Roofers in Troy Hill, Pittsburgh
Troy Hill runs about 1.9 miles along a plateau above the Allegheny River, from Vinial Street to the end of Lowrie Street. Its 19th-century houses were built for German and Czech mill and brewery workers, and many stand only a few feet from the house next door.
The gap between two houses
On a front-gable house, the eaves run down the sides, so the roof drains into the gap between it and the next house. Hardly anyone looks in there. Gutters fill with leaves and grit, downspouts get knocked loose, and overflow runs down the wall next door or soaks the ground at both foundations.
A good fix starts with a gutter pitched to empty toward the front or the back, where a downspout can carry water away from both houses. A gutter that runs the wrong way, or a downspout aimed into the middle of the gap, just moves the problem next door. Our seamless gutters usually run $9 to $16 per foot.
Where a lower roof meets a taller neighbor's wall, or your own taller wall, the joint needs its own flashing tucked into the brick or under the siding. When water runs down the inside of a side wall, we check that joint and the gutter above it before anything else.
Areas we cover in Troy Hill
- Lowrie Street
- Troy Hill Road
- Vinial Street end
- Claim Street
- Hatteras Street
- The old Bohemian Hill side
What our roofers do in Troy Hill
Here is everything our crew handles for homes and buildings in Troy Hill.
- repairs from our Pittsburgh roofers
- new roofs from our roofers
- help with roof leaks
- emergency roofers
- slate roofers in Pittsburgh
- rowhouse rubber roofs
- metal roofing in Pittsburgh
- small commercial roofs
- seamless gutters in Pittsburgh
- soffit and fascia work
- roof inspection in Pittsburgh
- ice dam removal
- roof ventilation
Planning a roof job in Troy Hill
Troy Hill has 11 flights of city steps, and some houses are easier to reach from the steps than from a parking spot. Tell us how we get to your house and the gap beside it, and whether your neighbor will let us set a ladder on their side. Inside the City of Pittsburgh, permit questions go to the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections. We check what your job needs before we start.
For budgets and decisions, see our repair or replace guide.
Questions for roofers in Troy Hill
Do gutters need to be sloped?
Yes. A gutter should fall gently toward its downspout, commonly about a quarter inch every 10 feet. Too flat and water sits in it. Pitched the wrong way, it spills over the far end.
Where should the downspout go between two Troy Hill houses?
Toward the front or the back of the gap, where the water can run away from both foundations. A downspout that empties into the middle of a narrow passage soaks your wall and your neighbor's.
Can roofers reach a gutter in the narrow gap beside a Troy Hill house?
Usually, with a short ladder in the gap or by working from the roof edge in a harness. If the gap is too tight, we may need your neighbor's agreement to work from their side.
Why does water run down the wall between two Troy Hill houses?
Usually a gutter overflowing or pulled loose on one of the roofs above, or flashing that has failed where a lower roof meets the taller wall. We check both before we quote.