Naperville Roofing, Historic Core to South Side
A Riverwalk-area home and a 1998 build off 95th Street share almost nothing once the ladder goes up.
What each service runs into in Naperville
Roof Repair
In the Historic District, Naperville repair work is chimney and valley flashing on steep older roofs. Across the south-side subdivisions it shifts to valley detailing and garage-to-wall step flashing on multi-gable elevations, plus ice dam damage at the eaves after a winter thaw.
Bonus rooms over garages
That room has no conventional attic above it, so a ventilation deficiency there shows up as a leak or as ice at the eave long before the shingles are anywhere near worn out.
Valley volume on multi-gable elevations
The traditional elevations across the newer subdivisions push a lot of water into few valleys. Valley metal that was short-cut at installation is a recurring find on roofs barely halfway through their life.
Historic District chimneys
Near the Riverwalk, counterflashing has to be cut back into mortar that has been weathering since the 1890s. Surface-sealing it buys a season or two at most.
Commercial Roofing
Naperville commercial roofing centres on the Route 59 retail corridor and the office and corporate properties along Warrenville and Diehl Roads. These are multi-tenant buildings where a leak is a tenant relations problem as much as a building one.
Scheduling around occupancy
Access routing, staging, noise and odour from hot work all get discussed before the job starts so tenants and staff know what to expect and when.
Rooftop equipment traffic
On multi-tenant office buildings, HVAC technicians are on the roof several times a year. Walkway pads and a post-service check prevent most of the puncture damage.
Condition reports for budgeting
Property managers here run capital plans on documented condition. A dated report with photographs is more useful than a verbal assessment at the truck.
Subdivision roofs at replacement age
Residential and commercial roof work across Naperville, from historic homes near Downtown Naperville to the modern subdivisions south of the city. Call with the address and get a licensed, insured local roofer out to look at it. Naperville is large enough that the roofing conversation changes substantially depending on where in the city you are: a Historic District home near the Riverwalk and a 1998 build off 95th Street have almost nothing in common once you are on the roof.
The historic core near downtown and the Naperville Historic District carries 19th and early 20th century homes with steep pitches, cross gables, dormers and substantial masonry chimneys, where flashing detail and material sensitivity matter. Moving south and west, the city becomes a record of subdivision construction from the 1970s through the 2000s: two-story colonials, transitional and traditional elevations with multiple front-facing gables, projecting garages and a great deal of valley footage. Vaulted ceilings and bonus rooms over garages are common in the newer stock and complicate ventilation, because those assemblies have no conventional attic to ventilate. The large south-side subdivisions are now well into their first and second replacement cycles.
Services called in most here
What gets called in most around Cress Creek and Ashbury, roughly in the order it comes up.
Roof Replacement
The large south-side subdivisions are moving through first and second replacement in waves, so several homes on one street often get new roofs in the same season.
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Roof Repair
In the Historic District, Naperville repair work is chimney and valley flashing on steep older roofs.
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Storm Damage Roofing
DuPage County takes recurring high-wind thunderstorm complexes, and Naperville subdivision roofs show it at the ridges and rake edges first.
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Roof Inspection
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Commercial Roofing
Naperville commercial roofing centres on the Route 59 retail corridor and the office and corporate properties along Warrenville and Diehl Roads.
Learn moreStorms and what they take off these roofs
Naperville homeowners face harsh winter freeze-thaw cycles that push ice dams up under the eaves, as well as high-wind spring and summer thunderstorm complexes moving across DuPage County. That makes wind-resistant shingle installation and ice-and-water shield at the eaves worth asking about here. On the larger, valley-heavy roofs common in the newer subdivisions, ice accumulating in the valleys is a leading cause of winter leaks.
Roofing questions from Naperville
Specific to Cress Creek, Ashbury and the rest of DuPage County, with everything else on the FAQ page.
My home is in the Naperville Historic District. Are there rules about the roof?
There can be. Homes in a designated historic district are often subject to review when the visible exterior changes, and the roof is visible. A like-for-like repair usually is not an issue, but a change of material or colour might need approval. Check with the city before work starts, not after.
Why does the bonus room over my garage get so hot?
Bonus rooms over garages, common in the newer subdivisions, often have no conventional attic above them, so there is nowhere for air to move under the roof. Heat collects against the deck in summer and moisture in winter. Ventilating that kind of space takes planning, and the replacement is the moment to do it.
Do the big south-side houses really leak in the valleys in winter?
They are prone to it. The larger subdivision homes carry a lot of valley footage, and ice building up in a valley is a leading cause of winter leaks here. A valley with ice and water shield laid underneath it holds up far better. On a replacement, make sure the estimate says so.
Should an old chimney be repaired before a new roof goes on?
Yes. On the historic homes near downtown, a masonry chimney with loose brick or failing mortar should be repointed first, so the new counterflashing has sound joints to be cut into. Flashing a new roof against a crumbling chimney means doing the flashing twice.
Getting a roofer out
Call with the address and a licensed, insured roofer working Naperville takes it from there: inspection, photographs, then the price in writing. Who does the work.
Retail and office roofs nearby
Downtown Naperville mixed-use, the Route 59 retail corridor and the office and corporate properties along Warrenville Road and Diehl Road bring a substantial base of low-slope commercial roofing, including retail centers, restaurants and multi-tenant office buildings.
Nearby communities
Lisle, Woodridge, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Aurora. Each has its own page covering local housing stock.
From the Roofing Education Center
Get a roof looked at in Naperville
Tell us the address and what the roof is doing. From Cress Creek out to the rest of DuPage County, the call takes a minute and the estimate is free.