Missing shingles on a Skaneateles house: repair the section and ask about matching

A repair replaces the damaged part and leaves the rest alone. It works best when the shingles around the damage are sound. On a house from the 1930s, the roof around the repair may be many years older than the new shingles you are adding.

In a village where the median home value is well above the county, appearance matters too. Ask the roofer what the new shingles will look like beside the old, and whether the repair can be seen from the road.

Say what you know about the roof's age. The roofer's estimate should name the section, say what comes off, what goes on and what the surrounding shingles look like.

Building and zoning permit applications in the village go through an online system whose forms list a Roofing/Siding Permit, and the Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission applies design standards inside the historic district. Whether a small repair needs either is a question for the village code office.

Ask the roofer to put the question to the office and report the answer in the estimate. Do not assume a repair is exempt. If your house is outside the village, the town office is the one to ask.

Owners occupy three of every four village homes, so the decision is likely yours. A renter should send the owner a written note with the date, the room and a picture.

Ask for two numbers for the damaged slope: a repair and a full replacement. If they are close, the repair is not buying much. Far-apart prices can make a repair the sensible way to wait.

Then ask whether the damage sits in the field or at the eave. A stain that shows only in a thaw is usually an eave problem, and patching shingles higher up will not stop it. Have the estimate name the part of the roof that gets the work.