Roof repair in Machesney Park is mostly older-house work. Martin Exteriors Roofing & Siding has repaired roofs across the Stateline since 2006, and Machesney Park jobs are handled from our Roscoe office at 11704 Main St. Call (815) 624-6278 day or night. Someone answers 24/7.
A Village Full of Mid-Century Roofs
Census estimates put the median Machesney Park home at 1978, and close to half of all homes in the village, about 45%, were built between 1950 and 1979. Nearly 9 in 10 are detached single-family houses, and a lot of them are ranches and split-levels with gentle roof pitches, attached garages and a chimney or two. Those houses have been through several roofs by now, and every re-roof leaves its own clues for the next repair.
On roofs like these we often find:
- A second layer over the first. Layered roofs are harder to repair cleanly, because new nails have to reach solid wood through two sets of shingles.
- Plank decking. Many houses from the 1950s and 1960s have boards under the shingles instead of plywood, and boards that have been wet before can split or go soft at the seams.
- Low slopes that drain slowly. On a gentle pitch, water moves slowly and wind can push it up under a lifted shingle, so a small lift turns into a leak sooner than it would on a steep roof.
- Old chimney and vent flashing. Tar patches from earlier fixes dry out and crack. We replace the flashing with new metal rather than adding more tar.
- The garage-to-house joint. Where an attached garage roof ties into the house, the valley or wall flashing handles a lot of water and wears early.
Storms That Have Hit Machesney Park
NOAA’s Storm Events Database shows how often severe storms reach Machesney Park. On March 31, 2023, an EF-1 tornado tracked almost 9 miles from the north side of Rockford through the west side of Machesney Park before lifting over Roscoe, and the homes it hit mostly took roof damage. On June 28, 2017, thunderstorm winds blew part of a roof off a house in the village. On July 18, 2012, a limb 20 to 30 feet long fell through the roof of a house on Mildred Road.
Hail is a regular visitor too. NOAA lists quarter to golf ball size hail in Machesney Park on May 15, 2017, and hail up to 1.5 inches on April 7, 2020 and again on July 10, 2025. On an older roof, hail and wind find the weak spots first: brittle shingles, loose flashing and seal strips that gave up years ago. See wind damage repair and hail damage repair. For Machesney Park-specific storm help, see hail damage roof repair in Machesney Park.
Repair or Replace on an Older Roof
A mid-century house can carry a good roof for a long time, but at some point patching stops being the smart money. Here’s how we look at it:
- Repair when there are one or two problem spots, a single layer of shingles, a firm deck and shingles that still lie flat.
- Replace when two layers are already on, the deck is soft in more than one place, shingles are cupped or bare across whole slopes, or leaks come back in new places after each patch.
Some shingles on older roofs aren’t made anymore, so an exact color match isn’t always possible. We’ll show you the closest options before we start, and if a patch would stand out badly or fail early, we’ll say so. When replacement is the better call, see roof replacement. A new roof comes with our workmanship warranty plus the GAF warranty you choose, and as a GAF Master Elite contractor (fewer than 2% of roofers) we can offer a 50-year GAF warranty with up to 30 years on workmanship on qualifying roofs (GAF eligibility rules apply).
How a Repair Visit Works
- Call (815) 624-6278 and tell us what you’re seeing and where.
- We go up and in. The roof surface, flashing and vents, then the attic, because on older houses a lot of roof leaks turn out to be condensation or a fan that vents into the attic. See attic ventilation.
- Photos and a written price. You see what we saw and what it costs before anything is fixed.
- The repair. Damaged shingles come out, soft boards get replaced, and flashing is rebuilt with new metal.
- A last look. We check the work with you and clean up before we leave.
Water Coming In?
Our phone is answered 24/7. If water is coming in, emergency tarping can be done within 24 hours, which keeps the house dry until the repair is made. Read more about emergency roof repair and storm damage repair.
Nearby and Related
Our Machesney Park roofing page covers everything else we do in the village, and our Machesney Park siding page covers re-siding older ranches and split-levels. We’re a certified James Hardie installer and a four-time Inc. 5000 company. For bigger work, financing is available with payments as low as $149/month for qualified buyers. We also repair roofs next door in Loves Park and up Route 251 in Roscoe.
Book a free inspection or call (815) 624-6278.
Machesney Park Roof Repair FAQ
My house has two layers of shingles. Can it still be repaired?
Often, yes, for a small area. Repairs through two layers take more care because nails have to reach solid wood. If the second layer is failing across the roof, replacement is usually the better use of your money, and we’ll show you photos either way.
Why does my older ranch leak around the chimney?
Usually it’s the flashing. On older houses the chimney flashing has often been patched with tar, which dries out and cracks. We replace the flashing with new metal instead of adding more tar.
Was Machesney Park hit by the March 2023 tornado?
Yes. NOAA’s Storm Events Database says an EF-1 tornado on March 31, 2023 tracked through the west side of Machesney Park, and the homes it hit mostly took roof damage. If your roof hasn’t been looked at since, call (815) 624-6278.
Do you tarp roofs at night or on weekends?
Someone answers our phone 24/7, and emergency tarping can be done within 24 hours of your call.
What if my leak is really attic condensation?
Then we’ll tell you. A bath fan that vents into the attic or a poorly vented attic can drip in a way that looks just like a roof leak. We check the attic on every repair visit.
