Specialty Roofing
Slate. Copper. Tile. Cedar.
The roofs most contractors quote as a tear-off. We have been repairing, relaying and installing them across Central Virginia since 1990.
Quick answer
Hardesty Roofing installs and repairs specialty roofing across Central Virginia: natural slate, copper, Ludowici clay tile, cedar shake and shingle, DaVinci composite, and standing seam metal. We handle targeted repairs, lift and relay work that saves the original material, and full installation. GAF Master Elite Certified and Class A licensed, based in Midlothian since 1990. Free written estimates. Call 804-523-9955.
Why it is different work
A slate roof is not a shingle roof with better shingles.
Specialty materials fail differently, get repaired differently, and are quoted differently. On slate and clay tile the material routinely outlives the underlayment beneath it, which means the right answer is often to save the roof rather than replace it. On cedar the ventilation decides the lifespan. On copper the work is soldered rather than sealed.
None of that is how an asphalt roof behaves, and a crew that only installs asphalt will price the job as a tear-off because that is the job they know. That is how homeowners end up replacing a roof that had decades left in it.
We would rather tell you the roof is worth saving. Sometimes it is not, and we will say that too.
What we work with
Six materials, and what each one asks for.
Natural Slate
Quarried stone that outlives the people who install it.
A slate roof can run a century or more, and the slate itself is rarely what fails. What fails is everything around it: the nails, the flashing, and the underlayment beneath. That is why most slate work is repair rather than replacement, swapping individual broken slates and rebuilding the valleys and flashings in copper. Slate is also heavy, roughly three to four times an asphalt roof, so any structure carrying it needs to be evaluated before work starts.
Copper
Bay roofs, porch roofs, turrets, dormers, and the flashing that never needs redoing.
Copper is most often an accent rather than a whole roof: a bay window, a porch, a turret, or the flashing and valleys on a slate or tile roof. It arrives bright, turns brown within a year or two, and takes decades to reach the green patina people picture. Detailed correctly it will outlast the building. Most copper work is soldered rather than sealed, which is a different trade from laying shingles.
Ludowici Clay Tile
American-made terra cotta, measured in generations rather than decades.
Clay tile is the longest-lived roof most homes will ever carry, and like slate the tile usually outlives what sits under it. The common job is not a new roof but a lift and relay: the tile comes off, the underlayment and flashings are rebuilt, and the original tile goes back down with broken pieces replaced. It is heavy work that needs a structural check first, and it saves a roof most contractors would quote to tear off.
Cedar Shake and Shingle
Western red cedar, and the ventilation that decides how long it lasts.
Cedar has to breathe. Laid tight against solid sheathing it holds moisture and rots from underneath, which is why it belongs on spaced sheathing or a ventilated mat. Shaded northern slopes grow moss, and cedar needs periodic cleaning and treatment that asphalt does not. Done properly and maintained, expect decades. Done as a straight swap onto the wrong deck, expect a fraction of that.
DaVinci Composite
The slate and shake look, at a weight the structure can actually take.
DaVinci is a moulded polymer that reads as slate or shake from the ground and weighs a fraction of the real thing, so it needs no structural upgrade. It carries a long manufacturer warranty, resists impact, and holds colour rather than fading. It is the honest answer when a homeowner wants the look of slate on a house that was never framed to carry stone, and when a historic district will accept it.
Standing Seam Metal
Concealed-fastener panels with no exposed screws to back out.
Standing seam is the specialty material we install most often, and it has a page of its own covering panel profiles, finishes, and what it costs to do properly.
See metal roofingBefore you replace it
Get a second opinion on that tear-off quote.
If someone has quoted a full replacement on a slate, tile or cedar roof, it is worth a look before you sign. The inspection is free.
The three questions
What actually decides a specialty roof.
Can the structure carry it?
Slate and clay tile weigh roughly three to four times an asphalt roof. If the framing will not take it, composite gets the same look at close to asphalt weight. This gets checked before anything is quoted.
What is actually failing?
On slate and tile it is usually the underlayment, flashing and fasteners rather than the material. That is the difference between a repair, a lift and relay, and a replacement, and it is worth thousands.
Can it be matched?
Colour and quarry vary, and some historic tile is no longer produced. We tell you at the inspection whether a match is achievable, close, or not possible, rather than discovering it mid-job.
Credentials, not claims
Who is on the roof.
- 35+ Years
Roofing Central Virginia under the same name since 1990, from the same Midlothian shop.
- Class A Contractor
Virginia's highest contractor license classification, licensed and insured.
- GAF Master Elite Certified
A certification fewer than 2% of roofing contractors in the country hold.
- Richmond Magazine #1 Roofer
Multiple consecutive years, voted by the community.
Common questions
Specialty roofing FAQs.
Do you actually work with these materials, or just asphalt?
All of them. Slate, copper, clay tile, cedar, composite, and standing seam metal are a regular part of our work, not a one-off. Specialty roofing is one of the larger parts of our business, it simply has not been advertised.
My house has slate. Does it need replacing?
Usually not. Slate itself can last a century or more, and what generally fails is the flashing, the fasteners, and the underlayment around it. The honest first step is an inspection that tells you whether you are looking at targeted repairs, a rebuild of the valleys and flashings, or a genuine replacement. Plenty of slate roofs get quoted for tear-off when they did not need one.
What is a lift and relay?
On slate and clay tile the material often outlives the underlayment beneath it. A lift and relay takes the tile or slate off, rebuilds the underlayment and flashings, and puts the original material back down with damaged pieces replaced. It saves the most expensive part of the roof and is far less than a full replacement in the same material.
Can my house carry a slate or tile roof?
That has to be checked rather than assumed. Slate and clay tile weigh roughly three to four times what an asphalt roof does, and not every structure is framed for it. If the framing will not take it, composite slate gets you the same appearance at close to asphalt weight, which is often the practical answer.
Can you match existing slate or tile on a repair?
Often yes, though it depends on the material and its age. Colour and quarry vary, and some historic tile is no longer produced. We will tell you honestly at the inspection whether a match is achievable, close, or not possible, rather than finding out halfway through.
Does cedar need more upkeep than asphalt?
Yes. Cedar needs to breathe, and it needs periodic cleaning and treatment, particularly on shaded slopes where moss takes hold. That is a real commitment and worth knowing before choosing it rather than after.
Is specialty roofing much more expensive?
It costs more than asphalt, and the range is wide because the materials differ enormously. It also lasts far longer, so the comparison worth making is cost over the life of the roof rather than the price on the day. Every estimate is written, itemised, and explained before any work starts.
Do you work on historic properties?
Yes. Older Richmond, Petersburg and Fredericksburg homes are where most of this material lives, and some sit in districts with review requirements affecting materials and appearance. We will flag it during the estimate so it is settled before anything is ordered.
Related
More ways we keep homes weathertight.
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804-523-995514430 Sommerville Court, Suite B · Midlothian, VA 23113
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