Roof Repair in Waunakee, Wisconsin

Most leaks start at the flashing, not the shingles. A cracked neoprene boot around a vent pipe, step flashing that slipped when the siding was replaced, a chimney counterflashing sealed with caulk instead of cut into the mortar. We find where the water actually gets in, which is often a few feet uphill of the stain on the ceiling. Then we repair that spot with matching materials and check the decking underneath for rot.

An inspection means going up on the roof, not looking at it from the driveway. We walk every slope and look for granule loss, lifted tabs, nail pops, and sealant that has dried out around penetrations. In the attic we check for daylight at the deck, damp sheathing, frost on nail tips and blocked soffit vents. You get photos of what we saw and a plain account of what needs attention now and what can wait.

Replacement starts with a full tear-off down to the deck. Layering new shingles over old hides soft spots and traps heat. Once the deck is bare we replace any rotted boards or delaminated sheathing, then lay ice-and-water membrane at the eaves, valleys and around every penetration, with synthetic underlayment over the rest. New drip edge, new flashing, new pipe boots. We do not reuse old metal just because it looks fine from the ground.

New construction and additions get the same attention as a tear-off. On pitched roofs that means starter strip along the eaves, shingles nailed in the manufacturer's pattern, and ridge vent matched to intake at the soffits. Low-slope sections over porches, garages and commercial buildings take a single-ply membrane instead, EPDM or TPO, with seams taped or heat-welded and flashed up every wall. Shingles on a flat roof will leak. We don't put them there.

We recommend standing seam steel with a PVDF finish for most houses. Panels run eave to ridge in a single length and fasten with concealed clips that let the metal move with temperature without working the screws loose. Exposed-fastener panels go on faster, but every screw carries a rubber washer that eventually dries out and leaks. With about 36 inches of snow a year, we set snow guards above doors and walkways so it cannot slide off all at once.

We start on the roof and finish in the attic. Outside, we check shingles for lost granules, cracked tabs and lifted edges, then look hard at the flashing around chimneys, vents and skylights, where most leaks begin. Inside, we look for daylight through the boards, dark stains on the rafters and damp insulation. Soft spots underfoot show where the deck has taken on water. You get photos of what we found.

Everything we plan to do goes on paper before any work is scheduled. The estimate names the shingle line and color, the underlayment, the flashing metal and how many layers come off. It also spells out how we handle rotten decking found once the old roof is up, written as a per-sheet line so it is clear from the start. If the job is a repair rather than a replacement, the estimate says so plainly.

Tear-off goes down to bare wood. We strip every layer of shingles, the old felt, rusted drip edge and cracked pipe boots, because new materials laid over old ones hide the problems we came to fix. Tarps go over landscaping and against the siding first. A dumpster sits close to the roofline so debris drops straight in instead of across the lawn. We open only as much roof as we can dry in that day.

With the shingles off, the deck tells the truth. We walk every sheet, and any plywood or OSB that is soft, delaminated or blackened by water gets cut out back to the rafters. New sheets match the thickness of the existing sheathing and are nailed into the framing, not just along the edges. On older plank decks, loose boards are renailed and wide gaps are covered with new sheathing so the roof lies flat.

A self-adhering ice and water membrane goes down first along the eaves, in the valleys and around every penetration. It seals around nail shanks and holds back water that works under shingles when snow lingers at the edge of the roof, and Dane County sees about 36 inches of it a year. The rest of the deck gets synthetic underlayment, lapped and fastened with cap nails. New drip edge goes under the membrane at the eaves and over it at the rakes.

Shingles go on from the eave up, beginning with a proper starter strip so the first course seals along its bottom edge. We nail inside the manufacturer's nailing zone with the count they specify, because high or crooked nails are how shingles blow off. Step flashing is woven in course by course against walls and chimneys. Pipe boots and vents are replaced, never reused. Ridge vent and ridge cap finish the top so the attic can breathe.

Before we call it finished, we walk the whole roof again. We check that shingles are sealed down, nail heads are covered, flashing sits tight at walls and chimneys, and the ridge vent is open and clear. Then we go back into the attic and look for daylight around penetrations. You walk the property with us, and anything that is not right gets fixed while the crew and materials are still on site.

Roofing scatters nails, so cleanup is part of the job, not an afterthought. We run magnetic sweepers across the driveway, lawn, flower beds and the street out front, then run them again. Gutters are cleared of granules and scraps, and downspouts are checked for blockages. Tarps come up and the dumpster leaves. Spare shingles from your roof are left with you for future repairs, if you want them.