What makes the downtown streets different?
Cuyahoga Falls was founded in 1812 by William Wetmore and first called Manchester. The village was incorporated in 1836, and the river that drops through town powered its mills. The city's own history says that by 1840 the Falls had a wider variety of manufacturing than any other settlement in Ohio. The oldest houses in the city stand on the streets nearest that stretch of river.
Front Street itself has had a busy half century. Two blocks were closed to cars as a pedestrian mall in 1978. The street reopened to traffic in 2018, the same year the Downtown Historic District, which covers the commercial blocks of Front Street and Portage Trail, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A riverfront boardwalk is part of the current phase of work.
The houses are on Second, Third and Fourth streets, along Broad Boulevard with its trees planted between the lanes, and on Stow Avenue, Falls Avenue and Oakwood Drive. About one Falls home in five was built before 1940, and this is where many of them stand.
What roofs are on these older houses?
Steep and tall. Two full stories under a gable or hip of 8/12 or more. Nothing here is walked without roof jacks.
Several planes. A main roof, a rear wing at a lower height, a front porch, a bay, a dormer or two. Every change of plane is a joint that needs flashing.
Brick chimneys. Often two of them, and often wider than 30 inches, which is the point where Ohio's code calls for a cricket on the uphill side.
Board decks. Planks nailed across the rafters, sometimes with gaps you can see daylight through from the attic. On a house this old, the first wood shingles are sometimes still there under later asphalt.
Layers. A roof that is a hundred years old has had many chances to be covered over instead of stripped. Three layers do turn up on houses this age.
Broad Boulevard and the streets just off it mix Colonial Revival houses with Cape Cods. The Cape Cods behave more like the Cape Cods described in the State Road and Portage Trail guide.
What does a tear-off involve on a house like this?
More sorting than on a newer house. Every layer comes off down to the planks. Split or rotted boards are replaced, and wide gaps are dealt with so the new roof has something continuous to lie on. Then the standard scope goes down: underlayment, ice and water shield at the eaves and in every valley, drip edge, starter, architectural shingles and a ridge vent.
The chimney flashing is rebuilt, not reused. So is the step flashing where the rear wing or a dormer meets a wall. The chimney flashing page explains the parts.
One limit applies. Porch and bay roofs that are nearly flat and covered in rubber or rolled roofing are a different trade and are not part of an asphalt shingle replacement. The photo report will point out any section like that.
How do the lots affect the work?
Lots near the river are narrow. Driveways are single width or shared, garages sit at the back, and the neighbor's wall may be ten feet from yours. That changes where the dumpster goes and how old roofing gets from the eave to it. It is worth walking the site with the owner at the inspection so the plan for cars, plantings and the house next door is settled before install day.
Is a house near Front Street in the historic district?
The National Register district is made up of downtown commercial buildings, not the residential side streets. For a house, the practical question is the same as anywhere in the Falls. The building permit comes from the Summit County Division of Building Standards, which the city uses under contract. Zoning is the city's job, and its office at 2310 Second Street is a few blocks from most of these homes. If you are unsure what applies to your address, ask there before work is scheduled.
What is the first step for an older Falls roof?
A layer count and a look at the deck from the attic. Both happen at the free roof inspection. Older roofs can often be kept going with a targeted fix, so check roof repair in Cuyahoga Falls before assuming the worst. When replacement is the answer, the Cuyahoga Falls roof replacement page shows the scope and the roof cost guide explains why layers and decking weigh so heavily on these houses.
Old house, unknown roof?
Find out how many layers are up there and what the planks look like. It costs nothing to know.