Repairs and leaks
Fix what leaks. Replace only what has to go.
Water in an old house rarely comes in where it shows. We trace it, show you the photos and repair the part that failed.
If a repair will hold, we say so. If the roof has gone past it, we say that too, and show you why.
Where the water gets in
The usual suspects on an Erie roof
Chimney backs and sides
Brick chimneys move, mortar cracks and the flashing lifts. Snow drifts against the back and sits there.
Valleys
Where two slopes meet, snow and ice pile up and test every nail and seam.
Dormers and walls
The joint between a roof and a wall is flashed in metal or it leaks. Caulk alone does not last.
Eaves and gutters
Ice backs up under the first row of shingles and finds the soffit. The fix is at the eave, not the gutter.
Old nails and slipped slates
Slate and cedar roofs fail one piece at a time. Replacing the pieces keeps the roof.
Vents and pipes
The rubber collar on a plumbing vent cracks long before the shingles around it do.
If it is leaking now
What to do before we get there
Call the office. Until we arrive:
Catch it
A bucket under the drip and a towel around it. Move what you can out of the way.
Stay off the roof
Not in snow, not in the wet, not at all. We do not climb a wet or icy roof, and you should not either.
Photograph it from inside
The stain, the ceiling and any drip. Photos from the ground are enough for us to plan.
The office is open Monday to Friday. Outside those hours, leave a message and the office calls back the next working morning.
Repairs
Repair or replace?
How do you decide between a repair and a new roof?
We look at how much of the roof is still sound, why it failed, and what a repair would cost against the life it would buy. We write that down for you.
Will a repair match the rest of the roof?
On shingles it will not match perfectly, because the old ones have weathered. On slate and cedar we match the courses by hand as closely as the material allows.
Do you charge for the visit?
The terms of a visit are in the booking. Ask when you call and we will tell you before anyone comes.
Leak or not, we will take a look
Send the address and a photo from the yard. We will tell you what to expect before anyone climbs a ladder.