Roofing crew installing shingles on a house in St. James, New York

Alec's Construction repairs and replaces roofs in St. James (11780) — 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 St. James

St. James is the old estate country of the Town of Smithtown — big trees, big lots and old houses. Along Lake Avenue and the streets off Moriches Road are houses from the 1900s to the 1930s with steep roofs and masonry chimneys, some more than one, under trees planted alongside them and now a century old. South toward Route 25 are 1960s and 70s colonials under oaks saved when the lots were cut. The ground is high and drains, so the threats are the trees and the age of the roof details. On the older houses the chimneys are usually the weak point: brick and mortar moving against a wood roof for a hundred years, flashed and re-flashed and often finally sealed with tar. The Villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue on the north edge run their own building departments, so the address decides where the work files.

What We Look at First in St. James

On an older St. James house the chimney gets inspected before anything else: the brick, the mortar joints, the crown, and the flashing where it meets the roof. Flashing that is only surface-sealed gets cut into the mortar joints and replaced with step and counterflashing. Wide chimneys get a cricket behind them. Then the roof itself and the trees over it. We confirm whether the job files with Smithtown or one of the villages.

Big Trees Over Big Roofs in St. James

The wooded lots in St. James 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

Repair or Replace, Honestly

If the roof is sound and the leak is a flashing or a valley, the right answer is a repair, and the roof has years left in it. If the shingles are curling, shedding granules and already on a second layer, a repair buys a season and replacement is the honest answer. Alex goes up, photographs every flashing, the valleys and the field, and you get the photographs either way.

A replacement here is a tear-off to the deck. The sheathing gets checked and renewed where it is soft, ice-and-water membrane goes at the eaves and valleys, flashings are replaced rather than reused, and the attic ventilation is balanced so the new roof is not cooked from below or iced at the eave.

Permits in St. James

St. James files with the Town of Smithtown at Town Hall on Main Street in Smithtown; the Village of Head of the Harbor on its north side and the Village of Nissequogue run their own building departments. 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 St. James, 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

Should the chimney flashing on my older St. James house be redone with the new roof?

Yes, almost always. Old chimney flashing has usually been patched with tar or caulk, and reusing it under a new roof brings the old leak right back. We install new step flashing woven into the shingles, cut counterflashing into the mortar joints, and build a cricket behind any wide chimney so water and leaves do not pile up. If the brick or crown is failing, we tell you before the roof goes on, while it is still easy to fix.

Does a new roof fix ice dams on a St. James 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 St. James 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 St. James?

St. James files with the Town of Smithtown at Town Hall on Main Street in Smithtown; the Village of Head of the Harbor on its north side and the Village of Nissequogue run their own building departments. 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 St. James through the cold months: Seamless Gutters and Attic Insulation.

Also Serving St James

Talk to Alec's Construction About Roofing in St. James

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.