Now booking fall installs — free roof inspection and written estimate.
Northwoods specialty
Roofs on the lake live a different life than roofs in town — deeper snow, more shade, more pine debris, steeper pitches, harder access and owners who are often three hours away. We are based in Tomahawk and this is the work we do all season.
A cabin roof in Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas or Price County carries snow for months, not days. We look at the framing, the pitch and where the snow will actually go before recommending a system — because a metal roof that dumps its load onto an entry, a deck rail or a propane tank has traded one problem for another. Snow retention is designed in where it belongs, not added later.
Most Northwoods leaks are heat-loss leaks. We review attic insulation, air sealing and soffit-to-ridge ventilation, and we run ice-and-water protection well past the warm wall line, in every valley and around every penetration.
Lake lots are wooded. Needles pack into valleys and behind chimneys, hold moisture and shorten the life of anything under them. Open valley details, clean flashing transitions and honest talk about overhanging limbs matter more here than on an open subdivision roof.
Cabins grow. A three-season porch here, a dormer there, a bunkhouse addition tied into the original roofline. Those intersections are where water gets in, and they are detailed one at a time rather than with one blanket approach.
Stone and block chimneys on older lake homes rarely have proper step and counter flashing. We rebuild the flashing as part of the roof rather than caulking over what is there.
Vaulted lake-home ceilings often leave almost no rafter cavity for airflow. That changes what can be installed above it, and we say so up front instead of finding out mid-project.
Narrow drives, soft shoulders, septic fields, retaining walls, mature landscaping and steep grades down to the water all affect staging. We walk it before the job and plan where the dumpster, materials and trailer sit.
Tarps over landscaping and decks, plywood where it is warranted, and a magnet sweep of the drive, lawn and shoreline path before we leave. Second-home owners should not find nails in the grass in May.
A large share of the roofs we replace belong to owners who live downstate or out of state. That works because the communication is deliberate, not because there is an app.
Concealed fasteners, long panel runs and excellent snow shedding. A strong fit for steep cabin rooflines and lake exposure. Details at valleys, chimneys and eaves are what separate a good metal roof from a leaky one.
Metal roofing in Wisconsin →The right call on many lake homes and the more economical system on complex rooflines with a lot of cuts. Paired with proper ice-and-water protection and balanced ventilation, it holds up well in the Northwoods.
Roof replacement →There is no universal answer. Pitch, framing, budget, how long you plan to keep the property and where snow will land all factor in. Compare them honestly before you decide.
Compare metal and asphalt →Yes, and we do it regularly for seasonal owners. We inspect and photograph, send a written estimate, confirm approval, and call you before any significant change such as replacing rotten decking. You get photos and a completion message when the work is done.
Often, but not always. Metal sheds snow well and lasts a long time, but on a complex roofline with many valleys and dormers the cost climbs and asphalt may be the better value. Pitch, framing, access and where snow will land all matter. We will tell you honestly which one fits the building.
By planning for it. On metal roofs, snow retention is designed into the layout above doors, decks, walkways, propane tanks and mechanicals. On shingle roofs the shedding is slower, but the same trouble spots get reviewed.
Packed needles in valleys and behind chimneys hold moisture against the roof and slow drainage. It rarely destroys a roof by itself, but it accelerates wear at exactly the spots that are hardest to fix. Open valley details and periodic clearing help.
We tarp landscaping and decks, plan staging around septic fields, retaining walls and soft ground, and run a magnet sweep of the drive and walkways before leaving.
Routine repair and leak work is currently concentrated near our Tomahawk shop, plus Minocqua and Rhinelander, for the remainder of 2026. Roof replacement, metal roofing and storm inspections continue across our broader northern Wisconsin territory.
Not sure what your cabin roof needs yet? Call 715-453-4800 and we will inspect it first and tell you honestly whether it needs work this year.
