Asphalt shingles in Kingstowne.

Most Kingstowne homes went up from 1990 into the early 2000s, and at a 25-to-30-year lifespan, a large share of their original asphalt roofs are now due. Architectural shingles are the natural replacement: they keep the look each section was designed around, they come in colors associations are used to reviewing, and they cost far less than metal on a townhouse or a typical single-family home. For most owners here, they are simply the sensible roof.

A replacement with us starts with a full tear-off down to the deck, so we can find and replace soft or rotted sheathing instead of covering it. We then install ice and water shield at eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment, new drip edge, flashing and ridge ventilation, and the shingles themselves as a matched GAF or CertainTeed system. On townhouses, we take extra care where your roof meets your neighbor's so that transition stays watertight.

Kingstowne is an unincorporated part of Fairfax County, and the county doesn't require a permit for a shingle replacement, so there's no town office or permit wait to plan around. We find out what your section's HOA allows before we order shingles. Association rules vary from section to section within the Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation, so we bring shingle samples and help you submit the color and product your section allows. Re-decking is the one exception: replacing more than 256 square feet of roof sheathing does need a Fairfax County permit, and we pull it whenever a job calls for that much new decking.

Shingles here have to handle summer wind gusts, hail and limbs from wooded common areas, plus winter freeze-thaw. We nail to the manufacturer's high-wind pattern, line every valley with ice and water shield, and balance ridge and soffit venting so attic heat doesn't bake the shingles from below. Then we clean the gutters and walk the finished roof with you.