Where do roof leaks on Whidbey Island start?
The wet spot on your ceiling is rarely under the actual hole. Water runs along the underside of the deck before it drops. So we start on the roof and work back toward the stain. Most leaks sit where something breaks the roof surface.
The usual spots are step flashing at a wall and counter flashing at a chimney. Rubber boots around plumbing vents crack and let water past. Valleys pack with fir needles and hold water instead of moving it. Skylight flashing gives out long before the glass does, and a leaking skylight often needs only new flashing.
Gutters that stay full back water up under the roof edge, and that reads as a roof leak inside. When they are sagging or rusted through, we price new gutters and downspouts with the repair. Shade under big firs keeps a roof damp, and moss takes hold on the north side. We wrote up what moss does to shingles here and when that damage goes past a repair.
Storm damage roof repair and emergency tarping
Island storms take shingles off ridges and gable ends first. A falling branch can go through decking in one gust. Put a bucket under the drip and move what is under it. Take photos from the ground and stay off the roof.
Emergency roof repair here runs in three steps. We tarp the opening so the inside stops taking water. We stabilize anything loose or unsafe on the roof. Then we come back and do the real repair once the full scope is priced.
Storm and tree damage often turns into an insurance claim. We itemize the scope of what got damaged and what the repair takes, in writing. You hand that to your insurance company and work the claim with them. We did exactly that for a homeowner on a storm damage roof and siding repair.
Roof inspections and the repair or replace decision
Plenty of the calls we get come down to one question. Is this roof done, or can it be fixed? We come out, get on the roof where it is safe, and look at all of it. Then we tell you which way we would go and why.
A repair holds up when the shingles around the damage still have granules and flex. It holds up when the failure sits in one area of the roof. We say so when a roof is past that point. Patching a worn-out roof buys a season and then you pay again.
Age matters too. Roofs here take rain nine months a year plus wind on the bluffs. When a roof is in its last few years, a repair only buys time. A metal roof is worth pricing next to another shingle roof before you decide.