Roof repair and replacement
Architectural shingle roofs on pitched homes, rubber membrane on the low-slope porches and additions that Springfield has so many of.
Springfield Roofing and Carpentry, Built for Real Winters
I run a small roofing and carpentry outfit out of Springfield, and most of my week is spent on the same kinds of houses you see up and down the Pioneer Valley: colonials, capes, and triple-deckers that have taken forty winters or more. I fix roofs first, and when the rot has reached the fascia, the porch, or the siding underneath, I fix that too, because a roof only holds if what it sits on is sound.
Services
What we do
Ice dam and snow load work
Attic ventilation, ice and water barrier, and roof raking plans so a January thaw does not end up in your ceiling.
Siding, trim, and fascia
Replacing rotted wood behind failed gutters and matching clapboard, vinyl, or cedar to the rest of the house.
Porches and decks
Rebuilding sagging front porches on three-family homes and building new pressure-treated or composite decks in the suburbs.
Additions and garages
Framing, roofing, and finish carpentry on single-story additions and detached garages, tied cleanly into the existing structure.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Carpentry-led remodels where the framing, subfloor, and window work are done right before the finishes go in.
Service Area
Springfield and nearby searches.
SpringfieldChicopeeWest SpringfieldAgawamLongmeadowEast LongmeadowLudlowWilbraham
About
About Bowlen's Carpentry
Bowlen's Carpentry is a roofing and general carpentry business working in Springfield and the towns around it in Hampden County. The work falls into two overlapping groups. The first is roofing: shingle repair and replacement on pitched roofs, rubber membrane on low-slope porches and additions, ice dam correction, and storm damage. The second is the carpentry that the roof depends on: fascia and soffit, siding and trim, porches and decks, garages, additions, and the framing inside a kitchen or bathroom remodel. I keep the crew small on purpose. A small crew means I see every roof deck before it is covered, every flashing detail before the siding goes back on, and every deck ledger before the boards go down. The housing stock in this part of the valley is old and the winters are hard on it, so my approach is to open things up, look at what is actually there, and write a plan around that rather than around what a brochure says a house should look like.
Questions
What people ask before booking
How do I know if I need a repair or a whole new roof?
If the shingles are still flexible and the granules are mostly intact, a repair usually makes sense. When I can lift a shingle and it cracks in my hand, or the roof is on its second layer, replacement is the honest answer and I will tell you which one you are looking at.
Why does water come through my ceiling in February but not when it rains?
That is almost always an ice dam. Heat escaping through the attic melts snow on the upper roof, the water runs down and refreezes at the cold eave, and the pool that forms behind that ridge backs up under the shingles. Rain never does that because rain drains.
Can you put a new roof over the old one?
Massachusetts code allows a second layer in some cases, but on the older houses around here I rarely recommend it. A second layer hides rotted decking, adds weight the rafters were not sized for, and shortens the life of the new shingles. Tearing off costs more up front and saves money over the life of the roof.
What is the flat roof on my porch made of, and why does it keep leaking?
On most Springfield triple-deckers and colonial porches that is either old rolled asphalt or a rubber membrane. Rolled roofing has a short life and fails at the seams. A properly adhered EPDM rubber roof with the edges terminated correctly is the fix that lasts.
Do you handle the carpentry if the roof problem has spread into the house?
Yes, and that is the reason the business carries the name it does. Rotted rafter tails, soft sheathing, a fascia board that has let go, a porch roof that sagged because the posts failed: I can frame and finish that repair myself rather than handing you off to a second contractor.
Read more
About the ShopAdditions That Tie In ProperlyBathrooms Rebuilt From the Framing OutGet a Roof or Carpentry Problem Looked AtGarages Built to Carry a WinterKitchens Where the Carpentry Comes FirstRoof Leaks, Rotted Wood, and the Crew That Fixes BothThe Carpentry Jobs That Do Not Have a CategoryPorches and Decks That Stay LevelRoofing for Western Massachusetts WeatherSiding, Trim, and the Wall Behind ItSnow Work: Driveways and RoofsRoof Repairs That Find the Real LeakStopping Ice Dams Before They StartRoofing and Carpentry in ChicopeeRoofing and Carpentry in West SpringfieldRoofing and Carpentry in Longmeadow
Lead Form
Request a roof check
Tell us the address, what the roof is doing and when it started. We come back within one working day.