Scranton Roof Pros Blog

Real answers on roofing in Scranton and the Lackawanna Valley — what things cost, how to choose, and the mistakes worth avoiding.

Looking for help rather than reading? Go to the Scranton services we handle, the team behind Scranton Roof Pros, or straight to the Scranton Roof Pros homepage for a free estimate.

Shingle roof on a house in Scranton, PA, where a leak claim turns on whether the roof was broken or simply worn out

Will Home Insurance Cover a Roof Leak in Scranton?

The leak is not what gets decided. The cause is. What a standard policy actually says about a worn roof versus a broken one in Scranton, PA, quoted from the form.

Roof overhang, soffit and fascia on a house in Scranton, PA

What Is a Soffit? The Board Under Your Scranton Eaves

Soffit is the underside of the overhang, fascia is the board on its edge. Why vented soffit is the intake half of a Scranton, PA attic, and how both boards fail.

Roof edge, fascia and downspout on a house in Scranton, PA, where drip edge carries runoff into the gutter

What Is a Drip Edge? The Metal That Saves Your Scranton Fascia

Drip edge is the bent metal at the eaves and rakes that keeps runoff off your fascia. The profiles, the two details that decide whether it works, and the code in Scranton, PA.

Asphalt shingle roof on a two-story home in Scranton, PA

Types of Roof Shingle in Scranton: What a House Can Actually Take

Asphalt, cedar, slate, tile, metal and molded synthetic all get laid as shingles. What each one is, what it weighs, and the one thing that decides whether it belongs on a roof in Scranton, PA.

Roof ridge line and chimney on a home in Scranton, PA

Types of Roof Vent in Scranton: Start With Intake

Ridge, box, gable, turbine, powered — what each type of roof vent does in Scranton, PA, why intake is usually the missing half, and the two mixes that make it worse.

Daylight coming down a finished skylight shaft into a room in Scranton, PA

Skylight Costs With Installation in Scranton: What Actually Moves It

The skylight is the small half of a skylight bill. What decides the number in Scranton, PA - a new hole or an in-kind swap, curb or deck mount, and who finishes the inside.

Low-slope roof edge on a building in Scranton, PA — the substrate where roof coatings genuinely belong

Shingles Roof Coating: What It Does to an Asphalt Roof in Scranton

Coating asphalt shingles is sold everywhere and advised against by the people who make the shingles. What a coating does to a lapped roof, to your warranty, and to a future hail claim in Scranton, PA.

Steep roof eaves and gutter lines on houses in Scranton, PA

A Roof With an Ice Dam in Scranton: A Heat Problem, Not a Gutter Problem

What causes an ice dam, what one looks like from the driveway, why the water ends up on your Scranton, PA ceiling, and the fix order that works: air seal, insulate, ventilate.

Underlayment rolled and capped on a bare roof deck in Scranton, PA

Roof Underlayment Types in Scranton: Felt, Synthetic, Peel-and-Stick

Felt, synthetic and self-adhered underlayment compared for Scranton, PA roofs — what the ASTM numbers mean, which ones are real standards, and the laps and fasteners that decide whether any of it works.

Clay barrel tile rooflines on homes in Scranton, PA

Spanish Roof Tile in Scranton: A Shape, Not a Material

Spanish tile names a profile, and that profile comes in clay, concrete and molded polymer at wildly different weights. What that means for framing, freeze-thaw and re-roofing in Scranton, PA.

Roofer nailing the cap course along a ridge on a home in Scranton, PA

Roof Ridge Vent Installation Cost in Scranton: Timing Sets It

A ridge vent is close to free during a re-roof and a real job as a retrofit in Scranton, PA. The drivers, the ratios, and the line item most quotes leave out.

Moss growing on an aging asphalt shingle roof in Scranton, PA

Roof Moss Treatment in Scranton: Why the Fast Method Ends the Roof

Moss on asphalt shingles has one correct treatment and one destructive one that sells better. What ARMA and the shingle warranties actually say, and what it costs in Scranton, PA.

Hips and valleys across a run of rooflines in Scranton, PA, where two planes meet and hand their water to one line

Roof Hip and Valley in Scranton: Why Only One of Them Leaks

A hip sheds water away from itself. A valley concentrates it. What separates open, closed-cut and woven valleys in Scranton, PA, and why a dead valley is the detail that actually fails.

Bare rafters and panel decking on a house in Scranton, PA before the covering goes back on

Roof Decking Types in Scranton: Plywood, OSB, Boards and Span Ratings

Plywood, OSB, plank and spaced sheathing compared for Scranton, PA roofs — what the span rating stamp means, what sets minimum thickness, and how the decking change order should be priced.

