Installation is different from replacement
On this site, roof installation means a roof on a structure that has never had one: a new house, a new addition, a new porch or garage. There is no tear-off. Instead the work depends on coordination: the framing and sheathing must be ready, windows and wall flashing must be sequenced correctly, and the roof has to tie cleanly into the existing house.
If you are replacing an existing roof, see roof replacement.
New construction projects we roof
- Custom and infill homes: new homes built on lots where an older house was taken down are common across Bethesda and Chevy Chase.
- Additions and second stories: tying new roof planes into existing ones without creating leak-prone valleys or dead spots that trap water.
- Porches, sunrooms and screened rooms: often low-slope, which calls for a membrane rather than shingles. See flat roof installation.
- Detached garages and accessory dwelling units
- Dormers added to finished attics
How we work with your builder and architect
- Plan review: we review roof pitches, materials, ventilation and flashing details on the drawings and flag anything that will be hard to keep watertight.
- Scheduling: we time dry-in to protect the framing and interior work. Deck exposure in summer thunderstorm season is a real risk.
- Transitions: wall-to-roof flashing is coordinated with the siding and window installers, so each layer overlaps the one below it the way water runs.
- Penetrations: plumbing vents, exhaust fans and skylights are flashed as the roof goes on, not cut in afterward.
- Drainage: roof edges are planned with gutter installation in mind, so water goes where the grading and drainage plan expects it.
- Roof deck: plywood or OSB sheathing on the rafters. Soft or rotted sections are replaced during tear-off.
- Drip edge: metal edge that steers water off the deck and into the gutter.
- Ice-and-water membrane: self-adhered waterproofing at the eaves (and valleys) where ice dams and wind-driven rain get in.
- Synthetic underlayment: secondary water barrier over the rest of the deck, lapped over the membrane.
- Architectural shingles: installed to the manufacturer’s nailing and exposure specifications so the warranty stays valid.
- Ridge vent: lets warm, moist attic air escape at the peak.
- Soffit vents: let outside air into the attic under the eaves.
- Attic airflow: balanced intake and exhaust keeps the deck cool and dry, extending shingle life and reducing ice dams.
Material options for new roofs
Most pitched roofs on new homes here use architectural asphalt shingles for cost, appearance and wind resistance. See shingle roof installation. Low-slope sections such as porch roofs, rear additions and modern flat rooflines use single-ply or modified bitumen membranes. If you are planning a heavier material, such as slate, the framing must be designed for its weight from the start, which is one reason to involve a roofer at the design stage.
Permits on new construction
New houses and additions are permitted projects, and the roof is inspected as part of that permit. Your builder or architect typically holds the building permit. In historic districts, including the Chevy Chase Village Historic District, exterior changes also go through the Historic Preservation Commission. We provide the material specifications and product data those reviews require.
Sequencing a new roof with the rest of the build
On the infill lots being redeveloped across Bethesda and Chevy Chase, the new house often sits close to its neighbors with very little room to work. That makes roof staging a scheduling problem, not just a roofing one: material has to land where the lift or crane can reach it without blocking the framers, and the roof is the gate for everything inside, because drywall, flooring and finish trades cannot start until the building is dry. We coordinate our dates against the framing schedule and dry the roof in as soon as the sheathing is nailed and inspected, so the structure is protected through the next thunderstorm rather than tarped and hoping.
New construction is also the only time the hidden details are free to get right. In this climate that means a ventilation path designed with the insulation rather than retrofitted around it, an ice barrier at the eaves and valleys where freeze-thaw drives meltwater backward, and kick-out flashing wherever a roof plane dies into a wall above a lower roof. That last detail is the one most often missing on new homes, and when it is missing the water does not show up on the ceiling; it rots the wall sheathing behind the siding for years. We set those flashings so they integrate with the weather barrier before siding goes on, not after.
Modern designs here mix roof types, so the tie-ins get planned in advance. Low-slope sections, parapets and roof terraces are built with slope and drainage designed in from the start under flat roof installation, penetrations for skylights, solar conduit and vent stacks are grouped and curbed before framing is closed in through skylight installation, and gutters are sized to the actual roof planes and tied into the site's stormwater plan through gutter installation. Deciding all of that on paper costs nothing; deciding it on the roof costs money.
Roof Installation across Bethesda, North Bethesda and Chevy Chase
We provide roof installation throughout southern Montgomery County, including Bethesda, MD (20814, 20816, 20817) , North Bethesda, MD (20852) , and Chevy Chase, MD (20815) . Each area page covers the housing types, permit considerations and storm history particular to that community.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work as a subcontractor for general contractors?
Yes. We work directly for homeowners and as the roofing trade for builders and design-build firms. Either way, the work is done under our MHIC license.
When should a roofer get involved in a new build or addition?
At the design stage if possible. Roof pitch, material weight, valley layout and ventilation are all easier and cheaper to get right on paper than to correct after framing.
Can a new addition roof match my existing roof?
We match material type, profile and color as closely as current products allow. If the existing roof is near the end of its life, it can be worth replacing it at the same time so the whole house matches and shares one warranty start date.