Spaced Decking & Knee-Wall Attics: Why Older Twin Cities Roofs Need Extra Work

If you own an older Saint Paul or Minneapolis home, your roof may need more than shingles.

Three Rivers Contracting · Twin Cities

Spaced (plank) decking

Older homes were often sheathed with spaced boards. That was fine for old wood shingles, but the gaps leave modern nails with nothing to bite and let ice & water shield sag. We overlay or replace it with solid plywood or OSB so your roof has a continuous, code-compliant nailing surface (and a valid manufacturer warranty).

Knee-wall attics

One-and-a-half-story and Cape Cod homes, common in Armatage, Kenny, Diamond Lake, Nokomis, and Powderhorn, have short knee walls along sloped ceilings that create cramped, hard-to-vent attic pockets. Done wrong they leak heat at the eaves and drive ice dams.

How we fix it

• Air-seal the ceiling plane and block the joist bays under the knee wall.
• Add rigid-foam blocking and rafter baffles so air still runs soffit-to-ridge.
• Insulate to keep the eaves cold and the living space comfortable.

It’s the difference between a roof that fights Minnesota winter and one that sheds it.