Roofing & Home Improvement Contractor in London, KY Built for Kentucky Weather

Strong winds, hail or falling limbs can lift, crease or tear off shingles and ridge caps, puncture decking and loosen metal panels. Once your roof is open to the weather, water gets into the attic, the insulation and the ceilings below within hours.

Spring convective storms, summer straight-line winds and occasional tornadoes are part of life here. The March 2012 outbreak and London's May 2024 EF3 both damaged thousands of roofs. Thick stands of mature oak, hickory and pine around Keavy, Lily and the Daniel Boone National Forest mean wind events often bring limbs down too. Lake homes near Burnside and Jamestown also take wind coming straight off open water. Storm chasers tend to arrive right after these events, so it matters to have a local contractor document the damage.

• Shingles or ridge caps in the yard
• Creased or lifted shingle tabs
• Dented gutters, vents or metal panels after hail
• Limbs resting on the roof
• New water stains on ceilings
• Daylight visible through attic decking

We see the most of this in south London and Laurel County after the 2024 tornado, on wooded lots around Keavy and Lily, and on exposed lakeside homes near Burnside and Russell Springs. Spring hail is especially rough on metal roofs out in Rockcastle County.

First we tarp or temporarily secure the roof. Then we photograph and document the damage for your adjuster, repair or replace what was hit, and replace any decking that got soaked.

Flashing is the metal that seals joints where the roof meets chimneys, walls, skylights and valleys. Once it lifts, rusts or the sealant cracks, water runs behind it, often with nothing visible inside until the decking or framing has already started to rot.

London often crosses 32°F many times in one winter month. Each freeze expands water trapped in hairline gaps, and each thaw lets more water in. Over a few winters that opens up flashing seams and the mortar joints of old brick chimneys. Many early-20th-century homes in downtown London, Mt. Vernon and Liberty still have their original step flashing, or flashing that's just been smeared with roofing tar. Heavy spring rains then push water through the weakened spots.

• Stains on the ceiling or wall near the chimney
• Rust streaks on flashing
• Cracked or missing caulk and tar patches
• Damp attic wood around penetrations
• Peeling paint on the chimney chase
• Drips that show up only in heavy rain

This is common on older brick homes in downtown London, Somerset and Monticello, and on 1960s ranches with masonry chimneys. Leaks usually show up in late winter and during the March–May rains.

We replace the step and counter flashing with properly lapped metal, reseal or repoint the chimney where needed, and check the decking underneath for rot before closing it back up.

Asphalt shingles lose their protective granules as they age. Without them, the asphalt underneath breaks down under UV and heat, and the shingles curl, crack and lose their seal. That leaves the roof easy for wind to lift and more likely to leak.

Summer highs in the upper 80s°F, high humidity and poor attic ventilation heat shingles from both sides. Many 1950s–1970s ranches around London and Corbin are on roofs installed 15–25 years ago with 3-tab shingles, and that's about where those shingles give out. Freeze-thaw cycles then widen the cracks. A lot of homeowners don't notice the decline until a windstorm starts peeling shingles off.

• Gutters full of granules
• Shingle edges curling or cupping
• Bald, dark patches on the roof
• Cracked or brittle tabs
• Shingles lifting in moderate wind
• Roof is 15+ years old with 3-tab shingles

We see this all over the post-war neighborhoods of London, North Corbin and Somerset, and on 1980s–1990s homes in East Bernstadt and Science Hill whose original roofs have never been replaced.

If the damage is limited, we replace the worst sections. If it's widespread, we tear off and replace the roof with architectural shingles or metal, adding proper ventilation and underlayment.

Some older homes have one shingle roof laid over another, and sometimes a third on top of that. Each layer adds weight and holds moisture, and it hides what's happening to the wood decking. The decking often turns out to be soft, delaminated or rotted once the shingles come off.

