Blake and Craig started Loon Roofing & Construction after years of watching Northern Michigan homeowners get burned by out-of-town crews who showed up after a storm and were gone by the time the leaks started. So they built the opposite. Today we handle residential roofing in Traverse City and across eight Northern Michigan counties, and the owners still run every job. When you call (231) 300-8445, you talk to one of us, not a call center. Blake climbs onto your roof himself, photographs what he finds, and shows you the pictures before he writes a word of the estimate. If a roof repair will buy you good years, we tell you. If the roof is finished, our own crew tears it off to the deck, installs CertainTeed Landmark shingles, and wraps most homes up in one to two days. Every job is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty and our Michigan contractor license, #262300660. We live here, we work here, and we answer the phone when you call back.
Most homeowners replace a roof once, maybe twice, in their lives. That makes it hard to know who to trust. You can’t judge the work until years later, and by then a bad contractor has changed their number.
We started Loon Roofing & Construction to be the residential roofing contractor in Traverse City we would want working on our own homes. Blake handles the inspections and writes the estimates himself. The crew that shows up on your driveway is our own crew, the same one that has been with us for years.
Here is what that looks like in practice:
As roofers in Traverse City, MI, we would rather earn a referral than close a quick sale. That is how a local company stays in business for the long run.
Blake inspects every roof himself and walks you through photos of what he found. You never deal with a salesperson.
Michigan residential builder license #262300660. Every residential job we take on runs under that license and our own crew.
Our installers are trained and credentialed by CertainTeed, the manufacturer of the shingles we install most.
Our 10-year workmanship warranty. If a problem traces back to how we installed your roof, we come back and fix it.
Every roof we look at gets its own answer. Some need an afternoon of repair work. Others need to come off down to the deck. We inspect first, then recommend what your home actually needs.
Not every leak means a new roof. A cracked pipe boot, a lifted row of shingles after a windstorm, or loose flashing around a chimney can often be fixed in a few hours. Blake traces the water back to where it actually gets in, which is often a few feet from the stain on your ceiling. We check the decking underneath before we close anything up. If you want to understand where leaks usually start, our guide to common roof leak causes is a good place to start.
When a roof is past saving, patching it only delays the bill. We do a complete tear-off on every residential roof replacement. We never layer new shingles over old ones. Once the old roof is off, we see the deck, replace any rotted or soft boards, and install a new system from the deck up. For the full breakdown of how we handle it, see our page on roof replacement in Traverse City.
Building a new home, a garage, or an addition? We install complete roof systems for new construction, planned with your builder so ventilation, flashing and ice protection are right from day one. It is much cheaper to get these details right on the first install than to fix them later. We also handle low-slope porch and garage sections with flat roofing systems made for water that sits.
Need a roof on a business property? See our commercial roofing work, or browse all of our roofing services.
Most roof problems start small and quiet. By the time water shows up on a ceiling, it has usually been getting in for a while. These are the signs we tell Traverse City homeowners to watch for.
Catching these early is what seasonal roof maintenance is for. If you see any of them, call for a free roof inspection in Traverse City before the next season makes it worse.
Granules in the gutters.
Shingles shed their coating as they age. Heavy granule loss means the shingles are wearing out.
Curling or cupped shingles.
Usually a sign of age, poor attic ventilation, or both.
Missing shingles after a wind event.
Storms coming off Grand Traverse Bay can lift a row that looked fine the day before.
Icicles and ice ridges along the eaves.
A sign of heat escaping into the attic and a warning of ice dam damage
Moss or dark streaks on shaded slopes.
Common on homes on wooded lots, where branches and shade hold moisture on the roof.
Water stains or a musty attic.
Check after a heavy rain or a spring thaw.
A roof over 20 years old.
Even if it looks fine from the ground, it is worth having someone walk it.
This is the question we get asked most, and the honest answer depends on the roof. Here is how Blake thinks about it on an inspection:
If you are on the fence, our repair versus replacement guide goes deeper. And if a repair will honestly get you another five good years, that is what we will recommend.
No honest roofer can price your roof from the driveway, and we won’t try. Two houses the same size on the same street can be thousands apart once you see the pitch, the layers and the condition of the deck underneath. So here is what actually moves the number, and how our estimate works.
Roof size and pitch.
Steeper roofs take more time and safety setup.
Number of layers to remove.
Two old layers cost more to tear off than one.
Decking condition.
Rotted boards are replaced per sheet once the old roof is off.
Complexity.
Dormers, valleys, skylights and chimneys all add flashing work.
Material choice.
