Roof repair in Alexandria.

Alexandria's roofs span more than two centuries. In Old Town, 18th- and 19th-century rowhouses still carry slate, wood shake and standing-seam metal on steep pitches, and leaks there tend to start where the roof meets a shared party wall, at a cracked or slipped slate, or at an old metal seam that has opened up. Those roofs reward repair over replacement, and the fix has to use the same material so it holds and stays true to the house.

Outside the historic core, Del Ray, Rosemont, North Ridge, Seminary Hill and the West End are mostly asphalt over craftsman bungalows, foursquares and mid-century and 1970s colonials. Mature street trees shade north slopes, feed algae and drop limbs in storms, and humid Potomac summers keep those shaded areas damp. We trace each leak to its real source, photograph what we find, and give you a written quote before anything is touched.

Alexandria is an independent city, so permits come from the City of Alexandria, not Fairfax or Arlington County. Small repairs generally don't need one; larger jobs that replace decking or a large share of the roof can, and we check and pull it when it's required. In the Old & Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray districts, a permit is required to replace more than 100 square feet of roofing, and street-visible exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Board of Architectural Review. We match materials and prepare that submission.

Storms account for much of our Alexandria repair work. The June 29, 2012 derecho pushed 60 to 80-plus mph straight-line winds through Northern Virginia, stripping shingles and dropping limbs across the city, and hail and microbursts return most summers. Wind, hail and fallen-limb damage is often covered by homeowners insurance, and we photograph and document every damaged area so your adjuster has a complete record.