Shingle repairs, storm damage work and new roofs for Seneca, from the bungalows south of the railroad to the wooded lots between Lake Keowee and Lake Hartwell.
Seneca sits between two big lakes. Lake Hartwell, finished by the Corps of Engineers in 1963, covers about 56,000 acres, and Lake Keowee, filled by Duke Power for a hydro station that began running in 1971, spreads across roughly 18,400 acres. Bulldog Roofing Upstate offers roof repair around Seneca, along with storm damage repair, leak repair, replacement and free inspections, for houses in town and for the lake homes around it.
The town began in 1873 as Seneca City, a stop on the new railroad, and the old center still shows it. Ram Cat Alley, a short block of brick storefronts from roughly 1887 to 1930, was listed on the National Register in 2000, and the Seneca Historic District south of the tracks, listed in 1974, takes in older homes as well as businesses. Around them are bungalows, cottages and mid-century homes, and out along the lakes, houses built for the view.
Seneca counted 8,850 people in the 2020 census, and it is one of several Oconee County towns along with Walhalla, the county seat, and Westminster. For a roof, the lakes are the big story here: tall trees, wind off the water and plenty of shade. If you have a problem, fill in the contact form or call us and we will set up a free inspection.
A lot of roof repairs come down to one problem at a time: a pine limb that scraped a row of shingles, a pipe boot cracked by long exposure to the sun, or a chimney whose flashing has pulled loose. We fix what is broken and look over the rest so you know what condition the roof is in.
Summer storms that build over the lakes can bring strong gusts and sometimes hail. Wind lifts and creases shingles along ridges and edges, and falling limbs can crack shingles or punch through the decking. We get up on the roof after a storm and show you what changed.
When a roof is past repairing, a tear-off to the decking is the time to check the wood; the agreed scope says what gets replaced before new underlayment, drip edge, flashing and architectural shingles go on, with ridge and eave ventilation so the attic can breathe.
Leak repair and free inspections reach Seneca too, so all six of our roofing services cover the town and the lakes.
Plenty of lots along Keowee and Hartwell are left wooded for shade and privacy, and a roof under that shade never dries out fully. It grows moss and dark algae streaks on its north side, and pine needles and leaves pile up in valleys and behind chimneys, damming water so it sits on the roof instead of running off.
Limbs do more harm. A branch that rubs the roof in every breeze grinds away the granules, and a limb that comes down in a storm can crack shingles or break through. Keeping branches trimmed back from the roofline is one of the simplest ways to make a lake roof last.
Many lake houses have complicated roofs: big decks and porches tied in under the main roof, walls of windows, dormers and long valleys. Each of those joints relies on flashing. On a house that sits on a slope with the lake side exposed to wind, those details deserve a look once a year, plus after hail or strong wind. Lake lots on the Clemson side of Hartwell face the same mix of shade and wind.
In the older parts of Seneca, bungalows and cottages from the early and middle 1900s are common, with the odd Victorian among them. They were built with simple gable roofs, but decades of reroofing have often left layers of shingles on top of each other and patches around chimneys that no longer seal well.
Ventilation is the other thing older Seneca houses often lack. Houses of that age often went up before ridge vents were common, and an attic with only a couple of gable vents can trap summer heat and winter moisture. When one of these roofs is replaced, letting air in low along the soffits and out high along the peak helps the new shingles last and keeps the decking drier. It is one of the quieter improvements a new roof can bring to an old house.
Those older roofs usually sit on board decking, and after a long life some boards go soft around old leak points. A repair on a house like this starts with finding out what is going on underneath, not just laying new shingles over a problem. If a leak is the main worry, our roof leak repair page explains how water gets traced to its source.
Permits for roof work go through different offices depending on whether a property falls under the City of Seneca or under Oconee County, so it is worth checking for your address. If you are not sure what your roof needs yet, start with a free roof inspection.
Yes. We cover Seneca and the lake communities around it on both lakes. Lake houses often have steep or complicated roofs with lots of flashing, so we look closely at the valleys, the wall tie-ins and the side that faces the water.
They can. Shade keeps shingles damp and feeds moss and algae, needles and leaves hold water in valleys, and branches that rub the roof wear away the granules. Trimming limbs back from the roofline and keeping valleys clear helps a roof under trees last longer.
That is a question for your insurance agent, since every policy is different. Whether to file is your call, made with your insurer. An inspection can tell you whether the storm actually left damage on the roof before you decide anything.
It depends on what is wrong and where. A cracked pipe boot on an easy slope is a very different job from rebuilding flashing around a chimney on a steep lake house roof. Pitch, height, access and whether any decking has rotted all change the work, so we look first and then give you a number.
We will. A few missing shingles, a lifted ridge cap or a leaking boot are worth fixing quickly, because small openings let water into the decking. Call and describe what you are seeing, and we will set up a time to look.
A shingle roof is typically good for 20 to 30 years. On a lake lot, heavy shade, wind off the water and limbs over the roof can shorten that, while good attic ventilation and regular checks help it go the distance.
