Church roof replacement and repair from a family-owned West Michigan roofer that specializes in pitched, shingled roofs — the tall, sharply pitched kind most churches have.
Your sanctuary roof is not a house roof. It is more sharply pitched, taller and bigger, and it meets brick bell towers, rows of roof windows and wings that were built decades apart. Above Roofing has spent 30 years installing pitched, shingled roofs across West Michigan, and churches are some of our favorite buildings to protect. We give your building committee an honest assessment, a clear written proposal and a crew that treats your church like the sacred place it is.
Calvin Christian Reformed Church on Ethel Avenue SE in Grand Rapids called us when the shingles on its sanctuary had worn thin and faded after decades of West Michigan winters. Here is how that project came together.
The original shingles had lost much of their granule surface and were showing their age across the big sanctuary slopes. We measured the pitch, walked every roof section and documented what we found with photos — so the church council saw the same thing we saw.
Sanctuary slopes like this one are pitched far too sharply to walk. Our crew worked in harnesses on rope lines, and a telehandler lift carried material and workers up the slope safely. Once the old shingles came off, the crew checked the decking before synthetic underlayment and new shingles went down — one section at a time, so the building was never left open to the weather. Dump trailers parked right beside the walls, and plywood paths protected the church lawn from tire ruts.
The finished sanctuary has a clean, uniform charcoal shingle roof, carefully flashed where the slopes meet the brick bell tower and the rows of roof windows. Calvin CRC now has a roof built for the next generation of worship — backed by our lifetime workmanship warranty.
Sanctuary roofs are often pitched too sharply to stand on. Safe work means harnesses, rope lines, roof anchors and lifts — and crews who do it routinely.
Where a roof meets a bell tower or brick wall is where churches leak. Step and counter flashing has to be done right.
Long bands of roof windows bring light into the sanctuary — and water, if they are not flashed into the new roof correctly.
Sanctuary, chapel, fellowship hall and education wing often have different pitches and roof layers. We plan each one.
HVAC units, vents and solar arrays need to be worked around without damage.
West Michigan lake-effect snow and ice dams hit large church roofs hard. Ice and water shield in valleys and at eaves matters.
Your calendar comes first. Before we start, we ask for your service times, weddings, funerals, preschool drop-off and weekday ministries, and we plan the staging around them. Crews work weekdays, keep entrances and walkways clear, and pick up every day. If a funeral comes up mid-project, call us — we will adjust.
Church roof decisions are made by a group, often with a capital campaign or reserve fund behind them. We make that easier:
Not every leak means a new roof. Many church leaks start in the same places: tower and chimney flashing, valleys, roof window curbs, and spots where ice dams back water up under shingles. We find the source, fix it properly and tell you honestly how much life the rest of the roof has left. If repair is the right call, that is what we recommend.
Every church is different, so we do not quote a number without seeing the roof. The price depends on:
Your inspection and written proposal are free. If you need to plan for next year's budget, we can give you numbers now so your committee can prepare.
Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker, Ada, Rockford, Jenison, Hudsonville, Allendale, Holland, Zeeland and Muskegon — served from our Grand Rapids, Jenison, Holland and Rockford offices.
See our full service areaCommercial buildings with shingled roofs
Contact us to schedule your no-pressure, Free Roof Inspection.
We give you on-the-spot results and walk you through our findings.
We answer any questions and discuss scheduling.
We tell the truth, even when it costs us the job. No pressure, no scare tactics, no upsells you don't need.
We respect your home, your time, and your investment — from the first phone call to the final cleanup.
We install complete roofing systems designed to last, using materials and methods we'd put on our own homes.
It depends on size and pitch. A small chapel can be done in a few days. A large sanctuary with several wings can take a few weeks, often in phases. We give you a schedule before we start.
Yes. We work weekdays, plan around your services and events, keep entrances clear and clean up every day.
Yes. Pitched, shingled roofs are our specialty. Our crews use harnesses, rope lines, roof anchors and lifts on tall sanctuary slopes.
If the shingles are mostly sound and the leak is local — flashing, a valley, a roof window — repair is usually the right call. If shingles are worn across large areas or leaks keep coming back, replacement is the better investment. We will show you photos and tell you honestly.
Our specialty is pitched, shingled roofing. Many churches also have low-slope sections. Ask us — we will tell you straight what we handle and what we don't.
Every roof we install is backed by our lifetime workmanship warranty, and Malarkey and CertainTeed systems offer extended manufacturer warranty options.
Yes. We document the damage and can meet with your adjuster on site.
No. Inspections and written proposals are free and come with no pressure.
Schedule a free, no-pressure inspection. We'll tell you exactly what we see — even if that means you don't need us yet.
