Roof Repair: How to Respond to a Leak or Damage

A stain on the ceiling doesn’t mean a new roof. Water travels. It gets in at one spot, runs along a rafter or the top of the drywall, and shows up somewhere else. The stain is a signal to have a roofer look, not proof of where the problem is.

The first hour

• Put a bucket under it and move anything that can’t get wet.
• Take a photo of the stain and, if you can get to the attic safely, of the wet spot up there.
• Note when it started and what the weather was doing. Rain, snowmelt and wind-driven rain point at different things.
• Stay off the roof.
• Call. If we can get a tarp on it, we will.

Where leaks actually come from

A leak can come from a localized problem even when much of the roof is still sound. A nail that backed out and is sitting proud under a shingle. Flashing at a wall or chimney that was never right. A pipe gasket that cracked in the sun. A skylight that’s giving out before the roof does. Ice at the eaves backing water up under the shingles. We trace the water to the source and check the roof around it. If the roof is sound, we fix the thing and leave the roof alone.

What we repair

Shingles and metal panels. Flashing, chimney transitions and exposed fasteners. Pipe gaskets, roof penetrations and skylight leaks. Decking and the roofing over it. There’s no minimum repair charge; some companies set one, we don’t. One thing we don’t repair is tile: it never held up in our climate and suppliers stopped carrying it here.

When it’s more than a repair

If the roof around the leak is also worn, granules coming off in patches, exposed asphalt, shingles curling, we’ll tell you that too, and give you a repair option and a replacement option so you can decide. A repair on a roof that’s done buys a season. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want; we just want you to know what you’re buying.

After a storm

Photograph what you can see from the ground, note the date, and keep receipts for anything you do to protect the interior. An inspection report and photos help when you talk to your insurer; your policy decides what’s covered. Oregon’s insurance regulator has a short storm-damage guide worth reading before you call them.

Request a free repair inspection. Tell us where the water’s showing up and when it started.