54 Sylvan Ave

Atlas Pinnacle Pristine Pewter — 54 Sylvan Ave, Pleasant Ridge

This job was a full roof replacement on a 1,282 square foot home on Sylvan Ave in Pleasant Ridge, a small but well-kept city just north of Ferndale and Oak Park in Southeast Michigan. The roof had reached the end of its useful life. No active leaks, no storm damage, just an older roof that had run its course and needed to come off. Mary did her homework, got multiple quotes, and went with Roofing Army after comparing proposals. She chose the Atlas Pinnacle Pristine in Pewter, which is a solid mid-range architectural shingle with good warranty coverage.

The tear-off went down to bare decking across all 17 squares of shingled roof area. One of the planes sits at a 3/12 pitch, which is on the lower end of what shingles are rated for, so we ran full ice and water shield coverage across that entire plane rather than just the standard two courses at the eaves. On the remaining planes, we ran six feet of ice and water at the eaves, then continued it through the valleys, around walls, and at any other penetrations. That's the Epistik membrane, nine rolls total. Synthetic underlayment went on top of that, cap-nailed from the eaves up to the ridge.

We installed 25 pieces of premium drip edge around the perimeter, starter strips at all eaves and rakes, then laid 41 bundles of the Pinnacle Pristine in Pewter. That's just under 14 squares of field shingles. Hip and ridge cap is the Pro-Cut line, five bundles. Two new pipe boots went in with covers over both of them. The chimney got a full flashing replacement with new step flashing, wall flashing, and a kerf-cut counter flashing set into the masonry. That's the right way to do a chimney. Anything less and you're just buying yourself a future leak.

Ventilation was a significant part of this job. We installed 17 pieces of SmartVent along the eaves for intake. SmartVent sits at the roof edge and draws air in from outside, so don't confuse these with soffit vents. They're edge-mounted intake vents. We also put in 10 attic insulation rafter baffles to keep the ventilation channel open between the insulation and the roof deck, directing that intake air up toward the exhaust. Eight box exhaust vents handle the outflow at the upper portion of the roof. The bathroom exhaust vent was rerouted as well. One bathroom had been venting into the attic, which is a common problem in older homes in this area. We added a dedicated roof exhaust vent with insulated flexible ducting so that moisture now exits the house properly instead of dumping into the attic space.

We also did some exterior sealant work along the rear of the house near the gutter line. There were gaps in that area that Mary had flagged, and while sealant isn't a permanent structural fix, it helps keep water out of those gaps in the meantime. That work was folded into the project scope. The job also included a permit, dumpster and full debris removal, and a magnetic nail sweep of the property when the crew wrapped up.

Pleasant Ridge roof replacement projects like this one are pretty typical for the area. These are older homes, many of them built in the mid-20th century, and the roofs reflect that. The bones are usually solid, but the roofing systems need updating. The total cost on this project came in at the price reflected in the signed contract, all-inclusive with no hidden fees on materials, labor, or disposal. If you're in Pleasant Ridge or anywhere nearby in the Ferndale or Huntington Woods area and your roof is showing its age, it's worth getting eyes on it before it becomes an emergency.