Coastal Ventilation and a NorthGate ClimateFlex Resawn Shake Roof in Narragansett

On the Narragansett shore, the enemy of a roof is not just wind and sun — it is moisture, the constant salt-laden humidity that hangs in coastal air and works its way into an attic that cannot breathe. This home got a roof built for that reality: CertainTeed NorthGate ClimateFlex shingles in Resawn Shake over a balanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation system that keeps damp air moving out instead of settling into the deck. Pinnacle roofs go on fast — often as a one-day roof replacement — and flexible financing keeps a project like this within reach, with plans as low as 0% interest for 18 months.

A new CertainTeed NorthGate ClimateFlex roof in Resawn Shake was installed over a balanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation system in Narragansett, so coastal humidity is continuously flushed out of the attic. This project is in Narragansett, Rhode Island, finished in CertainTeed NorthGate ClimateFlex — Resawn Shake.

Scope of Work

The re-roof began at the ridge and the eaves, because on a coastal home ventilation is not an afterthought — it is the defense against the moisture that defines the setting. The crew confirmed intake at the eave soffits and installed a continuous ridge vent at the peak, establishing the balanced airflow that carries damp air up and out. Then the waterproofing: CertainTeed WinterGuard ice-and-water shield along the eaves and up the valleys, DiamondDeck synthetic underlayment across the field, and new drip edge and starter courses to lock the edges against wind-driven coastal rain. The NorthGate ClimateFlex shingles in Resawn Shake were coursed up the slopes and finished with matching ridge cap set over the ridge vent, so the peak exhausts along its full length while reading as a clean, continuous line. The finished roof pairs a shingle engineered for the coast with a ventilation system engineered to keep the salt-air moisture from ever settling in.

What We Installed (And Why)

This roof is a coastal specialist from the shingle down to the airflow. CertainTeed NorthGate ClimateFlex is not a standard architectural shingle — it is built with SBS-modified, or rubberized, asphalt, which stays flexible and impact-resistant through the deep-cold swings and freeze-thaw cycles that a shoreline roof sees every winter. That rubberized composition resists the cracking and brittleness that ordinary asphalt can develop when it is repeatedly chilled and warmed, and it carries a Class A fire rating and StreakFighter algae resistance to fight the black streaking that coastal humidity encourages. Its Resawn Shake color is a warm, wood-toned blend that gives the home the look of a cedar-shake roof with none of the maintenance. But the shingle is only half the coastal defense. Salt air is heavy with moisture, and in a home near the water that humidity migrates up into the attic, where it condenses on cold sheathing and, over time, rots the deck and breeds mold. A balanced ridge-and-soffit system gives that moisture a continuous exit: intake at the eaves, exhaust at the ridge, and a constant wash of air along the underside of the deck that carries damp air outside before it can condense. On the coast, a roof that cannot breathe fails from the inside out no matter how good the shingles are — which is why pairing a rubberized, weather-tough shingle with real ventilation is the right build for a Narragansett home.

Project Photo Gallery

The finished Resawn Shake roof overlooking the Narragansett shore

A continuous ridge vent set at the peak to exhaust coastal moisture

Ridge-vent components ready to complete the balanced ventilation system

Good To Know: Why does a coastal Narragansett roof need good attic ventilation?

Because coastal air is heavy with moisture, and a roof near the water is fighting humidity as much as wind or sun. That damp, salt-laden air migrates up into the attic, and if it cannot get out, it condenses on the cold underside of the roof deck — the same way a cold glass sweats on a humid day. Over time that trapped moisture rots the sheathing, corrodes fasteners, and breeds mold, and it does its damage silently, out of sight, no matter how good the shingles on top are. A balanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation system is the defense: cool, drier air is drawn in at the eaves, washes up the underside of the deck, and carries the moist air out at the ridge in a continuous cycle. On the Narragansett shore, where the humidity never really lets up, that constant flushing is what keeps the deck dry and the attic healthy through every season, and it is why ventilation is not an add-on here — it is a core part of building a roof that survives the coast.

Why This Approach Works

A coastal roof has to defend against moisture from two directions: rain and wind-driven spray from above, and humid attic air from below. A rubberized, weather-tough shingle handles the first; a balanced ridge-and-soffit ventilation system handles the second. Building both into one roof is what keeps a shoreline home dry from the deck to the ridge.

Why Pinnacle

Building a roof that stands up to the coast — shingle and ventilation together — rewards a contractor who treats the roof as a complete system. As a CertainTeed ShingleMaster™ Premier contractor, Pinnacle qualifies our customers for CertainTeed’s full SureStart™ PLUS extended warranty — coverage most contractors cannot offer. We’ve served Rhode Island since 2012, hold a 5.0-star Google rating across 100+ reviews and an A+ BBB rating — see our full credentials.

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Narragansett is quintessential Rhode Island shoreline — the seawall, the beaches, and neighborhoods of homes that live with salt air and ocean weather year-round. That setting is beautiful and hard on roofs: constant humidity, wind off the water, and freeze-thaw swings that test a shingle’s flexibility every winter. A roof built for Narragansett has to answer all of it, which is why a rubberized NorthGate ClimateFlex shingle over a ventilation system engineered to move coastal moisture out is the kind of build a shoreline home is really asking for. Explore our work across Narragansett roofing services.