The situation
This Columbia home still had its original cedar shake roof, and it was decades past its best years. Our inspection found widespread wear across every slope, rot at the chimney and soffits, and shake so brittle it crumbled underfoot. A repair was never on the table. The homeowner needed a full conversion to a modern roof system.
What a shake conversion involves
Converting a shake roof is a bigger job than a standard replacement, and it's one many roofers won't take on. Wood shake is installed over spaced boards rather than solid decking, so you cannot simply lay shingles where the shake used to be. The whole roof has to come down to the frame and be rebuilt:
- Complete tear-off of the old cedar shake, down to the rafters
- All-new solid decking across every slope
- Structural repairs to rafters that had taken on water over the years, including carpentry above a vaulted ceiling
- Synthetic underlayment over the new deck
- Architectural asphalt shingles, new flashing, and new pipe boots
The result
A completely rebuilt roof system from the rafters up, finished in architectural shingles that fit the neighborhood. The main tear-off and installation happened in a single day, with the structural carpentry completed over the following days. Total investment for the full conversion, including all-new decking and structural repairs, came in around $25,000. If your home still has a shake roof and you want real numbers for a conversion, our Columbia cost guide is the place to start.
The job, in photos
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