“Wai looked in the attic before he went up on the roof. The estimate listed the decking price per sheet, so tear-off day held no surprises.”
Malgorzata R.Re-roof, Millcreek Township
Becker Roofing · Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie roofs, since 1921.
Four generations of the Becker family have roofed Erie's brick houses, steep gables and lake-snow winters. Slate, cedar and plain shingles, with the price written down before the ladder goes up.
- Becker Roofing
- Erie, Pennsylvania
- Since 1921
- Four generations
- Slate · Cedar · Asphalt
- Written estimates
Founded 1921
The Becker name has been on Erie roofs for four generations
Fritz Becker started the shop in 1921. His family has kept it going through every kind of roof Erie has put on its houses, from slate to three-tab shingles to what goes up today.
Alexandra Becker runs it now, with sixty people on the payroll: crews, estimators, the yard and the office. The same family answers for the work, and the same phone number rings at the same address.
1921
Founded in Erie4
Generations in the family60
People on the payroll
Alexandra Becker
President, fourth generation
Est. 1921Erie, Pennsylvania
What we do
Roofs for the houses Erie really has
Most of the work is re-roofing older homes and fixing the leaks that come with them.
Re-roofing
Asphalt shingles on steep and cut-up roofs, torn off to the deck and checked before anything new goes on.
Re-roofing
Slate and cedar
Repairs on the slate and cedar roofs the older blocks still wear, by people who match the courses.
Repairs
Leaks and flashing
Chimney backs, valleys, dormers and walls: where the water gets in, found and fixed in metal.
Leaks and flashing
Gutters and eaves
Gutters, downspouts and the ice protection at the eaves, so winter water has somewhere to go.
Lake snow
Lake-effect snow
Roofs here carry snow off the lake, all winter
Erie sits on the south shore of Lake Erie, where bands of snow off the water settle on the same roofs for weeks. A roof that is fine inland can leak at the eaves here.
Older Erie houses add steep pitches and tall gables. We plan for both: the ice barrier, the ventilation and the way the crew stays safe on the slope.
What we plan for
Ice and water barrier up the eaves, past the warm wall
Attic ventilation counted before the shingles are chosen
Roof jacks, ropes and toe boards on every steep pitch
Valleys and chimney backs flashed for drifting snow
How a job runs
From the first call to the last walk-through
We come and look
Wai walks the outside, then the attic, then the roof. You get the photos, and we say if a repair will do.
You get it in writing
Options, materials and what each includes, on paper. The estimate says what it leaves out.
Tear-off to the deck
Old roofing off, deck checked. Any bad boards are priced per sheet in the contract before we start.
Dried in the same day
Underlayment and ice barrier go down before we leave, so weather does not catch an open roof.
The last walk-through
We go over the roof and the yard with you, magnet the nails and hand over the papers.
From the neighbors
What Erie homeowners and agents say
“I send sellers here when an inspection flags a roof. The write-up comes back in plain words, and the crew leaves the yard the way they found it.”
Vytautas K.Real estate agent
“The leak behind our chimney had been patched twice. They rebuilt the flashing and showed us photos before they closed it up.”
Faduma H.Chimney flashing, Erie
Sample reviews.
Who's who
The family and the people who run the jobs
You will meet at least one of them before the work starts.
Alexandra Becker
President, fourth generation
Fourth generation. Reads every estimate before it goes out.
Wai Tam
Estimating lead
Does the walk-around: ground, attic, then roof.
Josip Horvath
Production manager
Schedules the crews and checks each roof before it is dried in.
Janina Pawlowski
Office manager
Answers the phone and keeps the papers straight.
Where we work
Erie and the towns around it
Erie County, with a few miles past each edge when the crew is already nearby.
Erie County
- Erie
- Millcreek Township
- Harborcreek
- Girard
- North East
- Wesleyville
- Lawrence Park
- Summit Township
- Edinboro
- Wattsburg
- Albion
- Corry
- Lake City
Crawford County
- Cambridge Springs
- Meadville
Questions
Asked before the first call
How long does a roof last in Erie?
It depends on the material, the slope and how the attic breathes. Asphalt shingles on a north slope that holds snow tire sooner than the same shingles facing south. Slate and cedar can outlast the people who bought the house, if the flashing and fasteners are kept up. We say what we see in your roof, not a number from a chart.
Do you work on slate and cedar roofs?
Yes. A lot of Erie's older blocks still wear slate or cedar, and a repair is often the right call. We tell you when it is, and when the roof has gone too far for one.
What does a written estimate include?
The tear-off and disposal, the deck check, underlayment, ice barrier, drip edge, flashing, ventilation, shingles, ridge caps, cleanup and the permit when your town wants one. What it leaves out is written down too. The Estimates page lists both.
Can you look at the roof before I list the house?
Yes. We can walk the roof and the attic and write a plain description of its condition for a buyer or a seller. It is a written opinion on the day we looked, not a warranty.
Do you work with my insurance?
You decide whether to file a claim, and you deal with your insurer. We inspect the roof, photograph it and write an itemized estimate you can share with them. Your deductible stays yours.
Do you re-roof in winter?
Mostly from spring through fall. Shingles do not seal well in the cold, and a steep roof with ice on it is not a place for a crew. In winter we make roofs safe and dry, then schedule the replacement for when it can be done properly.
Tell us about the roof
Send the street address and what the roof is made of. Wai or Alexandra calls back to set a day for the walk-around, and the written estimate follows it.