Clear Roofing & Exteriors · Specialty Roofing
Metal, Cedar Shake & Slate Roofing in West Chester, PA
Some homes are not meant for a standard asphalt roof. Standing seam metal, cedar shake, and natural slate reward the right installation with decades of service. Clear Roofing & Exteriors installs and restores these premium roofs across Chester County and the Pittsburgh area, and we still put our senior installers on every one.
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- Licensed & Insured · PA179710 · NJ 13VH12512800 · DE 2023708270
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The Difference
Why Homeowners Choose Clear Roofing & Exteriors for Specialty Roofing
Lifespan measured in decades
Slate and standing seam metal can protect a home for 50 to 100 years, and quality cedar runs 30 to 40 with care. Asphalt gets replaced on a 20-year cycle. Put slate or standing seam on once and you may never pay for a roof again.
Installed to the material's spec
Metal, cedar, and slate each fail when installed like asphalt. Our crews have put on enough of each system to know where the details differ. Clip spacing on a standing seam panel is a different job than nailing a shingle, and a slate roof lives or dies at its flashing and fasteners.
Matched to the architecture
Restore the slate on a mansard or put standing seam on a farmhouse and the whole house looks different. We help you pick a profile and color that suit the age of the home. A 1920s colonial was never meant to wear the same shingle that goes on every new build.
Watch For These
Signs You Need Specialty Roofing
- Individual slates have cracked or slid out of position, and after storms you find a growing pile of slate fragments on the ground below the eaves.
- Cedar shakes are cupping or splitting. Moss growth, or shakes that feel soft and spongy underfoot, points to rot rather than normal weathering.
- Fasteners on a metal roof have backed out or seams have lifted, which gives wind and water a way under the panels. Surface rust and oil-canning are earlier warnings of the same problem.
- Chimney and valley flashing has corroded or come loose, or a previous roofer smeared caulk over it, and the sidewalls show the same wear. Flashing is the most common leak point on older slate and cedar roofs.
- You have a ceiling stain inside, or daylight and damp sheathing in the attic, even though the field of the roof still looks mostly intact from the ground.
Seeing one of these? Call (484) 983-3476 or get a free inspection.
Weighing materials? Our metal roofing vs asphalt shingles comparison for West Chester lays out cited 2026 costs and lifespans side by side.
Our Process
The Clear Roofing & Exteriors Specialty Roofing Process
- 01
On-site inspection and material assessment
We get on the roof and evaluate the specific system you have, whether that is aging slate, weathered cedar, or an older metal roof. We check the field, then spend extra time on the flashing and fasteners because that is where these roofs fail, and we look at the decking underneath. Nobody can scope a slate roof from the driveway.
- 02
Repair-versus-replace recommendation
Specialty roofs are expensive to replace, so we look hard at repair first. Sometimes a partial restoration buys another decade; sometimes full replacement is the only sane option. If salvaging original slate or matching existing cedar is the better call, we say so and price it that way.
- 03
Material selection and written estimate
We walk you through the options and the trade-offs of each, from panel profile on a metal roof to cedar grade to natural versus synthetic slate, then put a clear written scope and price in front of you before any work starts. The number you sign is the number, barring hidden decking damage we photograph and show you first.
- 04
Installation and clean site handoff
Our crews tear off carefully and rebuild the flashing and underlayment to the standard the material demands before a single panel or slate goes on. Everything is installed to manufacturer specification. We protect the landscaping and run a magnet for stray fasteners, and the property is clean when the roof is done.
Trusted for Specialty Roofing Across PA, NJ & DE
Real project photos from our own crews, showing finished roofs, clean tear-offs, and honest inspections.
Good to Know
Specialty Roofing: What to Know
Metal, Cedar, and Slate: Choosing the Right Specialty System
Specialty roofing covers the premium materials that sit above standard asphalt: standing seam and metal shingle systems, cedar shake and shingle, and natural or synthetic slate. They are different animals. What fits your house depends on the architecture and on how long you intend to keep the home, and we start with a conversation because the answer changes house to house.
Metal is the most versatile of the three. A standing seam roof uses interlocking vertical panels with concealed fasteners, which means fewer holes in the roof surface and fewer places for leaks to start. Metal sheds snow and ice well and reflects heat in the summer.
Fire and wind ratings are strong across the category, and a quality standing seam system can last 50 years or more. It works on modern homes, farmhouses, porches, and low-slope sections where shingles struggle. The trade-offs are a higher upfront cost and the need for a crew that understands how the panels expand and move, and how clip spacing and flashing have to allow for that movement, because a metal roof installed like an asphalt roof will oil-can and back its fasteners out, and then it leaks.
