Roofers in San Marco, Jacksonville
San Marco is the historic riverfront neighborhood across the St. Johns from downtown, built in the 1920s around its Venetian-style square. It is the most architecturally protected part of Southside, and repairs on tile, slate and steep historic roofs go through the City of Jacksonville, with historic district considerations on some streets.
What usually goes wrong on San Marco roofs
- Clay barrel tile on 1920s Mediterranean homes with original underlayment and rusted nails
- Steep gables, dormers and multiple hips creating dozens of flashing points on Tudor revival homes
- Chimney flashing and cricket failures on homes with two or three original masonry chimneys
- Live oak canopy dropping leaves and limbs onto older roofs along the river and Hendricks Avenue
- Rotted decking under bungalow eaves where gutters have overflowed for decades
Local notes from the roofers
San Marco roofs were built to look good, and many were built in 1926. The Mediterranean revival homes around San Marco Square and along the river carry clay barrel tile on underlayment and nails close to a century old, and the tile is usually the last part of the roof to fail, so a leak often means lifting and re-laying tile over new underlayment rather than replacing anything visible. The Tudor and Colonial homes off Hendricks Avenue have steep slopes, dormers and two or three masonry chimneys, and nearly every leak traces to a flashing or a cricket. Bungalows toward St. Nicholas are simpler but older at the deck, with rotted rafter tails under decades of overflowing gutters. The live oaks that make the neighborhood are also its main storm hazard. An estimate in San Marco covers material matching, because clay tile, slate and copper flashing are expected on many streets, and notes any historic district review. The City of Jacksonville handles the permit. Florida insurers ask about roof age here more than anywhere in Southside, and a careful inspection report often keeps a historic roof insurable.
Homes and roof types in San Marco
One of Jacksonville's historic neighborhoods: 1920s and 1930s Mediterranean revival, Tudor and Colonial homes around San Marco Square and the riverfront, 1940s and 1950s bungalows and ranches toward St. Nicholas, and newer condos on the Southbank. Roofs include clay barrel tile, slate on a few landmark homes, and mostly architectural shingles.