Nothing matches the character of natural cedar. We install, repair, and maintain cedar roofs with the detailing this material demands, from correct exposure to stainless fasteners.
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Nothing matches the character of a natural cedar roof, and few materials suit Long Island's shingle-style and coastal homes better. Cedar insulates well, stands up to wind, and weathers into a silver-gray patina that looks better with age.
Cedar demands real craftsmanship: correct exposure, stainless fasteners, and ventilation detailing that lets the wood breathe. Our installers work with cedar regularly, not as a sideline.
We install new cedar roofs, repair weathered sections, and maintain existing cedar so it reaches its full lifespan. If you are weighing cedar against other materials, request a free estimate and we will give you an honest comparison for your home. If the roof is past saving, we handle the full Long Island roof replacement too.
A cedar roof is only as good as the hands that nail it down. We hand-select every shake, set the exposure by the pitch, and back it with stainless fasteners because salt air eats anything less. It is the craft side of our Long Island roofing work, and we treat it that way on every house we touch.
Wood asks for more attention than asphalt, and we give it. Our crews install new cedar roofs, swap weathered shakes one at a time, and keep older roofs breathing so they reach their full life. If a limb comes through or wind peels a face open, our Long Island emergency roof repair team can tarp and stabilize the damage before it spreads into the decking.
Cedar is the character choice, and it rewards owners who understand what they are buying. Here is the honest trade-off.
No manufactured product matches the depth and texture of real cedar, and it is a signature look in Long Island's shoreline and historic neighborhoods. It weathers into a silver-gray patina that only improves with age.
Properly installed and maintained cedar roofs serve Long Island homes for decades, far beyond builder-grade asphalt. Installation quality is the single biggest factor, which is why the installer matters.
Cedar's cellular structure insulates far better than asphalt, keeping attics cooler in summer and warmer in winter. That translates into real comfort and lower energy bills year round.
Wrong fasteners:
Anything but stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners streaks and fails in cedar.
No breathing room:
Cedar must dry from below. Skipped battens or vapor detailing rot a cedar roof from underneath.
Asphalt habits on a cedar roof:
Exposure, coursing, and valley details are different in cedar. A crew that treats it like asphalt will ruin it.
A well-installed cedar roof lasts 30 to 40 years or more on Long Island, and the maintenance routine below is what gets it there. Only Long Island slate roofing outlasts it. Cedar is a living material, and its lifespan is decided by care. The routine that earns 50 years:
Real cedar comes in more than one personality, and the right choice follows your home's architecture. Not sold on wood? Long Island asphalt shingle roofing delivers the best value per year.
1. Hand-Split Shakes:
Thick, rustic, and deeply textured. The classic look for shingle-style and Hamptons homes, with maximum character and wind mass.
2. Sawn Cedar Shingles:
Smoother and more uniform, suited to traditional and historic homes where crisp coursing matters.
3. Premium Grades and Treatments:
Heart-grade cedar and pressure-treated options extend lifespan in exposed coastal settings.
Most cedar roofs we install on Long Island are western red, but it is not the only species worth knowing.
Our default. Western red cedar shingles and red cedar shakes carry natural oils and a tight grain that stand up to salt air, and we spec premium blue label grade to resist splitting and cupping.
Eastern white cedar weathers to the classic Cape Cod silver-gray faster than red cedar. It is a lighter shingle, suited to traditional homes where that patina is the point.
The densest and hardest of the three, with a pale, even color. We quote it for exposed south shore roofs that take the worst of the wind.
Factory preservative treatment slows rot and moss on shaded, tree-covered roofs. It costs more per square, and your written estimate lists species, grade, and treatment so you know exactly what goes on your roof.
Composite shakes have gotten convincing, and we quote them honestly alongside real cedar instead of pretending one answer fits every home.
Brava cedar shake, CeDUR roofing, and DaVinci shake shingles are molded polymer products with strong impact and fire ratings and none of a wood roof's maintenance. From the curb they read as cedar; up close, the molds repeat and the wood does not.
The surprise for most homeowners: synthetic cedar shakes cost as much as real cedar installed on Long Island, and often more. The trade is maintenance versus authenticity, not price. If you mainly want the shake look for less, some architectural asphalt lines imitate it, and our Long Island asphalt shingle roofing page covers those. Ask us for one written estimate with real and composite numbers side by side.
Cedar pricing rewards understanding what you are paying for, because the inputs are visible.
1. Shake vs. Shingle and Grade:
Hand-split shakes, sawn shingles, and heart-grade stock each carry their own material price.
2. Roof Complexity:
Cedar detailing around valleys, hips, and dormers is craftsman labor, and complex roofs carry more of it.
3. Breathing and Detailing:
Battens, interlayment, and ventilation done right cost more on day one and pay it back over decades of roof life.
Every project gets a written, itemized estimate before any work begins, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Roof repairs, roof replacements, and honest inspections backed by over 10 years of local experience.
Get a Free EstimateCall us at 631-209-7792
Cedar rarely fails all at once. It fails a face at a time, which means partial work is often the honest answer. Smaller fixes fall under our Long Island roof repair service.
