Cedar Shake Roofing — Beautiful, And Honest About It

Shake Versus Shingle, Grade Versus Grade

"Cedar shake" gets used loosely. Technically a shake is hand-split — thicker, more textured, that rough hewn look. A shingle is sawn taper — thinner, smoother face, more uniform. We install both. Shakes go on architectural and Tudor-style homes where the texture is part of the design. Sawn shingles go on tighter applications and historic restorations where uniformity matters.

Grade matters more than the shake-vs-shingle decision. Number 1 Blue Label is 100% heartwood, 100% edge grain, 100% clear — it's the only grade that earns the manufacturer warranties advertised in glossy brochures. Number 2 Red Label and Number 3 Black Label are real grades with real uses, but not on a primary roof. We install Blue Label only.

Three Scenarios Where Cedar Wins — And When It Doesn't

Cedar is the right call in three real scenarios. First: architectural match. Tudor revivals, English cottages, certain Cape Cods, shingle-style Victorians, and stone-clad colonials were drawn for cedar — asphalt on those houses always reads as a downgrade. Second: restoration. If the house had cedar originally and you're keeping it period-correct, the conversation isn't about cost-per-square-foot, it's about preserving the property. Third: long-horizon ownership. If you're staying 25+ years and willing to maintain it, the lifetime cost compares with premium asphalt and the aesthetic is in a different league. Cedar is the wrong call when the architecture is wrong (1990s colonial, ranch, split-level — asphalt or metal serves better), when you're not staying long enough to amortize the premium, or when nobody in the household is committed to a treatment schedule. We've talked at least a dozen homeowners off cedar in the past two years. None of them regret it.

Year Three, Year Seven, Year Fifteen — What Each One Costs

Untreated cedar in the NJ climate goes through a real arc. Years 1-2: golden brown, no work needed. Year 3-4: first treatment — clean, fungicide, oil. That's where most homeowners get surprised, because nobody told them at the install. Years 5-7: second treatment, plus a walk to spot any individual shakes that need swapping. Years 8-15: every 3-5 years, treatment plus targeted shake replacement in valleys and around penetrations where wear concentrates. Years 16+: you're in maintenance-or-replace territory and the answer depends on the original install quality.

We hand you a written schedule with year-by-year line items the day we finish. We also run the maintenance ourselves if you want — yearly inspection and treatment on the same calendar week, same crew, photo report each visit.

How Long It Lasts, And Who Warranties What

A properly installed Number 1 Blue Label cedar roof, kept on schedule, lasts 30 to 50 years in the NJ climate. Neglect it and you'll see the back end of that range — granted, even neglected cedar usually outperforms asphalt on lifespan, but neglected cedar also looks rough by year 12 and that's the real cost. The manufacturer warranty on Blue Label material runs 25 to 30 years against splitting, warping, and premature decay — registered in your name on the day we finish. Our installation warranty is a minimum of 1 year, written and signed, covering everything we did with our hands — fastener work, flashing details, ventilation, valley work. The two stack: a defective shake is on the manufacturer, a leak around our chimney flashing is on us. If you sell the house, the workmanship warranty transfers to the buyer. If you're weighing cedar against slate, the lifespan and maintenance math are different — happy to walk you through both.