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Roofing, siding, windows & gutters in Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill is one of the largest historic districts in the country, and the housing is overwhelmingly attached. Both facts change how exterior work has to be approached here.
- Reviewed by DC Department of Buildings (DOB)
- Free inspection with photos and a written report
- Fixed written price before work starts
Free estimate in Capitol Hill
Tell us the address and what is going on. We reply the same business day.
The housing here
What Capitol Hill stock means for your exterior
The Hill is dominated by Victorian-era rowhouses — narrow, deep, attached on both sides, most with a flat or low-slope roof behind a front cornice or parapet. The visible front elevation is the reviewable one; the roof plane behind it usually is not visible from the street.
Who reviews your address
Capitol Hill sits within a designated historic district, so HPRB review applies to visible exterior alterations and must clear before the permit. DC also requires a permit for roof and siding replacement regardless of historic status.
Local knowledge
What we watch for in Capitol Hill
Your roof is physically tied to your neighbour’s
On an attached rowhouse the party wall is shared and the roof planes adjoin. Water getting in at that junction shows up in your ceiling regardless of whose covering failed. We inspect the adjoining condition and the party-wall flashing, because replacing your covering alone will not stop a leak originating at the wall.
Flat roofs are a different trade entirely
TPO, EPDM, and modified bitumen fail differently from shingles, have different service lives, and need crews who work on them regularly. A contractor whose crews shingle suburban gables is the wrong fit for a Hill rowhouse, and a shingle-based price tells you nothing useful.
Front elevation versus everything else
Historic review turns on what is visible from the public right of way. On a rowhouse that is largely the front facade and cornice. Rear and roof-plane work is often far less constrained — but confirm it for your address rather than assuming, because sightlines vary block to block.
Permits by trade
What needs a permit in DC
Capitol Hill follows DC rules. Local historic or municipal review can add a step on top — see the note above for your address.
| Trade | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing | Permit required | Roof replacement is not on the DOB Instant Permits list, so it goes through the normal Alteration & Repair permit process. Budget calendar time for this — it is the single biggest scheduling difference between a DC job and the same job in Virginia. |
| Siding | Permit required | Siding replacement is also absent from the Instant Permits scopes and is handled as an alteration. In a historic district the design review has to clear first. |
| Windows | Depends | DOB Instant Permits cover "replace in kind of up to 15 windows" — matching the original in appearance, material, design, detail, location, and size. Over 15 windows, any change in appearance or size, or a property in a historic or Commission of Fine Arts jurisdiction, and you are out of the instant path and into full review. |
| Gutters | Depends | Straight like-for-like gutter replacement is generally maintenance, but gutters are not on the Instant Permits list and a visible change on a historic property draws review. We confirm with DOB per address rather than guessing. |
Services
What we do in Capitol Hill
Roof Replacement & Repair
Architectural shingle, standing-seam metal, and flat/low-slope systems. Leak diagnosis, storm damage documentation, and full tear-off replacement.
Costs & details →Siding Replacement
James Hardie fiber cement, insulated vinyl, and cedar. We correct the wrap and flashing behind the siding, not just the panel you can see.
Costs & details →Window Replacement
Full-frame and insert replacement in vinyl, fiberglass, and clad wood. Correct sizing, correct flashing, no drafts at the sill.
Costs & details →Gutters & Downspouts
Seamless 5" and 6" aluminum, half-round copper, and guard systems — sized and pitched to actually move DMV storm volume away from the foundation.
Costs & details →We also work nearby
- Eastern Market
- Lincoln Park
- Navy Yard
- Hill East
Also in DC
Other neighborhoods we cover
Get a real number for your Capitol Hill home
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