Overlaying was the cheap fix for decades, and our older town centers are full of it. Kentucky's residential code now allows no more than two asphalt layers, so a third layer is out. Original plank decking in 1920s–1950s homes has spent decades soaking up leaks from failed flashing and freeze-thaw. Our humidity speeds up wood decay, especially under shaded north slopes.

• Visible sagging or waviness in the roofline
• Spongy feel underfoot
• Thick, stepped shingle edges at the eaves
• Attic sheathing that is dark or stained
• Nail pops through shingles
• Mold or musty smell in the attic

This turns up most in old frame homes in downtown London, Mt. Vernon, Brodhead, Liberty, Crab Orchard and Monticello, where two or three layers over plank decking are routine.

We do a full tear-off down to the rafters, replace rotted planks or sheathing with new decking, then install underlayment, drip edge and a new roof that meets current code.

Exposed-fastener metal roofs such as 5V crimp, corrugated and R-panel are held down by screws with rubber washers. As those washers dry out and the screws back out, every fastener can become a pinhole leak, and the panels can start to rust at the laps.

Metal roofing is a tradition on farmhouses, barns and manufactured homes across Laurel, McCreary, Rockcastle, Casey and Clinton counties. Daily expansion and contraction from summer heat, plus winter freeze-thaw, slowly works the screws loose. The rubber washers break down after 10–20 years of UV. Spring hail can dent panels and crack the sealant at the laps.

• Screws backed out or tilted
• Cracked or missing rubber washers
• Rust around fastener holes or panel laps
• Drips in multiple spots after rain
• Loose or rattling panels in wind
• Water stains along the roof's seams

We see this a lot on rural farmhouses and outbuildings around Stearns, Whitley City, Livingston and Hustonville, and on metal roof-overs on manufactured homes in McCreary and Clinton counties.

We re-screw the roof with oversized, gasketed fasteners, seal the laps and ridges, and apply coatings where they help. If the panels have failed, we replace them with new metal.

Mold grows wherever moisture builds up, whether that's a slow roof leak, a poorly vented attic or a bathroom without a working exhaust fan. It stains wood and drywall, breaks down materials over time and can affect air quality throughout the home.

Southeastern Kentucky's humid summers, heavy rainfall and shaded, wooded lots keep moisture high for months at a time. Slow flashing leaks can soak decking and insulation for years before anyone notices. Older homes often have bathroom fans that vent into the attic instead of outside, or no fan at all. Lake cabins near Monticello and Jamestown that sit closed up for weeks are especially likely to get it.

• Musty odor in attic or bathroom
• Black or green spotting on rafters or sheathing
• Discolored grout, caulk or drywall
• Peeling paint in the bathroom
• Frost on attic nails in winter
• Allergy-like symptoms indoors

This is common in attics under long-term leaks in older London and Somerset homes, in bathrooms in 1970s split-levels, and in seasonal Lake Cumberland cabins around Burnside, Jamestown and Monticello.

We find and fix the moisture source, set up containment, remove or treat the affected materials, and correct the ventilation so the mold doesn't come back.

Black streaks on shingles usually come from Gloeocapsa magma algae. Moss grows in thick, shaded patches that hold water against the roof. Gutters packed with leaves overflow, sending water over the fascia and down along the foundation.

Heavy tree cover near the Daniel Boone National Forest, humid summers and north-facing slopes that rarely dry out give algae and moss everything they need. Every fall, oaks and hickories fill gutters with leaves. Many older homes still have undersized aluminum gutters that can't keep up with heavy spring rain, especially on steep, hilly lots around Lake Cumberland.

• Dark streaks on north slopes
• Green moss clumps on shingles
• Gutters overflowing during rain
• Rotting fascia or soffit boards
• Sagging gutter runs
• Erosion or pooling at the foundation

We see this on wooded lots in Keavy, Lily, Ferguson and Whitley City, and on hillside homes near Somerset and Russell Springs, where runoff overwhelms the gutters.

We gently clean off algae and moss, replace any rotted fascia, and recommend algae-resistant shingles or larger-capacity gutters where they make sense.