Roof materials around Baltimore
What homes here actually have, what fails first, and what we repair.
Why the material matters
When someone texts me about a leak, the first thing I want to know is what kind of roof it is. Fixing slate is a different job than fixing a flat rowhome roof, and the wrong fix causes more leaks than it stops.
I've worked on Baltimore roofs for 24+ years, thousands of homes over my career, and I'm licensed and insured, MHIC #154344. I've seen pretty much every material this area has. Here's what's common, what fails first, and how I usually repair it. For how long each one lasts, see the roof lifespan chart. For the names of the parts I mention, like flashing, valleys and pipe boots, see Parts of a Roof.
Materials I work on
Asphalt shingles
The most common sloped roof in Baltimore County, and on plenty of city homes. Wind lifts and tears tabs along the ridge and edges, and valleys wear out first. Grit piling up in the gutters means the shingles are wearing. Repairs usually mean replacing missing or damaged shingles and fixing the flashing and pipe boots, which is where a lot of leaks really start. See shingle replacement.
Flat and low-slope roofs
Rubber (EPDM), torch-down (modified bitumen) and coated roofs are all over the city on rowhomes, and on porch roofs and additions everywhere. You usually can't see them from the street, so problems go unnoticed until a ceiling stains. Weak spots are the seams, the drains and scuppers, and where the roof turns up the parapet wall. Repairs mean sealing where water gets in with material that matches that roof, and redoing the flashing at walls and chimneys.
Metal and copper
Standing seam metal and copper show up on porch roofs and bay windows, and as valleys, flashing and gutters on older homes. Metal rarely fails across a whole panel. Trouble shows up at the seams, the fasteners, and where the roof meets a wall or chimney. These are worth repairing right, not smearing tar over, which just hides the problem.
Slate
Real stone, common on older homes in Roland Park, Homeland, Guilford and Bolton Hill. The slate itself lasts a very long time. What fails is single pieces cracked by freeze-thaw or a falling branch, old nails that rust through, and the flashing. Repairs mean replacing broken or slipped slates one at a time and redoing worn flashing. When the slate is still sound, repair beats replacement. Please don't walk on it. It breaks underfoot.
Wood shake and clay tile
Rare here. Shake is on a few older homes, and clay tile on some historic city houses, like in Mount Vernon. Both are brittle to work on. I repair them when it's the right call and say so when it isn't.
Rowhomes and older houses
A lot of Baltimore rowhomes have a flat or low-slope roof in back, sometimes with a short sloped section in front. The parapet and the flashing where your roof meets your neighbor's are common leak spots.
Older detached houses often mix materials: a slate main roof, a copper porch roof, and a flat roof over an addition. Each section gets repaired the way that material needs. Chimneys on older houses are a common leak source no matter what the roof is made of. See chimney flashing repair and roof flashing repair.
Choosing a material
For most repairs I match what's already there. For a full replacement, slope, budget, neighborhood rules and how long you plan to stay all matter. A roof that's too flat for shingles needs a flat roof material, no matter what it looks like from the street.
Start with do I need a new roof or just repairs. If you're not sure what's on your house, see what kind of roof do I have.
Roof material questions
What kind of roof do most Baltimore homes have?
Sloped houses in Baltimore County mostly have asphalt shingles. City rowhomes mostly have flat roofs, like rubber, torch-down or a coated roof. Older homes in neighborhoods like Roland Park often have slate.
Which roof material lasts the longest?
Slate can last 75 to 100 years or more and copper 60 years and up, with the flashing redone along the way. Asphalt shingles usually last 15 to 30 years, depending on the type.
Can a slate roof be repaired instead of replaced?
Usually, yes. If the slate is still sound, I replace the broken or slipped pieces and redo the worn flashing.
Why does my flat roof keep leaking?
On a flat roof the leak is almost always at a seam, a drain or where the roof meets a wall, and the water can travel before it shows on the ceiling. Fixing the spot where it gets in matters more than the age of the roof.
How do I find out what kind of roof I have?
Text a clear picture of your roof and your address to 443-900-4815, and I'll tell you what I'm looking at.
Not sure what you have?
Text a clear picture to 443-900-4815. I'll tell you what I'm looking at.
I'm often up on a roof, so a text usually reaches me fastest, but call anytime.
