How Much Does Roof Leak Repair Cost?

Roof Repair - Aug 24,2012 - No Comment

Your roof is your home’s first line of defense, so damage to it is inevitable. Damage is caused by wind, precipitation, the sun and other adverse weather events. Your roof is slowly being degraded by these elements. Years can pass without any visible signs of harm, but gradually you may develop leaks or other signs of damage. These need to be addressed, not ignored, or the damage will spread to the interior of your home.

Because of the high costs associated with roof leak repairs and roof replacement, you may choose to hold off as long as possible. First of all though, get it checked out, as you may only need simple repairs to sort it. To find out how to identify roof damage and how much roof leak repairs cost, continue reading this buying guide.

Roof leak repair cost: Determining whether your roof needs repairs

Just like maintenance on your vehicle to avoid breakdown, the same applies to your house roof. It is cheaper in the long run to keep it in good condition than it is to wait until you have a major problem. However it is difficult to see if there are any repairs required, unless water is actually pouring through your ceiling. In order to make the process a lot less difficult, follow the steps below:

Exterior Inspection: visual inspection of roof – look for missing or damaged (curled, cracked or torn) shingles. If there is any damage and it is localized (i.e. covers less than 30 per cent of entire roof) repairs will probably solve the problem. More than 30 per cent damage may require total roof replacement. Also take into account other areas of potential leakage such as damaged chimney, ventilation pipes and roof flashing, and be sure to inspect as well.

Interior Inspection: a damaged leaking roof can be indicated by brown, yellow or grey stains, or moisture marks as well as peeling of paint on walls and/or ceilings. Take a look in your attic where roof damage could be indicated by damp rafters or leaks. A sudden rise in energy costs also makes an inspection of your roof ventilation worthwhile.

Calling in a Professional: when it comes to noticing any roof damage, although you are the first line of defense, you should also be aware of your limitations and call in a professional roofer without hesitation for inspection if required. Although it may cost a couple of hundred dollars, it could save you thousands of dollars in major roof repairs if left unattended.

Roof Leak Repair Cost: Average costs

Location can be a factor in the cost of your roof repair. Other factors include the roof type, nature of repair, the contractor themselves, and so on. Basic repairs such as replacement of asphalt or wood shingles, for one square (10 ft x 10 ft) may cost between $250 to $1000. Roof flashing repair may cost – around a skylight or chimney – $250 to $500, around a vent or pipe – $50 to $100 and valley roof flashing costs – $15 to $30 per linear foot.

Finally, the layer of materials between the trusses and joints – the roof decking that holds the roof up, and the waterproof insulated layer of this roofing, when needing replacing may cost $2.50 to $7.50 per square foot.

Roof Repairs for Leaky Roofs

Roof Repair - Apr 04,2012 - No Comment

Roof repairs are costly, unexpected and every home owner’s biggest fear. But while it provokes fear, the unpleasant truth is that most of these costs are the result of a home owner’s own delay in seeking to analyze and fix roof related troubles at an early stage. If you take efforts to find and fix any faults or deterioration in your roof early on, then you can put off or even totally avoid the need for costly replacement jobs later.

When the weather turns bad, and especially following unusually severe climatic shifts, it is a good practice to have your roof inspected. Roof repairs for leaky roofs can happen from neglect of damage in early stages. Emergency repairs then become necessary, since a leaky roof can result in damage to all materials inside a building.

And such emergency roof repairs may become necessary at odd times – during the night, or on holidays, when the appropriate staff and contractors may not be available – or will charge much more than their regular fee.

At the same time you will not be able to handle roof repairs yourself in bad weather. There is a real danger of lightning strikes, accidental falls and injury from heavy winds or snowfalls. You must take all possible precautions before embarking upon any such project. Also keep in mind that the roof structure may be weakened as a result of such damage.

This report on roof repairs for leaky roofs may give you even better insight into this facet of home improvement.

Roof Leak Repair – How To Repair a Leaky Roof

Roof Repair - Feb 24,2012 - No Comment

Roof leak repair is usually urgent, even an emergency. Localized roof damage like cracked or missing shingles or shakes, or a blistered or cracked area on a flat roof can cause leaks, but sometimes it can be years before the entire roof needs replacing. The hardest part of repairing damage caused by leaks is locating the leak.

Roof leak repair – Repairing shingle roofs:
They are usually easy to repair. At the leak stain mark, inspect for damaged, curled or missing shingles. Inspect every place where surfaces meet, around chimneys and vents – look for breaks in the flashing or caulking and gaps in the lines of roof cement. If the shingles or flashing in the leak area don’t shown any sign of damage, you may have to contact a roofing professional. Deterioration of the shingles or inadequate flashing may be the cause.

Repairs are fairly simple if evidence is found of shingle damage. Compound for caulking guns or asphalt roof cement can be used to reattach curled back shingles, which can be easily straightened out in warm weather. They need to be softened before they can be flattened out in cold weather, which makes them brittle. This can be done by the careful use of a propane torch with a flame-spreader nozzle applied gently to the curled edges just warm enough to soften, but not to catch fire, then flatten them. Apply roof cement to the bottom of the shingle at each corner to reattach, and press firmly into place. Shingles that can be raised up off the roof with no effort are rotten and need replacing. Torn and missing ones should also be replaced – they (and rotten ones) should be replaced with new ones.

A whole new roof may be required if a large area of rotten shingles is found – this is the stage when a roofing professional should be consulted. If not, the shingles left over from the previous roof installation can be used for replacement.

Roof leak repair – Replacing damaged shingles:

Step 1: Damaged shingle needs to be removed by raising edges of neighboring shingles and using pry bar to carefully remove nails. Slide out old shingle, and if there’s any brittle or loose cement left behind, scrape clean. When shingles are blown off by adverse weather conditions, removal of any protruding nails in the roof is necessary.

Step 2: Slightly curving the back corners with a sharp utility knife will make it easier to slide the new shingle into place.

Step 3: With the front edge aligned with shingles on each side, and back edge under shingles in the row above, slide the new shingle into the space provided.

Step 4: Raise the corners of the overlapping shingles. Use 6d galvanized roofing nails, hammered through each corner to fasten the new shingle in place. Nail heads should be covered with roof cement, then the overlapping shingle edges smoothed down.

If the shingles are not damaged, or after replacing damaged shingles, the chimney, vents or vent pipe flashing should be inspected, as well as any line of roof cement where two surfaces meet.

Tag Archives: leaky roof

How Much Does Roof Leak Repair Cost?

Roof Repairs for Leaky Roofs

Roof Leak Repair – How To Repair a Leaky Roof