East Dearborn's dense blocks of 1920s bungalows — many in the Fordson area — pack a century of roofing history into small lots. The housing stock here means specific roof problems: low-slope porch and addition roofs that pond water, flashing that's been patched over for decades, and tight lot lines that make access a craft of its own. We know these roofs and repair them right.
Compact brick and frame bungalows, often with enclosed porches and rear additions roofed at low slope — sometimes nearly flat. Many still carry their original steep main roofs with multiple past repair layers around chimneys and valleys. Detached garages off alleys add a second small roof to many properties, usually the most neglected one on the lot.
Low-slope ponding leaks. Cause: porch and addition roofs built at marginal pitch with shingles instead of membrane. Effect: water sits, finds nail holes and seams, and leaks into walls that are expensive to open up.
Layered-over flashing. Cause: decades of quick patches — new flashing over old, caulk over flashing. Effect: trapped moisture rots the decking underneath while the surface looks “repaired.”
Valley and penetration leaks on small complex roofs. Cause: lots of dormers, vents, and plane changes in a small area, all aging together. Effect: mystery stains that move with wind direction.
Low-slope sections get the right system — membrane or properly detailed low-slope shingles, never just more shingles on a ponding deck. We strip layered patches back to sound material instead of adding another layer, rebuild flashing at chimneys and valleys, and treat garage and alley-access roofs with the same care as the house. Tight lots don't faze us; we protect neighboring property and clean up like it matters — because it does.
We know 1920s East Dearborn construction inside and out.
Marginal-pitch sections repaired with the correct system.
We strip failed patches back to sound material.
Scope and price in writing before any work starts.
Photo-documented inspection. Written quote before work starts. The cheapest repair is the one you make now.
Call (313) 769-7896