York County Roof Replacement: 14,000 Square Feet of CertainTeed Presidential Shake Across 3 Buildings

This York County roof replacement is one of the most demanding residential projects Roof Right has completed this year: 14,000 square feet of CertainTeed Presidential Shake AR across three separate structures, on steep pitches, with a turret, multiple chimney crickets, eyebrow dormers, a new Velux skylight, and custom-bent pre-existing fascia metal that required every shingle to be fitted individually. It took four weeks, an expert crew, and a level of patience that a standard roof replacement simply does not require. The homeowner wanted to match the existing look in Weathered Wood, and that is exactly what they got, with a system underneath that will protect this estate property for decades.

All three structures now carry the same Weathered Wood Presidential Shake, tying the main house, pool house, and carriage house together under a unified roofline that suits the scale and character of the property.

Project Overview

The homeowner contacted Roof Right about replacing the roofs on three structures: the main residence, the pool house, and the carriage house. From the ground, the existing shingles looked reasonable. Up close, the picture was different. Significant granule loss across all three buildings indicated shingles that had moved well past their protective prime, even if the damage was not yet dramatic from the street.

Granule loss is one of the more deceptive signs of a roof in decline. The granules embedded in asphalt shingles serve as the primary UV barrier and weathering surface for the entire system. Once they wash away in meaningful quantities, the asphalt beneath is exposed directly to the elements and the degradation accelerates. A roof that looks serviceable from the curb can be quietly losing its ability to protect the home above.

With three roofs on a property of this scale, the homeowner made the right call to address all of them together. Staggering the replacements would have meant managing three separate projects, three separate crews, and three separate warranty start dates on structures that were all aging at the same rate.

The decision to match the existing CertainTeed Presidential Shake AR in Weathered Wood was equally sound. Consistency across the main house, pool house, and carriage house is what gives an estate property its cohesive appearance. Presidential Shake in Weathered Wood, a warm varied blend of gray-brown tones, suits the light brick and stone exteriors of all three structures naturally.

The York County Roof Replacement Process

A Product That Demands More From the Installer

Before describing what the crew did on this project, it is worth explaining what CertainTeed Presidential Shake AR is and why it changes the nature of the installation.

Presidential Shake is not an architectural shingle. It is a premium Class A fire-rated, algae-resistant laminated shake-profile shingle that is significantly heavier, thicker, and more dimensionally complex than a standard architectural product. Where a typical architectural shingle is installed in a straightforward staggered pattern with consistent exposure, Presidential Shake requires a carefully managed two-layer application with specific offset requirements, exposure guidelines, and alignment demands that leave no margin for sloppiness. The finished product has a genuine hand-split shake appearance with deep shadow lines, varied surface texture, and a profile that reads as slate or wood shake from the street. Achieving that appearance requires the installer to treat every course with precision.

On a simple roof plane, Presidential Shake is already more demanding than standard shingles. On a roof like this one, the complexity multiplied at every turn.

Navigating a Roof Built for Expert Crews Only

The main house roofline presented challenges on nearly every section. The pitch was steep throughout, requiring careful footing and a crew experienced enough to maintain quality at elevation without cutting corners. Steep roofs concentrate every mistake. A misaligned course, an improperly cut shingle, a fastener in the wrong position – all of it is visible from below in a way it would not be on a lower-pitched surface.

The turret at the rear of the home required shingles to be individually cut and fitted to conform to the curved roofline. There is no template for this work. Each piece is measured, cut, and fitted by hand, course by course, until the turret reads as a finished intentional element rather than an afterthought. On a premium shake-profile shingle with Presidential Shake’s dimensional character, getting this right requires patience that most crews simply do not have.

The eyebrow dormers presented a similar challenge. Eyebrows are shallow curved dormer projections that interrupt the main roof plane and require the shingle courses above, below, and wrapping the curve to be custom cut and fitted individually. On this property there were multiple eyebrows, each one requiring its own careful approach.

Multiple chimney crickets were constructed and flashed to divert water away from the uphill side of each chimney. Crickets are a critical waterproofing element on any steep roof with a chimney, and on a roof with multiple chimneys they represent a significant portion of the flashing work. Each cricket was custom fabricated and integrated into the Presidential Shake coursing around it.

