Roofing crew installing shingles on a house in Riverhead, New York

Alec's Construction repairs and replaces roofs in Riverhead (11901) — 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 Riverhead

Riverhead sits at the head of Peconic Bay where the Peconic River comes in, and beyond the downtown it is farm country and pine barrens. The farmhouses and 1950s to 80s ranches and colonials stand on big lots along the county roads, many with open fields on two or three sides, so the wind comes across with nothing to slow it. That exposure is what Riverhead roofs are built against. A roof that would be sheltered by neighbours and trees in a denser hamlet takes the full gust here, at the rakes, the ridge and the eaves. Barns, greenhouses and farm stands along Sound Avenue and Route 58 have big, light roofs that catch the same wind. Where the pine barrens begin, the pitch pines come over whole after a week of rain. Downtown along the river, the older commercial buildings deal with water. The Town of Riverhead files on Howell Avenue.

What We Look at First in Riverhead

On an open Riverhead farmhouse we start at the edges on the windward side. Rakes, ridge cap and the first courses at the eave show whether the seal strips have held and whether the nails are in the right place. On old farmhouses we also check the deck, which may be board sheathing under several layers. For barns and farm buildings we check panels, fasteners and open gable ends. Permits go to the Town of Riverhead on Howell Avenue.

Roofs That Take the Bay Wind in Riverhead

Near the water the roof's enemy is wind-driven rain more than snow. A southeast blow off the bay pushes water sideways and uphill — under shingle tabs that have lost their seal, behind step flashing that was never counterflashed, through ridge vents not rated for it — and the leak shows up on a calm day weeks later as a stain nobody can explain.

So the inspection near the bay starts at the edges and the joints: the rake and eave edges where wind lifts the first course, the ridge, the flashings at walls and chimneys, and any shingles whose seal strip has let go. Shingles laid on the bay side get hand-sealed when the season is cold, so they hold in the first blow.

Salt air works on the metal. Flashings, drip edge and fasteners near the water corrode faster than inland, and old roof cement smeared over a corroded flashing is the most common failed repair we find. On a house raised after 2012 the roof is a storey higher in the wind, and the edge details matter more, not less.

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 Riverhead

Riverhead files with the Town of Riverhead at Town Hall on Howell Avenue; the downtown waterfront along the Peconic River and the streets around it are in the mapped flood zone. 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 Riverhead, 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 Riverhead farmhouse has fields on every side. Why does it lose shingles when my neighbours do not?

Because nothing breaks the wind before it reaches your roof. Houses in a cluster or under trees shelter one another; a farmhouse in open fields takes every gust at full strength, often from more than one direction. The shingles that go first are at the rakes, the ridge and the eave, especially if they were not nailed or sealed for high wind. On a re-roof we use a high-wind nailing pattern and seal the starter along every edge.

Does a new roof fix ice dams on a Riverhead 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 Riverhead 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 Riverhead?

Riverhead files with the Town of Riverhead at Town Hall on Howell Avenue; the downtown waterfront along the Peconic River and the streets around it are in the mapped flood zone. 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 Riverhead through the cold months: Seamless Gutters and Attic Insulation.

Also Serving Riverhead

Talk to Alec's Construction About Roofing in Riverhead

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.