Roof damaged by a windstorm in Scranton, PA

Roof Damage From a Storm in Scranton: How Wind Actually Breaks a Roof

Wind damage is a broken seal and a creased tab, not a dent, and a failed shingle can look perfect from the ground. How wind losses are read in Scranton, PA — and why the honest answer is often a repair.

Moss and dark algae staining on a shaded asphalt shingle roof in Scranton, PA

Moss on a Roof in Scranton: Three Organisms, Three Different Answers

Moss, black algae and lichen look like one problem and are not. What each one actually does to asphalt shingles, why it grows where it does, and when to act in Scranton, PA.

Neighborhood of roofs in Scranton, PA after a storm, where every household is running the same claim process

Insurance Claim for a Roof in Scranton: How the Process Actually Runs

Not whether you are covered — what happens after you call. The adjuster's scope, the depreciation you have to go back and collect, appraisal, and what a public adjuster costs in Scranton, PA.

Snow-covered roof edge and gutter line on a house in Scranton, PA

Ice Dam Removal in Scranton: One Method Works, Four Wreck the Roof

Steam takes an ice dam off a Scranton, PA roof without damaging it. Chisels, pressure washers, salt and flame do not. What to do while it is leaking, and what removal is worth paying.

Roofing crew installing underlayment on a stripped deck in Scranton, PA

How Long Does a Tile Roof Last in Scranton? Two Numbers, Not One

Tile outlives the membrane under it by decades, so a tile roof has two lifespans. What clay, concrete, the underlayment and cedar shake really last in Scranton, PA.

Tile roof gable in full sun, the kind of exposure that sets roof life in Scranton, PA

How Long Does a Roof Last in Florida? The Law, Not the Shingle

Florida's sun shortens a roof and Florida's rules decide when it stops being insurable. What s. 627.7011 really says, the 25 percent rule, the HVHZ, and how Texas differs.

Weathered exposed-fastener metal roof on an outbuilding near Scranton, PA

How Long Does a Metal Roof Last in Scranton? The Coating Decides

A metal roof's life is set by its coating and fasteners, not the metal. Plus real service life for slate, rubber, TPO and composite roofs in Scranton, PA.

Hail falling on a house in Scranton, PA where the policy wording decides the claim

Hail Damage to a Roof and Insurance in Scranton: What the Policy Already Decided

Hail is the peril carriers rewrote the policy around. Cosmetic exclusions, roof settlement schedules and percentage wind-hail deductibles decide a Scranton, PA claim before anyone climbs the ladder.

Hailstorm passing over houses in Scranton, PA

Hail Damage on a Roof in Scranton: What Is Real and What Only Looks Like It

Hail damage to a shingle is a fracture in the mat. Granule loss, blisters and round dark marks are different problems. How to tell them apart in Scranton, PA before anyone signs anything.

Inspecting an asphalt shingle slope after a hailstorm in Scranton, PA

Hail Damage Roof Inspection in Scranton: The Test Square and the Count

A hail inspection is a counting exercise inside a chalked ten-by-ten square, not a look. What gets counted in Scranton, PA, who is counting, and how the replace-or-repair call actually gets made.

Low-slope membrane roof edge on a building in Scranton, PA

Hail Damage on a Foam Roof in Scranton: What Breaks Under the Coating

On a foam or single-ply roof the hail damage is usually under the surface, and the assessment is a cut sample rather than a look. How SPF, TPO and EPDM actually fail in Scranton, PA.

Dormers on a shingle roof in Scranton, PA, where step flashing and kickout flashing carry water past the walls

Flashing on a Roof in Scranton: Where Roofs Actually Leak

Flashing is the metal at every joint on your roof, it is invisible from the ground, and it is what fails. What the pieces do in Scranton, PA, and how to tell if yours were done right.

Brick chimney and its flashing on a shingle roof in Scranton, PA, where four separate pieces of metal have to work as one assembly

Flashing Chimney Repair Cost in Scranton: What Sets the Number

A chimney needs four flashing pieces working as one, on masonry that has its own condition. What drives the price in Scranton, PA, and why no range fits.

Downspout discharging beside a foundation wall on a house in Scranton, PA

Downspout Drainage in Scranton: Where the Water Goes After the Elbow

A downspout emptying at the wall undoes the grading code on purpose. Extensions, buried lines, dry wells and the winter failure mode, for Scranton, PA houses.

