Leaks traced from the attic, slate repaired before anyone talks about tearing it off, and every estimate written against your municipality's permit rules.
Lower Merion Elite Roofing has spent more than 20 years on roofing in Lower Merion, PA, repairing leaks, restoring slate, replacing worn shingle roofs and installing gutters on houses across the township and the Main Line. We also handle flat roofs, metal roofing, chimney flashing, storm damage and commercial roofs, from a single torn shingle to a full tear-off down to the decking.
The way we work is built around two promises. When a roof leaks, we look in the attic as well as on the roof, so we find where the water actually gets in before we price anything. And when a roof can be repaired, we say so plainly before replacement is ever on the table.
Every estimate is written against the permit rules of the municipality the house sits in, not a generic checklist. That matters here, because Lower Merion Township, the Borough of Narberth and the City of Philadelphia each set their own re-roofing rules, and a scope that ignores them is a scope that changes after the old roof is already off.
What we do
Roof repair, replacement and slate work for Lower Merion and the Main Line
Shingle, slate, flashing and flat roof repairs that fix the actual failure, with an honest answer on repair versus replacement.
Roof and attic inspections with a written, photographed report you can take to a buyer, an insurer or a second contractor.
Full roof replacements with new flashing, ventilation and decking where needed, permitted and itemized line by line.
Leak tracing from the attic up, then a repair to the exact flashing, boot, valley or seam where water is getting in.
Seamless aluminum, copper half-round and box gutter work, sized to the roof and pitched so water reaches the downspouts.
Standing seam metal roofs for whole houses, porch roofs, bays and low-slope additions, plus repairs to existing metal roofs.
Low-slope and steep commercial roofs repaired and replaced: TPO, EPDM, PVC, modified bitumen, slate and shingles.
Tarping, temporary patches and fast permanent repairs when a storm, a fallen limb or a sudden leak opens up your roof.
Repairs to flat and low-slope roofs on additions, porches, garages and rowhouses, from split seams to failed wall flashing.
Wind, hail and fallen-limb roof damage documented for your claim, secured fast and repaired properly once the adjuster has seen it.
Step flashing, counter flashing cut into the mortar, crickets and copper chimney work that stop leaks rather than caulking over them.
Slate repaired slate by slate with copper nails and hooks, plus copper valleys, flashing and half-round gutters restored.
Our crews have been repairing and replacing roofs for more than two decades, long enough to have worked on original prewar slate, on postwar shingle ranches and on the flat rear additions that sit behind many Main Line houses. That range is why a leak call here starts with a question about how the house was built, not with a sales sheet.
Every leak call includes a trip into the attic before a ladder goes up the front, because water runs along rafters and decking for several feet before it shows on a ceiling. Tracing it to the real entry point means you pay for the flashing or boot that failed rather than for shingles patched where the stain happened to appear.
No replacement quote goes out until we have told you, in plain terms, whether the existing roof can be repaired and for roughly how long that repair should hold. A sound slate roof with a few broken pieces or a shingle roof with one failed valley does not need a new roof, so you are not sold one.
Lower Merion requires a roof permit addendum with every roofing permit: no more than two layers of shingles, and no new roof over slate, clay or cement tile, wood shake or asbestos-cement. We read your roof against that rule on the first visit, so the estimate says up front whether a tear-off is required instead of discovering it mid-job.
Before any roof work is scheduled on a house in one of Lower Merion’s seven local historic districts, we confirm whether it needs Historical Architectural Review Board review, because Chapter 88 treats a roof replacement there as an alteration. That keeps a job from starting without its Certificate of Appropriateness and stalling halfway.
Tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing, ventilation and gutters each get their own line in our written scope, so a second estimate can be laid beside ours and compared item by item. A one-line lump sum hides exactly the places where a cheaper bid usually cuts corners.
Not every wet ceiling is a roof leak. A bathroom supply line, an air-conditioning condensate pan or frost melting off the underside of the decking in a poorly vented attic can all leave a stain that looks the same from below. We check the attic with a light and moisture meter, look at the timing of the stain against rain and cold, and tell you which problem you have before anyone opens up a roof.
A ring that grows after each storm is water following the path of least resistance, often from a nail pop, a cracked pipe boot or a lifted shingle some distance uphill of the stain. We trace it from inside the attic first and mark the source on the roof deck. Then we repair the actual entry point and tell you whether the stained drywall has dried enough to paint.
