Mendota Roofing That Handles Heavy Snow, Ice Dams, and Hail

Mendota sits at roughly 700 feet along the Minnesota River, where winter temperatures swing hard and fast. That freeze-thaw cycle is brutal on roofing. Ice dams form at the eaves, water backs up under the shingles, and before you know it, it seeps into the sheathing and rots the deck from underneath. We see it every year in Old Mendota and the Mendota Historic District, where many homes still have their original slate or wood roofs—beautiful, but they need careful attention.

Our approach is straightforward: we tear off the old layers, inspect the substrate, and install a system that handles Mendota's specific load. For steep pitches on early 20th-century bungalows, we use self-adhered ice-and-water shield at the eaves and valleys, ring-shank nails for grip, and staggered courses so water never finds a straight seam. On mid-century ramblers and split-levels, we often recommend architectural shingles that resist hail impact and granule loss. We also recover or overlay when the existing deck is sound—saves material and money.

We've been working in this river valley long enough to know that a roof isn't just shingles. It's the starter course, the field course, the flashings around chimneys and vents. We back-nail where needed, hand-seal the tricky spots, and always ventilate properly so heat doesn't build up and refreeze into ice dams. Every job is done once, done right, and backed by our licensed, insured guarantee. That's the only way we work in Mendota.