- 1525 Ogden Ave Downers Grove, IL 60515
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Family-run in Downers Grove since 1973. 50+ years of standing behind every roof.
Royal Craft has been installing and repairing residential roofs across Downers Grove and Chicago’s western suburbs since 1973. We are family-run, GAF Certified, EPA Certified, bonded, insured, and Illinois state licensed (roofing license #104.012213). Every job starts with a full roof walk plus an attic inspection, not a satellite estimate. Every job ends with a completed paid invoice and all warranty paperwork transferred to you.
Free on-site roof and attic inspections for Downers Grove homeowners. Our team walks the entire roof (no satellite guesswork), checks flashings, penetrations, ridge, valleys, and every field of shingle, and inspects the attic for airflow and moisture problems that surface-level looks miss. We photograph everything, sit down with you on-site same day, and give you honest findings. If a repair is enough, we say so.
Residential roof repair for Downers Grove and the western suburbs. Storm damage, leaks at valleys and flashings, missing or lifted shingles, pipe boot cracks, ice-dam damage, and matched shingle work. We use manufacturer-approved materials so your existing roof warranty stays intact. Our 10-year workmanship warranty covers the repair labor. See our roof repair page for details.
New construction and addition roof installation across Downers Grove. Full-system installations with GAF Timberline HDZ or Owens Corning Duration shingles, synthetic underlayment (not felt), ice-and-water shield beyond code minimum at eaves and valleys, step and counter flashing at wall intersections, and proper attic ventilation designed into the roof from day one.
Full roof replacements for Downers Grove homes: complete tear-off to the deck, deck inspection and replacement of any rotted plywood, full new underlayment and flashing, new shingles installed to manufacturer specification, and ridge or soffit ventilation corrected as part of the scope. 10-year workmanship warranty, lifetime materials warranty, and all paperwork transferable if you sell. See our replacement page for the full scope.
The single most useful thing a homeowner can know before calling a contractor is which decision applies: a repair, or a full replacement. Here is how we think about it after 50+ years of doing this in Downers Grove.
If you are between the two, we will tell you honestly on the free inspection. Repair when repair works. Replace when replacement is the right long-term investment.
What you have on your roof today determines when you should be thinking about a replacement. These are typical Chicago-area lifespans with proper installation and ventilation:
| Material | Typical lifespan | Notes for Chicago-area homes |
|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt shingles | 15 to 20 years | Common on 1970s and 80s builds. If original, likely past life. |
| Architectural asphalt shingles (Timberline HDZ, Duration) | 25 to 30 years | The current standard. Longer life with proper ventilation. |
| Cedar shakes | 20 to 30 years | Common on older DG homes. Ages faster with north-facing moss. |
| Standing seam metal | 40 to 70 years | Handles freeze-thaw exceptionally well. Higher upfront cost. |
| Slate or slate-look (synthetic) | 50 to 100+ years | Common on Denburn Woods Victorians. Needs specialist installation. |
| Low-slope membrane (MuleHide, Henry) | 20 to 30 years | Common on garage additions with flat sections in newer subdivisions. |
These are typical Chicago-area lifespans. Actual life depends on installation quality, attic ventilation, tree cover, and storm exposure. Regular inspection extends the life of any roof.
Chicago-area storms bring three kinds of roof damage. Here is how to tell what you have.
Look for lifted or missing shingles along the ridge or the leading edge (the side facing the wind). Wind that lifts a shingle just enough to break the self-seal creates a slow leak that shows up months later. If you see debris on the roof or granules on the ground after a wind event, schedule a walk-through.
Look for round dents in the granule surface, especially on the most-exposed slopes. Hail bruises show up as slight impressions with granule loss around the impact point. Small hail (under 1 inch) usually causes cosmetic damage. Hail over 1 inch typically damages the shingle mat underneath and shortens the roof’s remaining life. Insurance claims for hail damage often have a strict window (typically one year), so document with photos immediately.
Look for water stains on ceilings near exterior walls, icicles hanging from the eaves in winter, and water pooling behind the gutter line. Ice dams form because heat escapes through the attic, melts the snow above, and lets water refreeze at the cold eave. The fix is not just removing the ice; it is correcting the attic ventilation that caused it. See our ice-dam page for the full explanation.
Do not climb the roof yourself. From the ground, photograph any visible damage, damaged gutters, or debris. Call Royal Craft at (630) 725-1000 for a free on-site inspection. If there is enough damage to file an insurance claim, we can walk the roof with your adjuster.
A new roof is a significant investment. Royal Craft offers competitive financing available through the GreenSky® Program for qualifying residential roofing projects. Loans are provided by federally insured, federal or state chartered financial institutions participating in the program. Royal Craft is not the lender.
See our financing page to review plans and apply, or call (630) 725-1000 to talk through your project.
At Royal Craft, we believe your home deserves craftsmanship you can rely on. Every project is completed with careful attention to detail, high-quality materials, and transparency with our clients.
Clear scope, pricing, and timeline upfront.
Skilled work done efficiently and on schedule.
We check everything to make sure it’s done right.
Royal Craft was founded in 1973 by Bill Cantalupo, one of the first installers to bring seamless aluminum gutters to Chicago’s western suburbs. What started as one house on the block became the whole neighborhood, and within a decade the business had moved to Downers Grove, where it has stayed ever since.
