Roof Replacement on Louisville, Ohio's Mid-Century Ranch Streets
Nearly half of the homes in Louisville, Ohio, were built between 1950 and 1979. They are ranches, split-levels and small colonials with simple roofs, and most are now due for their third.
Quick facts
- Where
- The ring around the old grid, including Michigan, Ohio and Washington Boulevards, Sycamore Drive, Reno Drive and Navaho Street.
- Housing era
- 1950 to 1979. Census estimates count about 2,220 Louisville homes from these three decades.
- Typical roofs
- Low gable or hip roofs, wide eaves, one chimney, an attached garage, often a low back porch roof.
- Permit office
- City of Louisville Planning and Zoning, 215 South Mill Street.
Where are Louisville's mid-century ranch streets?
Louisville had 3,801 residents in 1950 and 7,996 in 1980. The houses that doubled the town went up on new streets wrapped around the old downtown grid, and the timing matches a proud stretch of local history: the council named Louisville the Constitution Town in 1957, and voters made the village a city in 1960.
You can see the era on the map. East of North Nickelplate Street, Michigan Boulevard, which runs beside Ohio and Washington Boulevards, has a median build year of 1966 by property data, and listings on nearby Sycamore Drive include a 1959 ranch. Reno Drive, across the north side, centers on 1971 with houses on either side of that. South of downtown off Chapel Street, Navaho Street and the streets around it come in about 1980, the tail end of the wave. The census puts 483 surviving Louisville homes in the 1950s, 559 in the 1960s and 1,179 in the 1970s.
What are the roofs on these houses like?
Simple, and that is good news. A ranch roof is one long gable or a hip, pitched low enough to walk, with eaves that reach well past the walls. Most measure between 15 and 22 squares once the attached garage is counted. There is usually one chimney, two or three plumbing vents and not much else poking through. A tear-off on a roof like this is quick and the driveway is right there for the dumpster.
Split-levels add one complication. The lower roof runs into the wall of the upper level, and that joint depends on step flashing hidden behind the siding. When a split-level leaks, that wall line is the first suspect.
What usually needs attention on a ranch roof?
- A hidden second layer. Many houses of this age had their first reroof done as a layover. If yours did, both layers come off this time.
- Ventilation. These attics were built with a louver in each gable end and little else. A ridge vent along the peak, fed by open soffit vents, moves far more air and takes heat and moisture off the underside of the deck.
- Ice dams. Long, low eaves over cold overhangs are where meltwater refreezes. Self-adhering membrane from the edge to well inside the wall line keeps backed-up water out of the house.
- The back porch tie-in. Many ranches have a patio or porch roof added at a very low pitch. Asphalt shingles are not made for slopes under 2 in 12. If yours is flatter than that, the inspection report says so and that section needs a different covering from another contractor.
- Thin or tired decking. Sheathing from this era can sag between rafters after sixty years. Soft sheets are swapped during the tear-off.
- Bath fans. A fan that blows into the attic instead of through the roof leaves frost on the nails in January. Giving it a proper roof hood is a small add during a replacement.
- Spike-hung gutters. See roof and gutter replacement in Louisville for why the roof edge and gutters are best done together.
Do yard trees shorten the life of a ranch roof?
They can. A shade tree planted when the house was new is now fifty to seventy years old and may reach right over a roof that sits only ten or twelve feet off the ground. Leaves and seeds land on a low roof instead of blowing past it. They fill the valleys and the gutters, hold moisture against the shingles and feed moss on the north side. A slope under a tree often wears out years ahead of the open slopes on the same house.
Who issues the roof permit on these streets?
Inside the city, Louisville Planning and Zoning at 215 South Mill Street. The city's permit sheet lists a building permit for reroofing. One caution: a Louisville mailing address does not prove a house is inside the city limits. The Stark County Auditor's record for your parcel shows the taxing district, and if it says Nimishillen Township, read roof replacement in Nimishillen Township instead.
To see where your own roof stands, book a free roof inspection in Louisville. For numbers, roof replacement cost in Louisville shows why a plain ranch sits at the friendly end of the range.
Questions about ranch roofs in Louisville
How many squares is a typical Louisville ranch roof?
Most fall between 15 and 22 squares including the attached garage, with one square equal to 100 square feet of roof. The exact figure is measured at the inspection, not guessed from the floor plan.
Does my ranch need a ridge vent?
In most cases it helps. Gable louvers alone leave the middle of the attic stagnant. A ridge vent with clear soffit intake is part of every replacement here unless the roof shape makes it impractical.
Can the low roof over my back porch be shingled?
Only if it slopes at least 2 inches for every 12 inches of run. Below that, water moves too slowly and gets under the shingles. The pitch is measured during the inspection and the report tells you which side of the line it is on.
Is your ranch on its second or third roof?
A free look from the owner answers that, with photos of the layers, the attic and every slope.