Rotted sheathing and rafters exposed under a long-running roof leak in Scranton, PA

Cost to Fix a Leak in a Roof in Scranton: What Actually Moves the Number

A roof leak is a category, not a job. What separates a half-hour repair from a two-day one in Scranton, PA, and why no published range can price your roof.

Newly finished roof on a home in Scranton, PA — a capital improvement that adds to basis rather than a deduction

Can You Claim a New Roof on Your Taxes? Usually No — Here's What People Actually Mean

A roof on your own home is not deductible. It adds to your basis, which matters when you sell. What the energy credit covered, when roofs came off it, and the narrow cases that are real — sourced to IRS publications.

Attic roof framing and sheathing above a home in Scranton, PA

Attic Ventilation Calculator for a Scranton Roof

Work out your own attic ventilation number in Scranton, PA: floor area, the 1/150 or 1/300 divisor, square inches of net free area, and how many vents.

Close view of overlapping architectural asphalt shingle courses on a roof in Scranton, PA

3-Tab Shingles Versus Architectural in Scranton: One Layer or Two

A 3-tab shingle is one layer with cutouts. An architectural shingle is two layers bonded together. That single difference sets weight, wind rating, warranty and how the roof fails in Scranton, PA.

House with new roof decking and synthetic underlayment during a roof replacement in Scranton, PA

Roof Replacement Cost in Scranton: What Drives the Number

Roof replacement is priced per square, not per house. Here's what actually moves the bid in Scranton, PA, and which line items are worth paying for.

Roofer inspecting decking and underlayment on a residential roof in Scranton, PA

Roof Inspection Cost in Scranton: What You Get for the Money

A real roof inspection produces a photographed, slope-by-slope report. Here's what one costs in Scranton, PA, and how to tell it from a sales visit.

Dark standing seam metal roof with skylights on a home in Scranton, PA

Metal Roof vs Shingles in Scranton: The Honest Comparison

Metal costs roughly two to three times what asphalt does and lasts two to three times as long. Here's when that math works in Scranton, PA, and when it doesn't.

Chimneys and flashing details on a rooftop where leaks commonly begin in Scranton, PA

How to Find and Fix a Roof Leak in Scranton

Water rarely enters where the stain appears. Here's how to trace a roof leak in Scranton, PA, what you can fix yourself, and what needs a roofer.

Roofing installer fastening shingles over new underlayment in Scranton, PA

How Long Does a Roof Replacement Take in Scranton?

Most single-family re-roofs are one to three days of work. Here's the real timeline in Scranton, PA, including the scheduling part nobody warns you about.

Aging shingle roof with moss growth and granule loss in Scranton, PA

How Long Does a Roof Last in Scranton? Real Numbers

Rated life and actual life are different numbers. Here's what each roofing material really lasts in Scranton, PA, and the signs yours is near the end.

Storm clouds building over houses before roof damage in Scranton, PA

Does Insurance Cover Roof Replacement in Scranton?

Insurance pays for sudden storm damage, not for a worn-out roof. Here's how adjusters actually decide, and what ACV settlement means for Scranton, PA homeowners.

Start here

What we write about, and why

Every post here answers a question Scranton property owners actually ask before they hire anyone — what work costs, which materials are worth the upcharge, how long a job really takes, and the shortcuts that look fine for two years and then do not.

The writing comes from the same people doing the work in Scranton, PA and the Lackawanna Valley, which is why the numbers are specific and the advice sometimes tells you not to spend money.

Need help now rather than reading

Skip the articles and go to the page for what you need — each one covers pricing, scope and how to start:

Roof Replacement in Scranton — A Scranton tear-off has a step in front of it that roofers in most places never have to think about. Whether the Commonwealth insures this building against the ground under it, and whether it already does, changes what we recommend and the order we recommend it in.
Roof Leak Repair in Scranton — Most leaks in Scranton housing are detail failures at a penetration or a wall line, and they are cheap. A small number are not, and on a double block a small number of those are not even entering through your half of the building.
Storm Damage Restoration in Scranton — Storms here are real and so is the damage, and most of it is straightforward. What is different in this valley is what happens when the damage turns out not to be weather, because in Pennsylvania that discovery usually means there is no claim to file at all.
Hail Damage Roofing in Scranton — Expect an argument on this page. Northeastern Pennsylvania takes hail, but far less of the severe roof-wrecking sort than the plains do, and much of what gets reported here as ice damage turns out on inspection to be something else entirely.
Wind Damage Roofing in Scranton — Wind takes a roof apart from the outside in. Everything in the field is held down by the courses stacked on top of it, while the rake, the eave and the ridge have nothing above them.

Or call (877) 401-7561 for a free estimate.