Our Advice: Weathered south- and water-facing slopes can often be redone individually while the rest of the roof runs another decade. Never let anyone quote a full cedar tear-off without walking every slope.
The Asphalt-Crew Risk:
Cedar exposure, coursing, and valley details are nothing like asphalt. A crew that treats it the same will ruin a premium roof with confident work.
The Fastener Risk:
Anything but stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners streaks black and fails early in cedar. It is invisible on day one and permanent by year three.
Our Approach: Crews that work cedar regularly, stainless fasteners as standard, and detailing that lets the wood breathe for its full 30 to 50 year life.
Before we quote a shake or a shingle, we get on the roof and under it. We check the decking for soft spots, look at how the attic vents, and pull a few pieces to see what the last crew left behind. Cedar hides trouble well from the ground, so we do not price from the driveway.
On installation day the details are everything. We lay breather mesh so air moves under the wood, run copper or stainless flashing in the valleys, and set every course to the exposure the pitch calls for. Then we walk the roof one last time, checking fasteners and keyways, before the ladder comes down.
We treat every roof like it's protecting our own family.
Benjamin ShepherdCEO · Benny's Roofing
Get a Free EstimateCall us at 631-209-7792
Before you trust anyone with cedar, read reviews from people who already did. Benny's Roofing holds a 5.0 rating from more than 20 Google reviews, and the map card next to this page goes straight to them. Read what Long Island homeowners say about the crew, the cleanup, and how the final bill matched the written estimate.
We have been at this over ten years, licensed and insured the whole way. If another roofer quotes your cedar job, we are glad to look at their numbers with you and tell you where they are right. Honest comparisons cost us nothing, and they usually show homeowners exactly why the details under the shakes matter.
Benny's replaced our whole roof after a storm and made the insurance claim painless. Crew was on time, cleaned up every nail, and the new roof looks incredible. Could not recommend them more.
Got three estimates and Benny's was the only one who actually inspected the attic and flashing. Honest, no pressure, and the price was fair. The new roof was done in two days.
A shingle blew off and I expected the runaround. Instead Benny's came out the next morning, fixed it, and didn't even charge me. That's how you earn a customer for life.
New roof in a single day. The crew showed up on time, protected the landscaping, and the final price matched the quote to the dollar. No surprises anywhere.
Financing made a full replacement doable for us. The office kept us in the loop the whole way and the work passed inspection with zero issues. Truly professional.
Quick response after a windstorm. They tarped the roof the same day and had it fully repaired that week. Lifesavers. I recommend Benny's to every neighbor.
A cedar roof is a premium investment in your home's character and value, and financing makes it easier to say yes. Spread the cost into predictable monthly payments instead of draining your savings or leaning on a high-interest credit card.
Checking your options takes just a few minutes and won't affect your credit score. Tell us a little about your project, and we'll walk you through plans with quick approvals, flexible terms, and no prepayment penalties.
Yes. We install, repair, and maintain cedar shake and cedar shingle roofs across Long Island with the detailing natural wood demands: correct exposure, stainless fasteners, and ventilation that lets the wood breathe. Every project starts with a free inspection and a written estimate.
Shakes are split from the log, so they are thicker and more rustic. Shingles are sawn, smoother, and lay in crisper courses. Both are real cedar, and the right choice follows your home's architecture, which we will walk through with you at a free consultation.
Western red cedar is our default because its natural oils and tight grain stand up to coastal weather, with white cedar and Alaskan yellow cedar as options for specific looks. Near the water we pair any of them with stainless fasteners, since salt air corrodes standard nails.
We can quote both real cedar and composite shakes from makers like Brava, CeDUR, and DaVinci. Synthetics cut the maintenance but they are not cheap, and nothing manufactured fully matches real cedar's character. Ask for a written side-by-side estimate and decide with real numbers in front of you.
Cedar has to dry from both sides, so we install a breather mesh underlayment such as Cedar Breather over the deck instead of laying shakes flat on felt. That air gap is the difference between a 20 year cedar roof and a 40 year one.
More than asphalt, less than slate. The cost of replacing a cedar shake roof comes down to shake grade, roof complexity, and the ventilation detailing done underneath. We give you a written, itemized estimate before any work begins, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Usually, yes. Cedar fails a face at a time, so weathered slopes and individual shakes can be replaced without a full tear-off, and we match the existing material so repairs blend in as they weather. We walk every slope on a free inspection before recommending anything bigger.
Keep it clear of leaves, treat moss and algae early, and have a cedar specialist check the roof every two to three years. A maintained and properly treated cedar roof reaches 30 to 40 years or more on Long Island, while a neglected one fails decades early.
Booking a visit is simple. Give us a call or send the form, and Benjamin's team sets a time that works around your day. We come out, walk the roof, and sit down with you to go through what we found, with photos so you can see every worn shake and lifted piece of flashing yourself.
You get a free written estimate that spells out species, grade, fasteners, and underlayment, then the decision stays with you. Nobody follows up with a hard sell, because a cedar roof is a big call and rushing it helps no one. Take the paper, compare it around, and call us when you are ready.
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