Penetrations are where most roofs leak first. Chimneys rely on step flashing woven into the shingles and counter flashing set into a reglet in the masonry, plumbing vents rely on rubber or lead boots, and skylights rely on their own flashing kits. We replace the failed piece with the correct flashing rather than smearing roofing cement over it, which only buys a season.
Shingles torn off in a gust usually fail where the sealant strip never bonded or where nails were driven high above the manufacturer’s nailing line. We replace the missing pieces with matching shingles, hand-seal the surrounding tabs and check the rest of the slope for creased shingles that will be next to go. If the damage is spread across the roof, we document it for your insurance claim.
Ice dams form when attic heat melts snow on the upper roof and the water refreezes at the cold overhang, backing up under the shingles. The lasting fix is an ice barrier membrane at the eaves, as IRC R905.1.2 calls for, plus enough insulation and ventilation to keep the roof deck cold. We address both rather than chipping ice and leaving the cause in place.
Water that runs behind a gutter instead of into it rots the fascia board and the ends of the rafters, and it often shows up as a stain on a soffit or exterior wall. The usual cause is missing drip edge or a gutter hung too low. We install drip edge at the eaves, reset the gutter at the right height and pitch, and replace any rotted fascia we find.
A roof with isolated failures, such as one bad valley, a cracked boot or a stretch of wind damage, is usually a repair. A roof losing granules across every slope, curling at the edges or leaking in several unrelated places has reached the end of its life. We show you photos of what we found and give you the repair price first, then explain what replacement would buy you.
An injured worker’s first recourse is normally the contractor’s workers’ compensation coverage, and Pennsylvania’s home improvement law requires a registered contractor to carry liability insurance. OSHA requires fall protection for residential roofing work at 6 feet and above. We hand you our certificates of insurance before the job, which is the simplest way to keep a fall on your roof from becoming your problem.
Yes, Lower Merion Township requires a building permit to replace a roof, and the township’s online portal lists the roofing addendum as required for every roofing application. We file the permit and the addendum, place the permit where the inspector can see it, and arrange the separate township dumpster permit when the container sits on the street. The permit fee is a line on your estimate, not a surprise.
The addendum caps a shingle roof at two layers and bars a new roof over wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. That reflects the reroofing rules in IRC R908 as adopted in Pennsylvania. If your house already carries two layers, or has slate under the shingles, we price the full tear-off from the start so the scope does not change after the first bundle comes off.
Inside the township’s local historic districts, including Gladwyne, Mill Creek, Haverford Station and English Village, Chapter 88 counts a roof replacement as an alteration. That means the Historical Architectural Review Board reviews the work and a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed before the roof permit moves forward. We check the address against the district maps first, then build the review time into the schedule.
Outside Lower Merion the rule depends on the municipality. Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code exempts ordinary repairs, but each township and borough decides how it handles a re-roof, so the Borough of Narberth issues its own roofing permit with contractor registration, and Philadelphia uses L&I’s EZ re-roofing permit. We check the rule for your exact address before we price the job.
A tear-off starts with the permit, the dumpster and tarps over plantings and air-conditioning units. The crew strips the old roofing down to the decking, replaces damaged sheathing, then installs drip edge, ice barrier, synthetic underlayment, flashing, shingles and ridge vent in that order. Each day ends with the gutters cleaned and a magnet sweep of the driveway and lawn, and the job ends with the permit inspection.
Many Main Line houses built before the war still carry their original slate, copper valleys, built-in box gutters and decorative ridge details. Those details were made to last a century, and they often outlive the shingle roofs added beside them on later wings. We repair and match the originals where they are sound rather than simplifying them during a re-roof.
Steep Tudor and colonial roofs with several dormers multiply the flashing work, because every dormer cheek, valley and chimney is a place two planes meet. These roofs need roof jacks and harnesses rather than walk-on work, and old chimneys usually need new step and counter flashing cut into the mortar joints. We price that labor honestly rather than treating a steep roof like a ranch.
On a twin, one owner can replace their half while the neighbor’s side stays as it is, but the seam at the party wall has to be detailed so water cannot get under either roof. We plan the tie-in with the neighbor’s roof in mind, talk to the neighbor before the dumpster arrives, and flash the transition so the two halves shed water as one.
