Copper work
Copper is the work that separates roofers. It is formed on site, seamed by hand, and it shows every shortcut for as long as the building stands.
Standing seam roofs
Bay roofs, dormer tops, porch roofs and turrets — the small, highly visible surfaces where copper earns its cost. Panels are formed and seamed on site to fit the actual roof rather than an idealized version of it, and stepped into chimney brick where they meet masonry.
It is slow work and there is no way to make it fast. A crew that has done a lot of it is the only real shortcut.
Copper gutters and snow belts
Copper gutters are hung and soldered rather than sealed, which is why they last. A snow belt — the copper band along the eave — stops sheets of snow releasing off a steep roof onto whatever is below, which on a Newton or Chestnut Hill street is often a walkway or a car.
One of our customers had exactly this done alongside an asphalt roof replacement: a copper snow belt with copper gutters, on a roof that is otherwise shingle. The two go together more often than people expect.
It will change color, and that is the point
New copper is bright and slightly startling. It darkens through brown over the first year or two and, given long enough and the right exposure, turns green. If you want it to stay bright it has to be coated, which is a maintenance commitment rather than a one-time decision.
Most people who choose copper are choosing the patina. It is worth knowing which you are choosing before the panels go on.
Common questions
- Can I have copper on part of the roof only?
- That is the most common way it is done. Copper on the bays, dormers, porch roof or snow belt, with asphalt shingle across the main slopes.
- How long does a copper roof last?
- Longer than the rest of the house, in practice. The failure point on copper work is almost never the copper — it is a soldered joint that was not done properly, which is why who installs it matters more here than on any other roofing material.
Work like this
See the full gallery-
Standing seam copper dormer
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Cedar shingle turret
Need copper work?
Tell us what the roof is doing and we will come and look at it. Free estimate, no obligation, and a straight answer about what the job actually needs.
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$500 off a complete roof installation
Applied to your estimate for a full roof replacement.
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$100 off any roof repair
Applied to your estimate for repair work of any size.
- Offers cannot be combined. Not valid on work already completed.
- Call us
- (617) 244-9901
- Office hours
- Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm
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