News

Beware of “Active” 2020 Hurricane Season

Roofing on Your Mind

What’s That On Your Roof?

Up on the Roof

Are Skylights Good for Your Home?

Could Punxsutawney Phil Be Right?

Remember Snowmageddon?

Roof Leaks Can Be Funny

Love Your House

Fagon Guide Ad for Capitol Hill Community

A New Roof for Your Capitol Hill Home?

Special Capitol Hill Multi-Family Roofing Project

Capitol Hill is considered to be one of the most family-oriented, walkable, and close knit communities in the entire DC area. [...]

A Capitol Hill Facelift

Ah, the good old days. Sitting on your front porch on a warm spring day, reading the Sunday paper or taking a nap in your comfy hammock. The porch provided a respite and protection from the sun or rain. Well, maybe your porch has seen too much of the good old days and needs a facelift. [...]

There Are Castles in Capitol Hill

Well, not exactly castles but castle-like appendages: slate turret roofs all over the Hill! Walk on the 1200 block of E St. NE or the 200 block of 8th St. SE and you will see more than 40 houses on these two blocks alone that have slate turret roofs. When you add these to the hundreds of additional houses in Capitol Hill that have slate turret roofs or slate mansard roofs, we’re talking a lot of slate! [...]

What Does Concrete have to do with Roof Leaks?

Did you know that your “roof” leak might actually be caused by deteriorated mortar joints in your chimney? If yes, congratulations! But many homeowners do not realize this is a major potential source of water leaking into your home. [...]

Think Local, Work With Your Neighborhood Roofer

Time to get your roof ready for fall and winter - call now for your free inspection! [...]

Not All Capitol Hill Roofs Are Flat

As a matter of fact you will see more sloped roofs on the hill than you might think. Bob Smith and his partners own a few residential rental properties, and one of these, on 11th St. SE, has a very steep-sloped roof. Its maintenance presented a challenge to the owners, who were more familiar with maintenance issues on flat and low-slope roofs. The roof was originally a standing-seam tin roof that was very old and had been repaired and patched many times. [...]

Better Preparation is Key to Preventing Roof Damage This Winter

As a local Capitol Hill roofing company, we have managed to secure some extraordinary roofing emergencies in the past storms, but we expect many more problems to arise. To be better prepared for this winter and the next major weather event here are some suggestions for homeowners. [...]

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

With memories of Snowmageddon of 2010, Hurricane Irene and a tropical storm in 2011, the earthquake of 2011, the “Derecho” in summer 2012 and Hurricane Sandy, the DC area seems like a magnet for natural disasters. It didn’t used to be this way but maybe this is the new normal for us and this is not the last time we can expect this in the foreseeable future. [...]

Water, Water Everywhere

Water can create damage to a home from everywhere, not the least of which is a leaky roof. But how about chimneys where the mortar has turned almost to dust? And old windows where you can poke your finger through the outside wood frame? Sound familiar? It’s a very common problem on the 100+ year old homes in Capitol Hill. And if not corrected, creates wet and sleepless nights for homeowners, major expenses to repair both exterior and interior damage and mold and mildew. [...]

Replacing a Turret Roof in Capitol Hill

Walk, bike or drive on 8th St. S.E., near the Eastern Market and you will see a long block of homes with old slate turret roofs, with built-in gutters below and finials, the decorative metal ornaments, at the peak. A turret is a small tower that projects vertically from a building and were originally castle appendages. These beautiful roofs are most often found on Queen Anne style three story homes throughout the Capitol Hill Historic District. While unique and distinctive they also present a unique challenge to home-owners needing to repair or replace these roofs. [...]

Preparing Your Roof For Winter: The Time Is Now

The memories of the blizzards of 2010 still are fresh for many Capitol Hill homeowners. Internal damage to homes from roof problems, including downspouts and gutters, was significant. Snow and ice volumes were overwhelming and, while the severity of the weather was unique in this area, it does serve as a reminder to Be Prepared! [...]

The Pros and Cons of Metal Roofs

Historically, almost all the original and original-replacement flat and low slope roofs on Capitol Hill were made of standing-seam tin. Tin was one of the most common metal roofing materials used throughout the 19th century, when most Capitol Hill homes were built. Today, you will still fi nd many roofs in the area that are 40+ years old that are standing-seam tin. In recent years though, roofs have been replaced with “built-up” asphalt or rubber-based roof systems. These roofs are less expensive than tin, copper or other metal roof systems and are of better quality than earlier builtup roofi ng materials, but metal roofs will last two to three times longer than a traditional asphalt roof. [...]

What To Do With Your Roof, A Roofing Makeover II

This is a companion article to the October Hill Rag article of the same name which is intended to take some of the mystery out of roof work, what roofers do and as a guide to homeowners. The focus of this article is an actual case study of Hill homeowners faced with a big problem directly below their roof (the roof foundation) as well as the roof itself. [...]

What To Do With Your Roof, A Capitol Hill Roofing Makeover

Since your roof is one of the most important investments in your home it’s a good idea to know what to do when problems strike. Capitol Hill is filled with older, flat roofed homes. Th e snow and ice of this winter and the heavy rains and winds of this summer have caused significant roofing problems. Many of these roofs need to be repaired or replaced. Most homeowners can see what they need to repair or replace in their home, whether it’s new kitchen cabinets, repairing your hardwood floors or plumbing fixtures. But how about your roof? Probably not! Yet what happens on the roof can have a major impact on the rest of your home. Hopefully, these examples will take some of the mystery out of roof work, what roofers do and serve as a guide to homeowners. [...]

R. Thomas Daniel Roofing, A Third Generation Capitol Hill Business

There are some Capitol Hill institutions that anchor modern day life to life in the past. Imagine ladies of the 1920s, walking with purpose to Eastern Market for meal ingredients or to Grubbs for cough medicine. Now look up to see the young Thomas Pumphrey with his hammer, repairing the roof of a Capitol Hill home. Fast forward 90 years to people walking with purpose to Eastern Market or Grubbs, and Thomas Daniel, the great-grandson of Pumphrey, fixing a Capitol Hill roof. [...]