A shingle color that looks right on a sample board can fight with fieldstone or red brick once it covers a whole roof. We bring full-size samples, look at them against the house in daylight, and suggest blends that pick up the mortar or the stone rather than competing with it. On a twin, matching the neighbor’s color is often the better choice.
A vented attic works like a chimney: cool air comes in at the soffits and warm, moist air leaves at the ridge. Many older houses have ridge vents with no soffit intake, which does almost nothing. We calculate the net free area the attic needs, open or add soffit intake, and balance it against the ridge vent so the decking stays dry and the shingles are not baked.
A roof under solar panels has to be replaced around the array, which means the panels come off, the roof goes on, and the panels go back on new flashed mounts. We schedule the solar removal and reinstall as part of the job from the first conversation, so the roof is not torn off while you are still waiting for an electrician.
Pennsylvania’s seller property disclosure statement asks about the roof’s age, leaks and repairs, and a buyer’s inspector will look at the same things. We inspect before listing, put our findings in writing, and either make the repairs or give you a written scope a buyer can rely on. An honest roof report is easier to negotiate than a surprise at inspection.
Three-tab shingles are flat and single-layer, architectural shingles are laminated for depth and wind resistance, and designer shingles mimic slate or shake. Impact-rated lines carry UL 2218 Class 4, and wind ratings such as ASTM D3161 Class F and D7158 Class H tell you how the shingle was tested. We walk you through the differences and install each to its manufacturer’s specification.
A slate roof usually fails at its fasteners and flashing long before the slate itself wears out. We replace broken slates one at a time, fastening each with copper nails and slate hooks, and reflash chimneys and valleys in copper. That keeps a sound slate roof working for decades longer, and it is far less disruptive than tearing it off.
Copper is the traditional partner for slate on older Main Line houses, used in valleys, step flashing, chimney counter flashing and half-round gutters. It lasts as long as the slate when it is formed and fastened correctly. We repair or replace copper with copper, not aluminum, because mixing metals causes corrosion where they meet.
Built-in box gutters are troughs framed into the cornice and lined with metal or membrane. When the lining cracks, water goes straight into the wood framing and the wall below, often without any visible ceiling stain. We reline them with soldered metal or a membrane system, rebuild any rotted wood, and make sure the outlets drain freely.
Standing seam panels have raised, interlocking seams with concealed fasteners, which leaves nothing exposed to back out or leak. Many homeowners use it on a porch roof, a bay window or a low-slope section where shingles struggle, as well as on a whole house. We install it with the correct clips and underlayment so the metal can expand and contract freely.
Cedar shake needs airflow underneath, regular clearing of debris and replacement of split or cupped shakes before water reaches the decking. Under Lower Merion’s addendum a new roof cannot go over wood shake, so a worn shake roof is a full tear-off. We tell you honestly whether yours needs repair, treatment or replacement.
Torch-down SBS and APP modified bitumen is a layered system that tolerates foot traffic well, EPDM rubber membrane is a single sheet that handles temperature swings, and TPO and PVC are heat-welded single-ply membranes that reflect sunlight. We recommend one based on the slope, the drainage and what the roof is used for, rather than installing whichever material happens to be on the truck.
The flat roof over a kitchen addition or a garage is often the first part of a house to leak, because ponding water sits where a shingle roof would shed it. We correct the slope with tapered insulation where we can, flash the wall where the addition meets the house, and give the membrane a clean edge at the drip edge and gutter.
Under the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act and the Uniform Planned Community Act, the association repairs and replaces the common elements and each owner handles their unit, except where the declaration says otherwise. Whether your roof is common or yours depends on that document. We ask to see it before we quote so the right party signs the contract.
After a storm, photograph the damage from the ground and inside the house, then get a temporary tarp or patch on the roof to stop more water getting in. Keep every receipt, because reasonable emergency repairs are usually part of the claim. We tarp storm-damaged roofs, photograph and write up what we find for your own claim, and leave the permanent repair until the adjuster has seen it.
Under 31 Pa. Code 146, an insurer has 10 working days to acknowledge your claim, generally 30 days to investigate, and 15 working days after receiving proof of loss to accept or deny it. You file the claim and deal with your insurer directly. We provide the photos and written damage report, and we will meet the adjuster on site when you ask us to.
In Pennsylvania only you, your attorney or a licensed public adjuster can negotiate your claim with the insurer. Public adjusters are licensed under the Public Adjuster Licensing Law and are hired and paid by the homeowner. A roofer cannot legally negotiate your claim or interpret your policy, so we document the damage and leave the negotiating to you or to someone licensed to do it.
