Slate, cedar shake and copper roofing in McLean (22101)

Off Georgetown Pike, Old Dominion Drive and the lanes around Langley, many homes were built from the 1980s onward with 10/12 to 14/12 pitches, multiple hips, turrets and big dormers. On roofs like that, the field material is rarely the problem. The leaks show up at the metalwork: valleys, crickets behind chimneys, skylight curbs and the joints where copper meets slate.

We stage these jobs with roof jacks, toe boards and fall protection anchored to the framing, and we protect landscaping, patios and pool decks with plywood and tarps. Material comes up by hoist instead of being carried across lawns.

Good slate can outlive several generations of flashing. When we see a few cracked or slipped pieces, we replace them one at a time using slate hooks or a copper strap, matching color and thickness from our stock. If the slates delaminate, flake or ring dull when tapped, the stone itself is near its end.

On some newer McLean homes, the slate was installed with steel nails or thin underlayment, which fails much earlier than the stone. In that case we can strip, reuse sound slate and reinstall over new underlayment and copper nails. Our slate repair page lays out what we look for.

Heavily wooded lots near Scott's Run and along the Potomac bluffs keep cedar roofs damp. Moss, lichen and cupped shakes are the result, and once shakes split, water reaches the felt interlay underneath. We replace damaged shakes, clean and treat the roof, and trim back limbs where we can.

When a cedar roof is past saving, some owners move to synthetic slate or a composite shake that keeps the look with less upkeep. Others want new hand-split cedar, and we install it over a breathable mat so the shakes dry out between storms.

• Cupped or split shakes on shaded slopes
• Green copper stains running below valleys
• Slipped slates sitting in gutters
• Loose ridge caps after a windstorm

Many McLean homes have copper half-round gutters, copper bay roofs over bow windows and copper chimney caps. Those pieces age into a brown and then green patina, and they can last decades when the solder joints hold. When a joint splits, we clean it back to bright metal and resolder rather than smearing sealant over it.

HOAs in some McLean communities want any replacement roof to match the original material and color. We bring samples and product sheets so you can get approval, and we confirm permit needs with the county permit office before major work starts.