Repair of valley, wall, vent and step flashing, where leaks usually start on older houses with porches and additions in Lawndale and Cleveland County.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Roof flashing repair replaces or re-seals the metal at valleys, walls, vents and joints, which keeps water out of the gaps where roof planes meet the house. On older houses with added porches and additions, flashing is often where leaks start, and fixing the joint is often what stops them. A technician checks each joint before choosing the repair.
Shingles get most of the attention on a roof, but flashing does the work where the roof meets something else. It sits in valleys where two slopes meet, along walls, around vents and pipes, and at the joints where a porch or an addition connects to the main house. When flashing fails, water runs into the gap and reaches the decking, the framing and the ceiling below, often with no obvious sign on the shingles themselves.
Lawndale's housing makes flashing a regular job. Whole streets of mill houses went up in a short period, and many farmhouses and ranches on the county roads have been added to over the years, with porches, bump-outs and new rooms. Each addition creates new valleys and wall joints, and each join needs flashing that matches the roof and ages on its own schedule. A leak that shows up in an addition is often a flashing problem at the join.
Repair starts with finding the joint that leaks, which is not always where the water shows. A technician checks the flashing from the roof and the attic, then repairs or replaces the metal and the shingles around it. Call (833) 751-2102, which is answered around the clock. A visit depends on who is free, and no arrival time is promised.
Do not walk a steep roof to reach a valley or a vent, and never stand on flashing or on the top of a shingle course to reach a joint. Do not use a torch, heat gun or open flame near shingles or sealant, since roof fires start that way. Keep ladders on firm ground and out of the wind. If a stain is spreading across a ceiling or wall near a joint, keep the area dry and call for help rather than waiting for the weather to clear.
Valleys carry the most water on a roof, which makes them a common source of leaks. The repair replaces the metal or the valley shingles so that water runs down the channel without pooling. The old metal is removed carefully so the shingles above it can be reset without breaking.
Where a roof meets a wall, step flashing is woven with the shingles so that water runs over each course. A failed step usually shows as a gap or a rusted strip. The repair replaces the step pieces and re-weaves the shingles above them.
Plumbing vents and attic vents sit in a boot or collar that can split with age and sun. A split boot lets water run down the pipe into the attic. The repair replaces the boot and checks the shingles around it for lifted edges.
Where a porch roof or an addition meets the main roof, the joint is often the weakest point. The repair covers the joint flashing and any flashing where the new roof attaches to the house wall. The job is often bigger than a single leak suggests, because the same joint usually carries water in more than one place.
Most roof flashing repair calls are scheduled the same day when a technician is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.
Flashing fails at joints and seals before the shingles wear out, and water finds the gap while the shingles still look sound. The leak usually shows inside first, on a ceiling or a wall.
Metal expands and contracts with heat, and sealant dries, cracks and pulls away over time. Those movements open a small gap at the joint, and water runs through it along the metal and under the shingles at the edge.
Because the water travels, the stain may be several feet from the actual gap. The attic check above the stain traces the path back to the joint that needs work.
Sealant can hold a small gap for a while, but it cracks and pulls away in sun and heat. It is a short-term measure, and repeated sealant on the same joint usually means the flashing needs replacing.
A patch can look neat from the ground and still leave water running under the metal. The technician checks for this, since sealant placed over a failed piece hides the problem rather than solving it.
Where a patch is the sensible choice for a short time, the estimate will say so and say when it should be revisited. Ask the crew to state the plan plainly.
The number of joints involved, how much metal needs replacing, the height and pitch of the roof, and the access on a rural lot all move the price. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
A single vent boot is a short job. A valley that runs the length of an addition, or a joint that needs the shingles lifted across a wide area, takes more time and more care to avoid breaking the surrounding material.
Access matters too. A joint that can be reached from a ladder on firm ground is different from one that needs fall protection on a steep roof. No figure is given here, and the on-site look and the written estimate are the real numbers.
Not on a steep or wet roof. Flashing can be checked from the attic and from the ground with binoculars, and the roof walk belongs to someone who can do it safely.