A new Velux skylight was installed and properly flashed into the new roofing system, ensuring the penetration was sealed correctly and the surrounding shingle courses were integrated cleanly.

The pre-existing custom-bent fascia metal throughout the property had been fabricated specifically for this home’s roofline profiles. Rather than removing it, the crew worked around it, fitting each shingle course to the existing metal contours individually. This detail alone, across 140 squares of Presidential Shake on three steep roofs, is a meaningful measure of the craftsmanship this project required.

The gutters and gutter guards on all three structures were carefully removed before the roofing work began and reinstalled once the new shingles were complete, preserving the existing drainage systems without damage.

Product Spotlight: CertainTeed Presidential Shake AR in Weathered Wood

CertainTeed Presidential Shake AR is the flagship product in CertainTeed’s premium shingle lineup, and it earns that position.

The shingle is built in a genuine two-layer laminated construction that produces the deep shadow lines and varied surface texture of hand-split wood shake without the maintenance, fire risk, or limited lifespan of real wood. Each shingle is significantly thicker and heavier than a standard architectural product. The AR designation indicates the algae-resistant granule technology built into the surface, an important feature on a wooded York County property where organic growth is a real concern over the life of a roof.

Presidential Shake carries a Class A fire rating, a lifetime limited warranty, and is eligible for CertainTeed’s SureStart protection during the early years of coverage. The wind resistance rating is strong, which on a steep-pitched roof in a region that sees real weather, is not a trivial consideration.

Weathered Wood is the color that made this product’s reputation. The blend of warm gray, brown, and taupe tones with natural variation across each shingle surface produces a finished roof that reads differently in different light – denser and richer on overcast days, more dimensional and varied in direct sun. Across 14,000 square feet on three structures with light brick and natural stone exteriors, Weathered Wood does exactly what a premium color should: it looks like it was always supposed to be there.

Finished Transformation: What This York County Roof Replacement Looks Like

All three roofs, the main house, the pool house, and the carriage house, are unified under the same Weathered Wood Presidential Shake. The complex geometry of the main house roofline, with its multiple ridges, valleys, eyebrows, turret, and chimney penetrations, is fully resolved. Every transition reads cleanly. The shingles lay flat and consistent across steep pitches that would expose any inconsistency in the installation.

The property sets a high bar. Presidential Shake in Weathered Wood meets it. It is a roofing product that suits a property of this scale in a way that a standard architectural shingle would not, and the finished result reflects the four weeks of careful work the crew put into it.

Signs You May Need a York County Roof Replacement

Granule loss is just one of the signs a premium roof may be due for replacement. Here are the warning signs worth watching on any residential roofing system:

• Granule loss accumulating in gutters or at downspout outlets — even on a roof that looks acceptable from the ground, heavy granule loss signals a system past its protective prime
• A roof that looks flat or uniform in color from the street — loss of dimensional contrast and color variation is a sign the surface granules have worn away
• Multiple structures on a property aging at the same rate — addressing all roofs together avoids staggered projects and ensures consistent appearance and coverage
• Chimney flashing that is caulked, cracked, or pulling away — failed flashing at chimneys is one of the most common sources of water intrusion on steep-pitched roofs
• Shingles lifting or losing adhesion on steep pitches — high-slope roofs experience greater wind uplift and require shingles with strong holding power to stay in place
• Moss or algae growth on shaded sections — organic growth on a wooded property accelerates shingle deterioration if left unaddressed
• A premium shake or slate-profile shingle that is cracking or losing pieces — products like Presidential Shake are built to last, but when they begin to fail, replacement is the only path forward

If your property has multiple structures and the roofs are all showing similar age, a comprehensive assessment across all buildings is the right starting point.

Roof Right: York County Roof Replacement Built for the Long Run

Not every roofing crew is equipped to take on a project like this one. Presidential Shake on steep pitches with a turret, eyebrow dormers, multiple chimney crickets, a new skylight, and pre-existing custom fascia metal is not a job that rewards an average installation. It rewards patience, craftsmanship, and a crew that has done enough complex work to know what they are doing before they get on the roof.

This homeowner in York County wanted the same product in the same color, and they wanted it done right. Roof Right delivered on both. The finished property looks exactly as it should, and the system underneath will make sure it stays that way.

If your home is showing similar signs of wear or damage, contact us by clicking the button below.