Roofing crew installing shingles on a house in Port Jefferson Station, New York

Alec's Construction repairs and replaces roofs in Port Jefferson Station (11776) — 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 Port Jefferson Station

Port Jefferson Station is the hamlet up the hill and south of the village, inland and wooded, and it has no tidal water. The streets off Route 112 and Old Town Road are 1950s to 70s ranches, splits and colonials under oaks and tulip trees left when the streets were cut, and those trees now stand over the roofs. A northeast wind off the Sound, a saturated week and a big crown can put a tree on the house. When water gets in, it soaks the attic insulation, which hides it until a ceiling stains. Not every wet attic here is a roof leak, though: a lot of these houses have little ventilation, bathroom fans that vent into the attic, and gable vents that let wind-driven rain in. The commercial strip along Route 112 and Nesconset Highway takes the wind on flat roofs.

What We Look at First in Port Jefferson Station

In Port Jefferson Station we start in the attic, with a moisture meter and a flashlight, before we climb the roof. Frost or mildew across the whole underside of the deck points to ventilation and air leaks; one stained spot points to the roof. Then we check the gable vents and where the bathroom fans exhaust. Port Jefferson Station files with Brookhaven, not the village at the bottom of the hill.

Big Trees Over Big Roofs in Port Jefferson Station

The wooded lots in Port Jefferson Station 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 Port Jefferson Station

Port Jefferson Station files with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville; the Village of Port Jefferson down the hill 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 Port Jefferson Station, 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

My Port Jefferson Station attic is damp, but nobody can find a hole in the roof. What is it?

Often it is not a hole. Warm, moist air from the house leaks into the attic through ceiling fixtures, the hatch and bathroom fans that vent into the attic instead of outside, and condenses on the cold roof deck in winter. Without enough soffit and ridge ventilation, it stays there. Wind-driven rain through gable vents is the other common cause. We check the deck pattern, the fans and the vents before blaming the shingles.

Does a new roof fix ice dams on a Port Jefferson Station 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.

Can a roof in Port Jefferson Station be replaced in winter?

Repairs, flashing and sheet-metal work run all winter. A full asphalt replacement is a warmer-day job, because the seal strip on the shingles needs warmth to bond; when a replacement has to go on in the cold, every course is hand-sealed so it holds in the first wind. We schedule around the forecast.

Who issues the permit for roofing work in Port Jefferson Station?

Port Jefferson Station files with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville; the Village of Port Jefferson down the hill 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 Port Jefferson Station through the cold months: Seamless Gutters and Attic Insulation.

Also Serving Port Jefferson Station

Talk to Alec's Construction About Roofing in Port Jefferson Station

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.