In 2023, Bill was joined by Mauricio, a partner who came from years of commercial roofing and brought a specialty in the parts of the job most contractors overlook: ventilation, attic conditioning, and the long-term energy efficiency of the home under the roof.
Fifty-plus years and 1,000+ roofs later, Royal Craft is still a friends-and-family business. Bill or Mauricio is on every jobsite. The crew has been together for years. We are not the storm chasers who show up after bad weather and disappear. We are the same neighborhood contractor Downers Grove has known for over five decades, and every project is treated the way we would treat our own home.
Most roofing companies never actually walk your roof. They pull a satellite image, punch in your address, and email an estimate. That is not an inspection.
On every free estimate, our team:
“The roof inspection is the part everyone is lazy about,” Mauricio explains. “But it is where the real problems live.”
Modern roofs are built airtight. That is a good thing for energy efficiency, but it is also what causes most roof failures. Without proper attic ventilation, trapped heat and moisture will shorten the life of a new roof, void manufacturer warranties, and drive up heating and cooling bills.
Most roofers do not check for it. We do, on every job. And when the attic needs help, we solve it: ridge vents, soffit vents, powered ventilation, insulation upgrades, sun tunnels, or Velux skylights. No one-size-fits-all recommendation. Every home is different, and we recommend what actually works for yours.
Our warranty is one of the strongest in the region:
We are certified installers for GAF, Owens Corning, James Hardie, MuleHide, Henry (Carlisle), Velux, ProVia, and Pella. Certifications matter because the strongest warranties are only available through each manufacturer’s certified network.
If you have been burned by a bad contractor before, these are the questions that separate the real ones from the storm chasers. Ours are always yes.
“It was a pleasure working with you guys. You really know what you’re doing and kept us informed the whole way. You made it super easy for us to understand everything.”
We hear versions of this constantly. Cleanliness, patience, and attention to detail come up more than anything else. See more on our Reviews page, or read verified neighborhood recommendations on our Nextdoor page.
Downers Grove has three main housing eras and each one has different roofing needs. Victorian-era homes in the historic core near Denburn Woods and Prince Pond have steep pitches and complex flashing details. Mid-century ranches in Shady Lane Estates and Downers Grove Gardens have moderate pitches with often-undervented attics. Newer subdivisions like Fairview Pointe and Randall Park have contemporary rooflines that often mix low-slope and steep-slope sections on the same building.
We know these neighborhoods because we have been working in them since Bill moved the business to Downers Grove in the early 1980s. Every roof is different. Every house is different. We recommend the material and system that actually fits your home, not the one that pushes our margins highest.
Ready to talk about your roof? See our dedicated pages for Roof Replacement in Downers Grove and Roof Repairs in Downers Grove, or call (630) 725-1000 for a free on-site inspection.
Here is what to know about Royal Craft before you call. Every one of these is verifiable.
These are typical Downers Grove scenarios we see repeatedly. Names and addresses are anonymized. The problems, decisions, and outcomes are representative of the work we do on DG-area homes:
Situation: Original 1970s asphalt shingles on a 1955 ranch. Homeowner called about a leak in the master bedroom ceiling. Roof looked “OK” from the ground.
What we found: Full roof walk showed widespread granule loss, curled shingles on the south-facing slope, and one cracked pipe boot. Attic inspection revealed no soffit ventilation and a saturated batt of insulation under the leak. Root cause: trapped attic heat had aged the shingles at twice their normal rate for over a decade.
What we recommended: Full replacement, not a repair. GAF Timberline HDZ shingles, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield beyond code, new pipe boots, and a full ventilation correction with soffit vents plus a ridge vent.
Outcome: New roof installed in two days. Attic dropped a measurable 15 degrees in summer per the homeowner’s later feedback. 10-year workmanship warranty registered.
Situation: Straight-line wind event knocked several synthetic slate-look tiles off the west-facing dormer. Rest of the roof was in good shape and still had 15+ years of life.
What we found: Damage was contained to one 8-tile area near the dormer valley. Underlying flashing was sound but the tiles needed color-matched replacements. Insurance adjuster had already approved repair, not replacement.
What we recommended: Matched-material repair, not replacement. Sourced the specific tile from the original manufacturer, replaced the flashing at the dormer as preventive maintenance, and did not push a full replacement the homeowner did not need.
Outcome: One-day repair. Repair covered under our 10-year workmanship warranty. Roof kept its remaining life.
Situation: 1990s home with a two-story steep-slope main roof and a flat section over a bump-out addition. Homeowner had gotten three quotes; two of them refused the flat section entirely and one wanted to add $8,000 in surprises.
What we found: Steep slopes were showing 90% granule loss on the south sides. The flat section had membrane failure at the tie-in with the main roof. Both needed replacement at the same time to maintain warranty on the transition point.
What we recommended: Single-project replacement of both. GAF Timberline HDZ for the steep slopes, MuleHide low-slope membrane for the flat section, and a properly detailed transition where they meet. This is the kind of job single-trade roofers usually will not take. Both slope types are our normal scope because Mauricio came from commercial roofing before joining Royal Craft.
Outcome: Three-day job. Both the steep and flat sections under one warranty. Homeowner did not need to coordinate two separate contractors.
These are representative scenarios based on the pattern of DG-area jobs we see. Names, addresses, and exact dates are omitted for privacy.
1,000+ residential and commercial roof projects completed since 1973. Family-run out of 1525 Ogden Ave, Ste E, Downers Grove IL 60515. Bill or Mauricio is on every jobsite.