Architectural shingles, metal accents, or a metal and shingle combination all price differently.
Access.
Tight lots and long carries from the driveway add labor.
Blake inspects the roof, photographs what he finds, and gives you a written estimate that itemizes each of the things above. You see the tear-off, the decking allowance, the materials and the labor as separate lines. Nothing gets added after the job starts without you agreeing to it first, and there is no pressure to sign the day you get it.
You talk to an owner, not a receptionist reading a script.
He goes up himself, checks shingles, flashing, vents and the attic, and takes photos.
Itemized, explained, and with no pressure to sign that day.
Materials are delivered, your landscaping is protected, and we tell you the start date.
Our crew removes the old roof, fixes the deck, and installs the new system. Most homes take 1 to 2 days.
We magnet-sweep the yard for nails, haul off debris, and walk the finished roof with you.
Want every detail before you commit? Read our step-by-step roof replacement guide.
A roof is a system, not just shingles. Here is what goes on a typical Loon roof.
Our standard shingle. Landmark is a thick, dimensional laminated shingle that holds up to wind and looks good on everything from a lake cottage to a family home in town. As a CertainTeed Master Craftsman contractor, we install it to the manufacturer’s specifications, which is also what keeps the shingle warranty intact. See what a finished job looks like in our post on shingle roofing installation.
Michigan code requires an ice barrier running from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the heated wall. We run it along the eaves and through every valley, and we wrap it around chimneys and skylights, because ice dams here don’t read the code book.
Over the rest of the deck goes synthetic underlayment, a second layer of protection under the shingles. It lies flatter than felt, holds up better if weather moves in mid-install, and doesn’t wrinkle when it gets wet.
Balanced intake at the soffits and exhaust at the ridge. Good ventilation keeps the attic cold in winter, which is the single best defense against ice dams and early shingle failure.
New drip edge on every eave and rake, and new step and counter flashing wherever the roof meets a wall or chimney. We don’t reuse old flashing.
A roof in Traverse City works harder than a roof in most of the country. Lake-effect snow piles weight on it for months. Freeze-thaw cycles open up every small gap. Spring thaws send meltwater looking for a way in. And wind off Grand Traverse Bay finds any shingle that wasn’t nailed right.
That is why the details above matter so much here. Extra ice and water shield at the eaves, real ventilation, and correct nailing are the difference between a roof that lasts 25 years and one that leaks in year eight. Most of the roof repair calls we get in February and March trace back to one of these three things being skipped on the original install.
We are based at 515 South Long Lake Road in Traverse City, and we serve homeowners across eight counties. Every job is still inspected by Blake, whether you are ten minutes away or an hour north.
Towns we are often in: Traverse City, Interlochen, Acme, Elk Rapids, and Lake Ann.
We don’t follow hail maps or knock on doors after a storm. We are a Northern Michigan roofing company that plans to be here when your roof is 20 years old.
Also from Loon: Updating the whole exterior? We also handle siding installation and deck installation, so one local crew can handle the full job.
Still have a question? Call Blake at (231) 300-8445.
No, and be careful with anyone who does. Pitch, layers, decking condition and complexity all move the number, and none of them are visible from the street. Blake inspects the roof first, then gives you a written, itemized estimate at no cost.
Most homes take 1 to 2 days from tear-off to cleanup. Larger or steeper roofs, and jobs with a lot of deck repair, can take longer. We give you the timeline before we start.
We do a complete tear-off on every replacement. Installing over old shingles hides deck damage and shortens the life of the new roof.
Yes. Blake inspects your roof himself, takes photos, and gives you a written estimate at no cost.
Call us and we will tell you honestly. Shingles seal best in warmer weather, so we schedule most replacements from spring through late fall. In hard winter we prioritize repairs that stop water getting in, then book the replacement for the first good weather window.
Yes, on every residential roof we install. It covers problems caused by our installation, such as flashing or nailing issues. If something traces back to our work within 10 years, we come back and fix it.
Yes, with proper attic ventilation and ice protection. Shingles like CertainTeed Landmark commonly reach 25 to 30 years here. Poor ventilation is the most common reason a roof fails early.
Yes. Loon Roofing & Construction holds Michigan residential builder license #262300660, and every job runs under it.
Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Kalkaska, Antrim, Manistee, Wexford and Missaukee, from our base in Traverse City.
No. Blake owns the company and does the inspections and estimates himself. There is no commission salesperson in the process.
Free inspections. Written estimates. An honest conversation with the owner, not a sales pitch. Call Blake at (231) 300-8445 or request a free roof inspection online.
Response within 24 hours · Inspection within 1 week
