A copper roof cap can also add a decorative touch if it is made with a little style, as opposed to just a simple cap to lay flat on the shingles.  For many people who are drawn to these sort of classic roof lines. You can click on this photo to link over to our Roof Cap Tail Design web page.

On these web pages you will find lots of photos of the custom roof caps we have made over the years, along with the sizes and cost of those caps to give you an idea of the cost range and what it gets you.  Several pictures link to other web pages that have more detailed descriptions of these caps and even show step-by-step how they were made.  Since all the caps we make are custom to order, we will need to know:
(a) how many sides the roof has,
(b) the pitch of your roof.
(c) how wide it is,
(d) the size of cap you want
(e) what design styles you want,

This way we can write up a quote for your consideration and suggest appropriate options you may not have considered, or knew were possible. Click on the photo above to see a collection of different roof cap tail designs we offer. We are not limited to these designs. We can recreate most anything you can diagram.

Traditionally a roof peak cap on a turret or gazebo roof is a great place to add a decorative weathervane or finial to your roof top.  We could make the weathervanes or finials pictured here, but they would cost 3 to 4 times as much, so we feel it is not worth that cost unless there is a very special design not featured out of the 14 finials and 97 weathervanes we sell for Good Directions on our Weathervane & Finials web page. We sell them and custom fit them to our cap designs, but you are not required to buy them through us.  On request, we make a sealed support built into the cap for a good strong support that is independent of the roof.  If you want to combine this with one of our cap designs; we will need to know this up front, so that we can make sure they will work just right with your roof angles and price it into our quote.  These decoration support pipes add $125 to the roof cap cost plus what extra copper is needed for the smaller steeple cone cap to hold the top of the pipe.

Another way to build an internal weathervane or finial support pipe in the new cap is to make the cap steeper than the roof, so there is a hollow space above the roof peak. Or you would need to have the roof peak cut down about a foot from the peak.  This way we can make an upper and a lower support for that pipe we install in the center to insert the decoration into.  The bottom of the pipe is capped off to seal it.  We also provide the caulk and copper shims to lock the shaft in place, so it will not rotate.  It is still be removable in case you change your mind, or find a decoration you like better.  Also, in case some sort of damage occurs to that decoration, it then can be repaired or changed.  We also provide an extra copper pipe cap to place over this pipe, incase the decoration is not ready for installation at the same time.

Warning:
Drilling a hole in the roof peak for a weathervane or finial support will not last very long and is highly prone to leaks into the roof.  The wood is too soft for a support, and high winds will work the decoration loose to open up the seal at the tip.  That will causing leaks and a crooked decoration that will no longer rotate as it should.  They do sell steel roof supports like this that screw down over the roofing, but they will cause rust stains and also begin to leak within a a few years. Our type of support removes the need to have a hole drilled in the peak of the roof, since the support is all above the roof peak. See our different Roof Cap Fabrication web pages to better see what we are talking about.

This photo is a good example of why we offer an alternative to the way most weathervanes and finials are mounted. I took this photo to show to the client of this problem I found when up on their roof replacing the gutters. There is no roof cap over this 4 sided turret and this weathervane support was bolted on the back side to hide it from the street view. It is very rusty as you can see and the pipe here is cracked down the side.

We customize the weathervane or finial for a better fit, so it will be sure to go together without a hitch and yet remain removable, incase that is needed. You may discover a decoration you like better, or the decoration you have gets damaged and needs replaced. To permanently install ornaments makes the roof cap more difficult to install and may cause other problems.  We recommend having these decoration installed after the cap is installed for several reasons;
(a) it costs a lot more to to make a much taller shipping crate w/the added shipping costs for the extra size and weight.
(b) Since these decorations are made with very thin copper; there is a lot greater risk of the decoration getting damaged in transit or during installation, as we have no control over that stage of this process.
(c) the cap is easier to install, since it is shorter and lighter to lift into position.
(d) it is harder to check for the leveling of the cap with the decoration in it.  A wood dowel can be inserted to check the vertical alignment before the cap gets screwed down to the roof.  It would not be good to have it screwed down, and later finding it is crooked; adding more holes to the roof near the bottom edge of the cap.
(e)  if later on you decide you want something a little different, swapping out the decoration is not such an intimidating mystery for you.