Highland Park's Ravinia, Sherwood Forest, and Briergate neighborhoods have substantial cedar shake inventory dating from the 1910s through 1940s. We do full cedar reroofs and targeted course replacements on these mature roofs. Family-owned, licensed, and insured. Cedar Shake installation, restoration, and repair on Highland Park estate and lakefront homes since 1996.
Hand-split and tapersawn Western Red Cedar shake — including premium Watkins, Waldun, and Anbrook mills — is one of our core specialty installations. We handle full replacements, partial restorations, ridge and valley re-work, and Class A fire-treated cedar where required. Where cedar isn't the right call, we also install synthetic shake (DaVinci Bellaforté Shake, Brava Cedar Shake, EcoStar) in the same profiles.
On Highland Park properties specifically, we work Ravinia, Sherwood Forest, Briergate, Sunset Woods, and the surrounding Lake County area. Our crews are experienced with preservation overlays on designated properties and have worked the Highland Park housing stock long enough to understand the expectations that come with estate and lakefront architecture.
Cedar Shake is the historically correct specification for a meaningful share of Highland Park's estate and lakefront housing stock. Replacing in kind preserves the architectural character that makes these homes what they are.
Properly installed cedar shake on a Chicagoland home delivers 25-30 years of service life with periodic maintenance — longer on roofs with good attic ventilation.
On estate and lakefront Highland Park properties, premium roofing materials are part of the home's market identity. Specifying cedar shake or a credible alternative preserves the comparable-sales position relative to the neighborhood.
We've worked through preservation overlays on designated properties on multiple Highland Park projects. Material specification, sample boards, and submission timelines are routine for our team. We'll guide the approval process if required for your property.
We'd rather tell you what drives the number than print a range wide enough to be useless. Here's what a Highland Park cedar shake estimate actually turns on:
total squares and roof complexity — valleys, dormers and turrets drive labor harder than raw area does — plus cedar grade (Blue Label, No. 1, Premium), how many layers come off, whether Class A fire-treated cedar is required, and flashing scope.
Targeted cedar shake repairs, course replacements, flashing-only work, or restoration scopes on otherwise sound roofs.
We walk the roof, then put it in writing line-item — material grades, copper weight where relevant, and full scope — before you commit to anything.
We don't quote cedar shake work off a rate card, and we won't give you a number over the phone that we'd have to walk back after seeing the roof. Call (708) 847-5418 for a free Highland Park assessment.
We serve all of Highland Park and surrounding Lake County. Mention your specific neighborhood when you call — we likely know it well.
Leaders Roofing Corp installs cedar shake roofing in Highland Park. We're a family-owned Chicagoland contractor that has worked Highland Park since 1996, holding Illinois Roofing Unlimited License #104.010248 — one of the older license numbers in the state, covering residential and commercial work with no size restriction. We handle cedar shake installation, restoration, and repair across Highland Park and the surrounding Lake County area, including Ravinia, Sherwood Forest, Briergate. Call (708) 847-5418 for a free Highland Park estimate.
We don't publish a job total for cedar shake work, because the honest range on Highland Park homes is wide enough that any number we printed would mislead you. What actually sets the price: total squares and roof complexity — valleys, dormers and turrets drive labor harder than raw area does — plus cedar grade (Blue Label, No. 1, Premium), how many layers come off, whether Class A fire-treated cedar is required, and flashing scope. Targeted repairs are more predictable and typically run $300 to $10,000. The way to get a real number is to have us walk the roof — we give you a line-item written estimate with material grades and scope spelled out, free, before you commit to anything. Call (708) 847-5418.
We repair them — and on a cedar shake roof with life left in it, a targeted repair is often the smarter investment than replacement. Common Highland Park repair scopes include replacing split, cupped, or storm-lifted shakes, ridge cap work, valley metal, and step-flashing repairs. Targeted repairs typically run $300 to $10,000. We inspect first and tell you honestly which side of the repair-or-replace line your roof is on.
Yes. We've worked Highland Park extensively since 1996, including Ravinia, Sherwood Forest, Briergate. Our crews understand preservation overlays on designated properties, Highland Park permit processes, and the architectural standards expected on estate and lakefront properties in this part of the North Shore. References from past Highland Park projects are available on request.
Cedar Shake is the historically correct specification for a meaningful share of Highland Park's estate and lakefront housing stock. Whether it's the right call for your specific home depends on the original construction specification, current condition, intended ownership timeline, and budget. We'll give you the honest comparison against alternatives — including synthetic alternatives where relevant — before any material is ordered.
Yes. Real Western Red Cedar is still the historically correct call on most Highland Park homes, but synthetic shake is a legitimate alternative and we install it — DaVinci Bellaforté Shake, Brava Cedar Shake, and EcoStar — in profiles that read convincingly as cedar from the ground. The honest tradeoff: cedar gives you the authentic texture and weathering that architectural-review boards and period homes often want, and lasts 25-30 years here with upkeep. Synthetic is Class A fire-rated and Class 4 impact-rated, carries a 50-year material warranty, and needs essentially no maintenance — which matters if you don't want to be treating a roof every few years. If your Highland Park property sits under a covenant or preservation review, confirm synthetic is permitted before you fall in love with it. We'll bring samples of both.
Yes. We hold Illinois Roofing Unlimited License #104.010248 — one of the older license numbers in the state, covering residential and commercial work with no project-size restrictions. We carry current general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Certificates of insurance are available on request before any work begins on your Highland Park property.
Family-owned since 1996. Honest estimates. Real craftsmanship on premium materials.