Cedar shake brings a warm, textured, natural look that a lot of colonial and craftsman homes in southeastern Pennsylvania were originally built with. Real cedar breathes and insulates reasonably well, and over the years it weathers into a silvery gray that many homeowners love. It is also the highest-maintenance of the three: cedar has to get airflow underneath, and it needs periodic cleaning because moss and rot will take hold anywhere that gets neglected.
It carries a shorter lifespan than metal or slate at roughly 30 to 40 years when maintained. For homeowners who want the authentic cedar look with less upkeep, we can also talk through synthetic shake products that mimic the profile without the maintenance curve.
Slate is the heavyweight, in both senses. Natural slate is stone, and a properly installed slate roof can protect a home for 75 to 100 years. You still see original slate on 19th-century homes around West Chester's historic districts because the stone outlasts everything under it.
Stone does not burn, and rot and insects cannot touch it. Nothing else on a roof looks quite like it either. The considerations are weight and cost: slate is heavy enough that the roof structure has to be able to carry it, and both the material and the skilled labor to install it are premium.
Synthetic slate offers much of the look at a fraction of the weight and cost, and for many homes it is the practical middle path. We help you weigh authentic slate against synthetic based on what your framing can carry and what the budget allows.
Replacing a roof due to hail damage is a bummer, but Clear Exteriors more than met my need to understand each step, technically and financially.
What Drives the Cost of a Specialty Roof
There is no honest way to quote a metal, cedar, or slate roof without seeing it, because the price is driven by variables that differ house to house. The biggest one is material itself. All of these systems cost significantly more per square than architectural asphalt, and within each category the grade matters.
Heavier-gauge metal sits at the top of its range, and so do thicker cedar shakes and genuine quarried slate. Metal shingle systems and synthetic slate bring the entry point down.
Labor is the second major factor, and with specialty roofing it is a larger share of the total than most people expect. These systems are slower and more skill-intensive to install correctly. Every slate is fastened individually and cut by hand around penetrations, and cedar gets spaced and coursed the same slow way.
Metal panels are formed to the roof and seamed to tight tolerances. That slow work is why the roof lasts, and a contractor who rushes it hands you an expensive roof with a cheap roof's lifespan.
The condition of everything under the roof matters too. A steep pitch adds labor, and so do multiple stories and tight access. Complex rooflines with lots of valleys and dormers slow everything down further.
On a tear-off we frequently find decking that needs replacement or a structure that has to be evaluated before it can carry slate. Old chimney and skylight flashing almost always needs to be rebuilt rather than reused, and the same goes for wall flashing. On historic homes matching existing materials adds time.
We put all of this in a written estimate up front so you can see what you are paying for. If storm or hail damage is involved, some of that cost may be an insurance matter rather than an out-of-pocket one, and we can inspect for storm damage and help document a claim as part of the process.
Questions about your roof? Call (484) 983-3476 or get a free inspection.
Insurance, Climate, and Keeping a Specialty Roof Alive
Specialty roofs live in the same Pennsylvania weather as everything else, and our climate is hard on them in specific ways. Freeze-thaw is the quiet one: water gets behind a slate, freezes, and by spring that slate is cracked or sitting lower than its neighbors, and the same cycle pries at cedar. Summer thunderstorms are louder.
Hail dents metal panels and splits cedar shakes, and straight-line wind breaks slates that were already loose. Because these materials are expensive to replace, an insurance claim on a storm-damaged specialty roof is worth taking seriously.
When damage is legitimate, we inspect and document the hail and wind damage, then meet the adjuster on the roof to make sure the claim scope is written for the system you actually own. Adjusters price a lot of asphalt; a slate or standing seam scope has to be argued for.
Where these roofs differ most from asphalt is maintenance. A specialty roof is a long-term investment, and small attention protects it. A slate roof rarely fails in the field.
The failures start at the flashing and the fasteners, and keeping the flashing sound at the valleys and the chimney, and along the sidewalls, is what buys you the extra decades. Individual cracked or slipped slates can and should be replaced before water gets to the decking underneath.
Cedar needs airflow and periodic clearing of the moss and debris that trap moisture and drive rot, and keeping trees trimmed back and gutters clean does more for a cedar roof than almost anything else. Metal roofs are the lowest maintenance of the three, but fasteners can back out over years and seams and flashing still deserve a periodic look.
All three reward the owner who has someone look at the roof while it is still dry inside. A specialty roof that gets a professional set of eyes on it periodically, with flashing kept sound and damaged pieces replaced early, can outlast the homeowner. Ignore one until the ceiling stains and you may be looking at rotted decking and a full replacement where a repair would have done the job.
