In DeForest the exterior work that matters most happens because of February. This is the north end of our service area on flat open ground, where a north-facing roof plane can hold snow for three months and never melt cleanly. Ice damming is the thread running through nearly every call we get here — and it is an attic problem that shows up as a roof problem.
Tear-off and replacement, storm damage repair, and leak diagnosis on asphalt, metal, and flat systems. Wisconsin freeze-thaw cycles are hard on roofs — most of what we replace failed at the flashing and ice dam line, not in the field.
Full-frame and insert replacement in vinyl, fiberglass, and clad wood. In a Wisconsin winter the payback shows up on the January gas bill — we’ll tell you honestly whether your existing units are worth keeping.
Fiber cement, engineered wood, vinyl, and steel. We pull the old course back far enough to check sheathing and house wrap — cupping and buckling are usually a moisture problem, not a siding problem.
Seamless aluminum formed on site, oversized 6″ runs, and guard systems. Most ice dam calls we take are a gutter and ventilation issue combined — worth fixing together rather than one at a time.
Same-day emergency tarping, a free HAAG-certified documented inspection, and we meet your adjuster on the roof so nothing gets missed. After a storm, two things matter — stopping active damage now and getting a fair, fully documented insurance claim.
When exterior damage can’t wait, our team is ready to help. We provide fast, dependable solutions for urgent roofing, siding, window, and storm-related issues to help protect your home from further damage.
Local conditions
Position, orientation and housing stock combine here in a way they do not in a sheltered Madisonneighborhood.
Where it all starts
DeForest sits at the north end of our service area on flat, open ground. A north-facing roof plane here gets almost no solar gain from December to March and holds snow for months, melting only from below where attic heat reaches it. That is the ice dam mechanism, and it is why winter dominates the work in this village. If an ice dam is already leaking, we offer same-day ice dam removal in DeForest.
The cause behind the symptom
Bypasses around light fixtures and plumbing stacks, insufficient insulation, and intake vents blocked when someone added more. Nearly every ice dam call here is really a ventilation call, and new shingles do not change any of it. Here’s how ice dams form, and why the fix is in the attic.
The part people forget
Snowpack against siding for weeks at a time, meltwater refreezing at the base, and splash working into unsealed cut edges. Grade clearance and sealed edges are how a wall survives it, and both are decided at install.
Tight houses, winter humidity
Much of DeForest is relatively recent construction — well sealed, which is good for heating bills and means indoor moisture has fewer places to go. That is why so many January window calls here turn out to be humidity rather than failed windows.
Why one contractor
It starts in the attic, shows at the roof edge, wrecks the gutter and comes through the ceiling. Hiring four companies means four people fixing the last thing that broke.
It starts in the attic, shows up at the roof edge, wrecks the gutter and comes through the ceiling. Four trades, one cause. Fixing it means someone looking at all of it rather than replacing the component that failed last.
Replacing shingles without correcting ventilation is putting a new surface on an unsolved problem. We assess the attic as part of every roof estimate here, and sometimes the answer is that your shingles are fine.
People, gutters and the siding below. They belong to the roof and they solve problems the gutter crew would otherwise keep coming back for.
The damage may be claimable and the cause almost certainly is not. Understanding both at once is how you avoid either not filing or expecting your insurer to fund a ventilation project.
When the roofer blames the gutter crew and the gutter crew blames the roofer, you are the one with a wet ceiling. Our 25-year workmanship warranty covers the whole envelope.
A meaningful share of what we do in DeForest ends with us not selling anything — a humidity problem rather than windows, a ventilation fix rather than a roof. That is the job.
DeForest is a village, so the permit comes from the Village rather than a city department, and the process is separate from Madison’s and from Dane County. On a combined project that means one application covering the whole scope.
Details are on the Village of DeForest building permits page.
| Permit required for reroof | Yes |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Village of DeForest |
| Ice barrier at eaves | Required |
| We extend past minimum | Where it's warranted |
| Who files it | We do |
| Maximum roofing layers | 2 (we do 1) |
Your local exterior experts
DeForest questions
The whole exterior — roofing, siding, windows, gutters, soffit and fascia, and storm restoration across all of it. In DeForest that matters more than usual because ice damming crosses all of them at once: it starts in the attic, shows at the roof edge, wrecks the gutter and comes through the ceiling.
Fourteen jobs, which is fewer than in neighbouring Sun Prairie or Waunakee, and we would rather tell you that than round it up. We have completed over 2,200 jobs across southern Wisconsin and we hold 250-plus five-star reviews, and DeForest is a market we are actively working to grow. If you want references from closer to home, ask and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot provide.
No — our shop is at 2117 S Stoughton Road in Madison, about 13 miles south. What that buys you is the same crews and project managers on every job rather than subcontracting to whoever is closest.
Usually attic ventilation and how much heat is escaping into it, rather than anything about the roof surface. Two identical-looking houses can behave completely differently depending on how well the attic is sealed and whether the soffit intake is blocked. It is diagnosable and it is fixable. The University of Minnesota Extension has a good guide to dealing with and preventing ice dams.
The damage often is; the cause usually is not. Water that came through your ceiling is generally treated as sudden and accidental damage. Correcting the ventilation that caused it is maintenance, and insurers generally will not fund it. Coverage varies by policy — but do not assume winter damage is automatically excluded, because that assumption costs people real money.
Generally yes for roof replacement, siding replacement and window replacement. DeForest is a village and the Village of DeForest runs its own process, separate from Madison’s and from Dane County. We pull it as part of the job.
Yes. Low-slope and flat systems including EPDM, TPO and modified bitumen, plus siding and envelope work on commercial and multi-family properties.
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