No Pennsylvania law says an insurer stops covering an older roof, but older roofs draw more scrutiny, and many policies pay actual cash value rather than full replacement cost on a worn roof. Read your declarations page before a storm, not after. We give you a written condition report that shows what was storm damage and what was wear.
In Pennsylvania a roofing contractor pays sales tax when buying the materials for a roof installation, under 61 Pa. Code 31.11 and 31.12. The tax is built into the price, so you will not see a separate sales tax line on our estimate. If a contractor adds one on top, ask why.
The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a written contract with the contractor’s registration number, the start and completion dates, the total price, a description of the work and a three-business-day right of rescission. For contracts over $5,000, the deposit cannot exceed one-third of the price plus special-order materials. Our contracts meet every one of those terms.
Pennsylvania has no statewide roofing license, but anyone doing home improvement work worth more than $5,000 a year must register with the Attorney General under HICPA. Some municipalities add their own registration on top, Narberth among them. Ask any roofer for their Attorney General registration number and check it online before you sign anything.
You may read that if more than 25 percent of a roof is damaged, the whole roof must be replaced. That is a provision of the Florida Building Code, not a Pennsylvania rule, and the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code contains no such trigger. Here, whether a repair or a full replacement is needed depends on the condition of the roof and your policy, not on a percentage.
The Lower Merion Township Housing Rehabilitation Program offers income-qualified owners zero-percent deferred loans of up to $50,000 for repairs, and it names roofs among them. In Philadelphia, the Basic Systems Repair Program covers a roof only when a leak has collapsed at least 4 square feet of ceiling. We can write a scope that meets either program’s paperwork.
Lower Merion Elite Roofing provides roofing throughout the greater Lower Merion area, with the same crews and the same standards on every job.
Good to know
Most single-family shingle replacements are torn off and closed in within a few working days, with the permit, the dumpster permit and material delivery set up beforehand. Slate, steep Tudor roofs, dormers and copper work take longer, and a house in a local historic district adds the review time before any work can start. We give you a written schedule with the estimate and tell you what could stretch it.
The size and pitch of the roof, how many layers have to come off, the amount of rotted decking found underneath, the flashing around chimneys and walls, and the material you choose. Slate, copper and standing seam cost more than architectural shingles, and a roof that has to be torn off under the township addendum costs more than one that can legally take a second layer. Our written scope lists each of those as its own line so you can see where the money goes.
We pull it. The permit is filed with the municipality the house actually sits in, whether that is Lower Merion Township, the Borough of Narberth, Philadelphia L&I or one of the surrounding townships, and the cost of the permit is shown in the estimate. A contractor who asks you to pull the permit yourself is asking you to carry the responsibility for their work.
Yes. Every residential contract follows the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act: it carries the contractor's Attorney General registration number, the start and finish dates, the total price, and the notice that you may cancel within three business days. On a job over $5,000 the deposit stays at or below one-third of the contract price plus the cost of any special-order materials.
We install architectural shingles from the major manufacturers, including GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration and CertainTeed Landmark, along with impact-rated lines where a homeowner wants UL 2218 Class 4. We install each one to its own manufacturer's instructions, including the nailing pattern, starter strip and underlayment that keep its warranty valid.
Yes, but the panels have to come off and go back on, and that is planned into the job from the first visit. We coordinate the removal and reinstallation with the solar installer or an electrician so the array is not left sitting on the lawn while the roof waits.
Yes. Built-in box gutters on prewar houses are inspected for failed linings and rotted wood behind them, and we reline or rebuild them rather than covering them over. A leaking box gutter can rot a cornice and the top of a wall without ever showing a ceiling stain inside.
At the end of every work day the crew cleans the gutters, rakes the beds and runs a magnetic sweeper over the driveway, lawn and walkways. Tarps go over shrubs and air-conditioning units before the tear-off starts, and the dumpster is placed where the permit allows.
Yes. We repair and replace low-slope roofs on rear additions, porches, garages and small commercial buildings using torch-down modified bitumen, EPDM and TPO, chosen for the slope, the drainage and how much foot traffic the roof gets. Commercial work is permitted under the commercial side of the municipality's fee schedule.
Request a free quote today and we'll get back to you fast.
