every estimate starts on site and includes the attic, because half of what decides a roof is above the ceiling rather than on the shingles. You get a written, itemised scope and there is no charge for the visit.
Request a free inspection or call (586) 533-8343.
