Honest About the Climate
Shade, humidity and poor airflow shorten a cedar roof here. You hear that first.
A beautiful roof that asks a lot in this climate. Rotted shakes replaced, the attic ventilation checked, and a straight answer on whether cedar suits your house.
Cedar shake is one of the handsomest roofs there is, and one of the hardest to keep in Gulf heat and humidity. It lasts when it can dry out between rains, and rots when it cannot.
Big Easy Roofing Company repairs and maintains cedar shake roofs across New Orleans, and installs new cedar where the house, the shade and the ventilation give it a fair chance.
Where cedar keeps failing, we will say so and price the alternatives, including a roof restoration for a roof that is worn but sound.
Shade, humidity and poor airflow shorten a cedar roof here. You hear that first.
Shakes dry from below as well as above, so the attic airflow is part of the job.
Soft and split shakes replaced with matching cedar, one course at a time.
Cedar tells you when it is staying wet. These are the signs, most visible from the yard.
Shakes that swell wet and shrink dry split along the grain and let water through.
Silver-gray is normal. Shakes that crumble at the edges have dried out past saving.
Growth holds moisture against the wood and speeds up rot underneath.
Shrunken or missing shakes open gaps that rain finds before you do.
Shakes that curl up at the butt end catch wind and wind-driven rain.
Rot that reaches the battens or deck turns a shake repair into a bigger one.
Seeing these? A free inspection says whether the cedar can be saved, and what it would take.
Book a free inspectionEight steps. The attic comes before the roof, because that is often where the problem starts.
Decking, battens and underside of the shakes checked for damp, rot and daylight.
Moisture from below counts.
Intake and exhaust vents checked, because cedar needs air moving under it.
Fixed in the same scope.
Shakes, battens, flashing, ventilation and treatment each priced on their own line.
Alternatives priced if cedar keeps failing.
Split and soft shakes removed, and rot in the battens below cut back to sound wood.
Never covered over.
New cedar cut to match the thickness and exposure of the courses around it.
Weathers in to match.
Valleys, walls and windows flashed with metal that will not stain the cedar.
The usual leak points.
Moss and debris cleared by hand and a treatment applied where it suits the wood.
No high-pressure washing.
Before and after photos, and a note on how often the roof should be looked at.
Cedar rewards regular care.
The inspection is free, and it includes an honest word on whether cedar suits your house.
Book a free inspectionReal cedar is one route. The other three give a similar look with less upkeep in this climate.
Rotted shakes replaced, flashing renewed and ventilation improved on a roof that is mostly sound.
A new cedar roof, installed with airflow under it, on a house with the sun and breeze to dry it.
Composite shakes that look like cedar and do not rot, swell or grow moss the same way.
Pressed metal panels shaped like shakes, for the look on a roof built for wind.
On a shaded lot with poor airflow, a new cedar roof can rot early. If that is your house, we will say so and show you the alternatives.
Cedar is priced by the shake for repairs and by the square for a new roof.
A few courses near a valley is small. Rot across whole slopes is not.
Rotted battens or decking under the shakes add wood and labor.
Thicker, higher-grade shakes cost more and hold up better.
New intake or ridge vents are priced in the same estimate.
Heavy moss and weathering take more hand cleaning and treatment.
The estimate can price a synthetic or metal option beside the cedar, so the choice is on paper. Rather write to us first? The contact page is there.
Free, with an honest word on whether cedar suits the house.
On cedar, the cheap repair and the lasting one look the same for a season.
Quote A was put together from shortcuts common in quick cedar repairs. This is not a real quote, and it is not based on any particular roofer.
Trees overhanging the roof? Mention them when you call. Shade changes the answer.
Talk to a roofer504-229-3955It can be, on a sunny, breezy lot with good attic ventilation. On a shaded, humid lot it tends to rot early, and we will tell you which yours is.
Yes. Individual shakes are cut out and new ones fitted, and the rot underneath is checked at the same time.
No. High pressure tears the wood fibers and shortens the roof. Cedar is cleaned by hand.
A treatment can slow moss and weathering. Whether it is worth it depends on the roof, and the estimate says so.
Fire-treated shakes are available. Ask your insurer how they rate a wood roof before choosing new cedar.
Synthetic shake and metal shake panels both give a similar look with far less rot and moss to manage.
Name and phone are enough. We call back the same business day.