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Roofers in Lawrence, MA
Flat roof leaking into the top-floor apartment, or a Victorian that needs work? Call (978) 577-5300 or send the form for a free estimate on Lawrence roof repair or replacement. We'll review your request and follow up with you.
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- Tower Hill to South Lawrence
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Lawrence roofs, neighborhood by neighborhood
What's on the roofs in Lawrence
Lawrence was built as a planned mill city, laid out along the North and South Canals fed by the Great Stone Dam on the Merrimack. Workers' housing filled the blocks near the mills, three-decker districts appeared around the turn of the century, and larger tenements crowded the central wards. Today it packs about 89,000 people into roughly seven square miles. That makes flat and low-slope roofs on multi-family buildings the most common roofing job here, with Victorian homes on the hills.
Prospect Hill
By the late 1870s, Prospect, High and Jackson Streets had become an affluent neighborhood of spacious homes, with denser infill added around 1900. It's the city's only local historic district.
Tower Hill
The highest point in the city, at about 250 feet, in western Lawrence. French-Canadian families settled its slopes between 1880 and 1910. Roofs on high, exposed ground take the brunt of the wind.
South Lawrence
South of the Merrimack, frame houses spread east of South Broadway in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the American Woolen Company built company housing here between about 1906 and 1910.
Arlington
Near the Methuen line, a district of three-deckers went up between 1909 and 1925 along Alder, Juniper, Poplar and Basswood Streets. Most of its buildings are triple-deckers or other multi-unit housing.
North Canal and the mill district
The mill district along the canals, where company boarding houses filled the blocks north of the canal and the Essex Company built brick row houses for mechanics in 1847.
Roofing services in Lawrence
What do you need help with?
Roof Replacement
Full replacements on triple-deckers, tenements, Victorians and single-family homes.
Roof Repair & Leaks
Top-floor leaks, drains, parapets, chimney flashing and missing shingles.
Flat & Rubber Roofs
EPDM, TPO and modified bitumen for triple-decker and tenement roofs.
Ice Dams
Safe removal on pitched and porch roofs, and fixes for the attic heat that causes them.
Storm Damage
Securing lifted membranes, tarping and repairs after wind and storms.
Lawrence buildings
Roofing Lawrence's triple-deckers, tenements and Victorians
Triple-deckers. The city's signature house. Most have a low-slope main roof that needs a membrane, plus stacked porch roofs. When the top-floor ceiling stains, the usual causes are worn membrane seams, clogged drains or scuppers, and failed flashing at the roof edge. See flat and rubber roofs.
Larger tenements. Buildings of four or more units in the central wards often have larger flat roofs, many edged with parapets. Parapet walls and their caps need regular attention, since water gets in at the top and works down.
Victorian homes. On Prospect Hill and elsewhere, Queen Anne houses have steep roofs, towers and many valleys. Repairs here should match the existing details, and on Prospect Hill, may need commission review.
Brick row houses. Older brick buildings in the mill district have their own needs: flashing where the roof meets brick walls and chimneys, and coping on the parapets.
Need help deciding what to do? See roof repair and roof replacement.
Permits and historic review
Roofing permits in Lawrence
Building permit. Lawrence's Inspectional Services Department, at 200 Common Street, handles permits through Citizenserve, which homeowners and contractors can use online 24 hours a day. The contractor normally files it.
Multi-family buildings. On a triple-decker, the owner usually arranges the roof for the whole building. If you live in a condo unit, the association typically handles the roof, so check your documents before hiring anyone.
Prospect Hill Historic District. Lawrence's one local historic district under M.G.L. c. 40C. The building inspector can't issue a permit there without a certificate from the district commission, unless the work is exempt. Roofing materials of uniform color are exempt, but other changes may not be, so check with the commission before you sign.
Licensing. We verify the credentials a job requires before we send a contractor any calls.
Roofing Service Pros is a referral service. We don't pull permits or do roofing work. The roofing contractor who does the job handles the permit.
FAQ
Lawrence roofing questions
Where do roofing permits come from in Lawrence?
Lawrence's Inspectional Services Department, at 200 Common Street, handles permits through Citizenserve, which homeowners and contractors can use online around the clock. Your roofing contractor normally files the application.
I live on Prospect Hill. Do I need historic approval for a new roof?
Possibly. Prospect Hill is Lawrence's local historic district under Chapter 40C, and the city's ordinance says the building inspector can't issue a permit there without a certificate from the commission unless the work is exempt. Roofing materials of uniform color are on the exempt list, but changes to design or appearance may not be. Check with the Prospect Hill Historic District Commission, which meets on the last Monday of each month, before you sign.
What kind of roof does a triple-decker usually have?
Most have low-slope main roofs, often with porch roofs on each level. Low-slope roofs need a membrane such as EPDM or TPO instead of shingles. Drains, scuppers and the edges where the roof meets parapets or trim are where leaks usually start. See flat and rubber roofs.
What licenses should a roofer working in Lawrence have?
Ask for the contractor's Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (a roof-covering specialty license exists) and Home Improvement Contractor registration, then look both up on the state's license search before you sign. On owner-occupied homes of up to four units, state rules expect both.
Does it cost anything to use Roofing Service Pros?
Not a cent. Homeowners pay nothing for the call or the referral. Pricing and the contract are agreed between you and the roofing contractor.