A valley or a vent is easy to miss from below, and a step in the roof can look fine until it is seen up close. The attic is a safer place to look for water staining along the framing and around the pipes.
If you do need to look from the roof, do it only in dry weather on a low roof with a stable ladder and a second person nearby.
Coverage depends on your policy and the cause of the damage, and your insurer decides. Wind or hail damage to flashing may be treated differently from wear and age.
Photograph the flashing, the joint and any stains inside before anything is changed. The N.C. Department of Justice advises contacting your insurance company early, since some insurers need an adjuster to approve work before it begins.
The insurance claims guide describes the order of steps after a storm, and the written estimate helps the adjuster see what the repair involves.
The technician walks the roof and checks every joint: the valleys, the walls, the vents, and the places where an addition meets the main roof. Stains inside the house are traced through the attic to the joint that is letting water in, since the water often travels a long way from where it shows.
Each piece of flashing is checked for rust, cracks, holes and bent edges. Rubber collars and sealant around vent pipes are checked for splits, since they often fail before the metal does.
Failed flashing is lifted carefully so the shingles around it are not broken. Nails are removed and the area is cleaned so that the new metal lies flat on sound decking.
New flashing is cut to fit the joint, with the upper piece lapping over the lower one so water runs down and out. Shingles are reset to overlap the new metal, and sealant is used only where the joint design calls for it.
The technician checks the joint from the roof and the attic and explains what was replaced and why. Where a leak has already soaked the decking or insulation, the affected material is repaired as part of the same job.
Lawndale's mill-village houses were built in a short run of years, and many have been changed since. Porches, rear additions and new dormers have added valleys and wall joints that the original builders did not have, and each join is a place where water can get in.
Farmhouses out on the county roads often grew one room at a time, and the roof lines grew with them. Where a newer roof meets an older one, the joint needs flashing matched to both, and an old, rusted step or valley piece is common enough to check first.
Shelby, Kings Mountain and the other towns each have their own inspections office, and the county office handles unincorporated addresses. Repairs to flashing fall under the same question as other roof work, namely whether a permit is needed. That depends on the address and the scope, so ask the office that covers the house.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Repair of the flashing, counterflashing and cap around a chimney, where leaks usually start on mill houses and farmhouses in Lawndale and Cleveland County.
Finding and sealing the entry point of a roof leak, from worn flashing and valleys to nail holes, in Lawndale and the county.
A complete new roof covering for houses in Lawndale and across the county, when repair no longer holds.
Asphalt shingle repair and replacement for brick ranches, post-war houses and farmhouses across the county.
Many older houses in the mill villages were built by one company in one short period, so their roofs are the same age and reach the end of their useful life together.
Flashing is usually metal, such as aluminum, galvanized steel or copper, and vent pipes often use a rubber collar with sealant. The metal is chosen to suit the roof and the joint. A technician checks the type already on the roof before replacing it, so the new piece matches.
A valley collects water from two roof slopes into one channel, so it carries more water than most other parts of the roof. Leaves and debris can slow the flow and back the water up. Keeping valleys clear helps, and a worn valley needs repair.
Often, yes. Flashing can be replaced in sections, and the shingles around it are lifted, reset and sealed. If the shingles are brittle, the crew may need to replace more of them, and the technician will explain which applies.
Water follows the roof structure, so the stain inside may be several feet from the actual gap. The attic above the stain is checked to trace the water back to the joint. Looking in the attic on a dry day after rain is a useful first step.
Yes, wherever it joins the existing roof. That join is a flashing job in its own right, and it has to match the slope and the materials of both roofs. The crew checks the joint for fit before the shingles are reset.
Usually. The boot or collar is replaced and the shingles around it are reset. The roof does not need replacing for a vent boot unless the surrounding shingles are too brittle to lift safely.
The estimate lists each joint, the metal to be replaced, the shingles to be reset, and any decking repair that was found. Ask about anything that is not on it before work starts, so the scope is clear to both of you.