Clear Roofing & Exteriors offers free inspections. If you own a metal, cedar, or slate roof and it has been years since anyone got up on it, call our West Chester office at (484) 983-3476 or the Pittsburgh office at (724) 840-9794.
Real Google Reviews
Rated 5.0★ Across 201 Google Reviews
They did an outstanding job on our roof. On time, no-nonsense work crew, I would recommend these guys to anyone!
It's so hard to find a good and honest roofer. Chris and Zack replaced our roof and it turned out spectacular.
Replacing a roof due to hail damage is a bummer, but Clear Exteriors more than met my need to understand each step, technically and financially.
Another company was going nowhere with my roof. Clear Exteriors got involved and everything went smooth, they know roofs.
100% customer focused and detail oriented. I hired them to roof my home, then my mom's. Top-notch work, twice.
Amazing experience with the entire staff. Phil and Stephen do a wonderful job of working with you through the whole process.
Where We Travel
Our Service Radius from West Chester
We run this work out of two offices: 841 Lincoln Ave, Ste A in West Chester borough, and a second location in Pittsburgh. What shapes the Chester County radius is the West Chester Bypass, the limited-access stretch that carries both US 202 and US 322 around the borough rather than through it. US 202 runs northeast toward King of Prussia and south toward Wilmington, Delaware; US 322 runs northwest to Downingtown and southeast toward Chester. Those two corridors are how our trucks reach most of the county.
Inside the borough we work off PA Route 3, which runs as Market Street eastbound and Gay Street westbound. West of town, PA Route 52 heads toward Kennett Square and PA Route 162 toward Unionville. North of the bypass, US Route 30 and PA Route 100 cross at Exton in West Whiteland Township, and that intersection anchors the Exton, Downingtown and Uwchlan end of the map. Southeast, we roof homes around Glen Mills in Concord Township, Delaware County.
Not sure whether your street falls inside the radius? Call (484) 983-3476 and ask — it costs nothing to find out.
Good to Know
Specialty Roofing: Frequently Asked Questions
Do you repair specialty roofs, or only replace them?
Both. Because metal, cedar, and slate are expensive systems, we always look at repair and restoration first. Slate and cedar roofs commonly fail at the flashing or in a handful of individual pieces while the rest of the roof is still sound, and replacing those parts can add years. We only recommend full replacement when the system genuinely warrants it, and we tell you which situation you are in after we inspect.
Is a metal roof worth the higher cost compared to asphalt?
For many homeowners, yes, especially if you plan to stay in the home. A quality standing seam metal roof can last 50 years or more against roughly 20 for asphalt. It sheds snow and ice and keeps the attic cooler in summer, and its fire and wind ratings are hard to beat. You pay more upfront, but you may never re-roof again. Whether it is the right call depends on the house, which is what our free inspection and estimate are for.
Can you match or restore the original slate or cedar on my older home?
In most cases, yes. Southeastern Pennsylvania has a lot of historic homes with original slate and cedar, and preserving that character usually matters to the owner. We work to match existing slate and cedar, rebuild flashing at chimneys and valleys the right way, and salvage original material where it makes sense rather than tearing off a roof that still has life in it.
What about synthetic slate and cedar, are they any good?
Modern synthetic slate and shake products have come a long way and are a practical choice for a lot of homes. They deliver much of the look of natural slate or cedar without the weight, at a price well under the real thing, and they take less maintenance. Natural slate can carry a structural weight requirement, so if your roof framing was not built for stone, synthetic is often the smarter path. Ask to see samples of both during the inspection and judge the look for yourself.
Will insurance cover storm damage to a metal, cedar, or slate roof?
It often can when the damage is legitimate. Hail and wind damage metal, slate, and cedar in ways that are covered under many homeowner policies, and because these systems cost more to restore, documenting the claim properly matters even more than it does on asphalt. Insurance claim work is a core part of what we do. We document the damage during the inspection and meet your adjuster on site to make the case for what a premium roof actually costs to restore.
Do you handle specialty roofing across Chester County, or only in West Chester?
Across the county. Clear Roofing & Exteriors covers West Chester, Downingtown, Exton, Chester Springs, Westtown, West Goshen, Uwchland and the surrounding Chester County townships from our West Chester office, plus Glen Mills in Concord Township, Delaware County. Our second office covers the greater Pittsburgh metro. If your town is not on that list, call (484) 983-3476 and we will tell you straight whether we cover it.
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Driving Directions & Service Access in Chester County, PA
We reach homeowners across Chester County, PA from our West Chester office at 841 Lincoln Ave, Ste A. Get turn-by-turn directions from anywhere nearby.
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