What makes historic roof restoration different from a regular re-roof?

An older Boston home was specified for specific materials and weights — slate over sized framing, copper-clad flashing, half-round copper gutters. Restoration means working in those original materials with period-accurate methods and within preservation guidelines, so the roof reads the way the architect drew it. A regular re-roof swaps all of that for modern shingle and erases the building's character. The two jobs aren't the same craft.

How do you handle Boston's historic preservation requirements?

We work directly with local historical commissions and preservation boards, and with the Massachusetts Historical Commission where the property warrants it. We know what triggers a review and what passes without one, and we prepare the applications, material documentation, and methods so the work clears approval. The paperwork is part of the job, not an afterthought.

Can you restore a Victorian-era roof with its original materials?

Yes. Victorian restoration is one of our specialties — slate replacement matched to the original pattern, decorative ridge cap restoration, and the intricate copperwork these homes were built with. We source materials that blend with what's already there so the ornamental detailing is preserved rather than flattened.

Do you restore church and religious-building roofs?

We do. Church roof restoration carries its own demands — the historical significance, the original materials, and the religious-preservation requirements all have to be respected at once. We treat these buildings accordingly, preserving their original character while restoring real weather protection.

What's involved in restoring an old house roof?

Old houses usually need more than slate. The framing may need reinforcing for the load it was designed to carry, rare or discontinued materials have to be sourced and matched, and modern waterproofing has to go in without changing the original look. Ridge cap restoration, dormer refinishing, and soffit repairs are frequently part of the same scope.

How do I know if my historic roof needs full restoration instead of repairs?

Widespread slate damage, deteriorating flashing, or a failing drainage system are the signs a patch won't hold. When the problems are spread across the roof rather than isolated to one area, a comprehensive restoration is usually the honest answer over piecemeal repairs. We'll tell you which one your roof actually needs after we've walked it.

Historic Roof Restoration Boston

The work older Boston homes were built to need

A 1898 brownstone wasn’t designed for asphalt shingles. The framing was specified for slate weight, the chimneys for copper-clad flashing, the gutters for half-round copper conductor heads. When that roof finally needs work, putting modern asphalt on it is the wrong answer twice — historically wrong and structurally wrong.

We do the work the way the architects originally specified: natural slate or properly-weighted synthetic, copper flashing and copper gutters, on framing we’ve assessed for capacity. Where the original lead-coated copper has failed, we replace with bare copper that ages into the same patina over a decade. Where mortar joints have failed in chimneys, we re-point with lime-cement mortar matched to the era. If your home is on the National Register or in a local historic district, we know what you can do and what triggers review. Where the slate is only locally damaged, a targeted slate roof repair preserves the original roof instead of replacing it.

Art Slate Roofing crew restoring a historic white Boston building with cupola

When restoration becomes a historic roof replacement

Not every old roof can be saved slate by slate. When the deck has rotted under decades of trapped water, when a third or more of the field slate is delaminating, or when a past re-roof already stripped the original detailing, a full historic roof replacement is the honest call over endless patching. We rebuild it in period-correct materials: natural slate matched to the original pattern, copper flashing hand-formed on-site, and half-round copper gutters where the home was built for them. A historic roof replacement done this way keeps the building registry-eligible and reads the way the architect drew it, so you gain a sound new roof without losing the character that makes the home historic.

More than slate and copper

Church & religious buildings

Greater historical significance, rarer original materials, and the congregation’s own preservation requirements — all held at once. We treat these buildings like the landmarks they are.

Victorian & decorative detailing

Where roofing turns ornamental — slate laid in patterns, capped ridges, intricate copperwork. We match the original pattern and hand-form the detailing rather than flatten it.

The detail work underneath

Ridge cap restoration, dormer refinishing, soffit repairs, and period-specific half-round gutters and conductor heads. Where framing has aged under slate weight, we reinforce before re-laying.

How a restoration runs

Historic documentation

We photograph the existing roof at every detail before we touch it — original slate pattern, flashing geometry, chimney profiles — all documented for the record.

Period-material research

Quarry source for matching slate, era-appropriate mortar mix, copper gauge matched to the original conductor heads, period-correct fastening method.

Historic commission liaison

We prepare and submit historic district commission applications where required, walk the inspector through the scope, and handle the back-and-forth.

Period-correct installation

Hand-laid slate matching the original pattern. Copper flashings hand-formed on-site. Mortar joints struck to match. Detail for detail.

Restoration binder

A full photo record before, during, and after, material spec documented, and warranty terms in writing — a document set your home keeps.

A glimpse of the portfolio

See the full portfolio →

What does slate actually cost you over a lifetime?

A slate roof costs more on day one and less by year sixty. This works out where the crossover falls on your house, using Greater Boston replacement cycles rather than national averages.

— Adjust the figures to compare.

Slate —

Asphalt shingle —

Re-roofs avoided: —
Slate pulls ahead: —

Totals are in future dollars, with replacement costs escalated 3.5% a year, so long horizons produce large-looking numbers. The useful figure is the gap between the two columns and the year slate pulls ahead, not the absolute total. Planning figures, not a quote: real numbers depend on pitch, access, the state of the deck, and how much copper the roof needs. Arturo walks the roof before anyone puts a price on it.

Want these numbers checked against your actual roof? Send it over and Arturo will take a look. The assessment is free, and if the answer is that you do not need us yet, that is what you get told.

2005 Family-run since
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Commission MA Historical experience
In-house Crew — never subcontracted

Licensed & Insured · MA Construction Supervisor · MHIC Registered

Historic homes deserve roofs built the way they were.