Roofing crew installing shingles on a house in East Northport, New York

Alec's Construction repairs and replaces roofs in East Northport (11731) — leaks traced to the cause, flashings and valleys, wind and ice-dam damage, and full tear-off replacements — working out of the yard in East Patchogue. Repairs and sheet-metal work run straight through the winter; replacements go on with the warm days.

Roofs in East Northport

East Northport is the inland hamlet behind the village of Northport, high on the moraine with no harbour, and its roofs face two things: the wind off the Sound coming over the high ground, and the trees over the houses. The streets off Larkfield Road and Elwood Road are 1950s to 70s capes, ranches and splits on small lots under street trees planted with the tracts and now taller than the houses. Toward Commack the lots are half-acre and wooded, with oaks saved when they were cut. On the high ground the north-facing slopes and gable ends take the northeast wind first, and on a small lot under big trees, the same slopes stay in shade and wear the fastest. Water in an East Northport house came through a roof or wall the wind or a tree opened. The Village of Northport on the north edge runs its own building department; East Northport does not.

What We Look at First in East Northport

In East Northport we start on the north side of the house. That is where the wind off the Sound hits and where the shade sits, so it is where shingles lift, moss grows and gable-end vents let in rain. We check the ridge, rake edges and gable ends, then move to the south side to compare. Then the limbs over the roof. Permanent work files with the Town of Huntington, not the Village of Northport.

Big Trees Over Big Roofs in East Northport

The wooded lots in East Northport put tall oak, tulip and hickory over two-storey roofs, and the roofs are larger and more cut-up than the Island average — hips, valleys, dormers, chimneys and long eaves. Every one of those intersections is a flashing detail, and every valley under a big tree fills with leaves twice a year.

Most leaks on these houses are at the intersections, not in the field of the roof. A packed valley overflows sideways under the shingles; a chimney flashing that was roof-cemented instead of counterflashed lets go a little more every winter; a skylight curb rots from the outside in. Tracing the leak to the actual entry point is the first job, and it is often nowhere near the stain.

Trees that tall also shade the north slopes. Snow sits there, the attic below melts it, and it refreezes at the cold eave. Ice-and-water membrane at the eaves and valleys is standard on a replacement here, and the attic ventilation gets corrected at the same time.

Failed step flashing and old roof cement where a chimney meets the shingles

Leaks Are Flashing Problems Until Proven Otherwise

The open field of a roof almost never leaks. Water gets in where the roof meets something else — a chimney, a wall, a dormer, a valley, a vent pipe, a skylight — and on a great many Long Island roofs that flashing was done once, failed, and has been covered in roof cement ever since. Roof cement goes brittle within a few winters and hides the failure while the water keeps getting in.

So a repair starts by finding where the water actually enters, which is often several feet from where the stain shows, and fixing the flashing there. Repairs, flashing and sheet-metal work run all winter. Full asphalt replacements go on the warmer days, and shingles laid in the cold are hand-sealed so they hold in the first wind.

Permits in East Northport

East Northport files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington; the Village of Northport on its north edge runs its own building department. Roof replacement is permitted work in most of Suffolk, and the limit on shingle layers decides whether the old roof has to come off — on our jobs it comes off regardless. We file the permit.

Alex walks the house in East Northport, photographs what he finds and gives you a written scope in the order the work has to happen — whether or not you hire us. Call (631) 312-7441 to set up a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wind off the Sound reaches up to East Northport. Which part of my roof goes first?

The north and northeast sides — the rake edges, the ridge and the gable ends facing the Sound. Wind lifts shingles at the edges first, and on the north side those shingles often have weaker seals because the shade keeps them cool. Gable vents on that side can let in wind-driven rain. After a northeast storm, check those edges from the ground for lifted or missing tabs and look in the attic under the north gable for wet insulation.

Where does a roof in East Northport usually leak?

At the flashings, not the field. Chimneys, valleys, dormer walls, skylights, plumbing vents and roof-to-wall joints are where water gets in, and roof cement over an old flashing is the most common failed repair on Long Island. The entry point is often not above the stain, so the first job is tracing it.

Does a new roof fix ice dams on a East Northport house?

Not by itself. Ice dams come from attic heat melting snow that refreezes at the cold eave. Ice-and-water membrane at the eaves limits the damage, but the cure is air sealing and ventilation in the attic so the roof deck stays cold. We look at the attic on every roof walkthrough.

Who issues the permit for roofing work in East Northport?

East Northport files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington; the Village of Northport on its north edge runs its own building department. Roof replacement is permitted work in most of Suffolk, and the limit on shingle layers decides whether the old roof has to come off — on our jobs it comes off regardless. We file the permit.

Related Guides

Work With Alec's Construction

This page is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's Roofing service — tear-offs, repairs, flashing and storm damage across Suffolk County. One crew from the first walkthrough to the last inspection.

Also in East Northport through the cold months: Seamless Gutters and Attic Insulation.

Also Serving East Northport

Talk to Alec's Construction About Roofing in East Northport

We come out, look at the house, photograph what we find and put a written scope in your hand. No pressure, no obligation. Working across Suffolk County since 2018.

Or call (631) 312-7441

No cost, no obligation. We reply the same day.