Roof replacement in East Providence

Riverside and the bay

Riverside grew as a bay-side resort and neighborhood around Crescent Park. Its hand-carved carousel was built in 1895 by Charles I. D. Looff, who moved his workshop to Crescent Park in 1905. The carousel was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and still runs in its original spot. The amusement park around it is long gone, and many of the streets nearby face directly onto the bay.

For a roof, that means wind and salt air. On bay-side houses ask about wind-resistant edges and corrosion-resistant flashing, and about algae-resistant shingles for shaded or north-facing slopes.

Older neighborhoods by the Seekonk

The western side of the city, facing Providence across the Seekonk River, has older streets with two-families, Victorians and early 20th-century houses. Expect board decking, multiple old layers and chimneys that need new flashing. Some of these houses have low-slope porch roofs that should be replaced with the main roof.

Postwar and later

Much of East Providence was built out in the decades after World War II, with Capes, ranches and split-levels. These usually need a straightforward shingle replacement with better attic ventilation than they were built with.