Roof Repair Near Me in Madison, WI

Most leaks we trace start at the flashing, not the shingles. Step flashing along a sidewall lifts, chimney counter-flashing loses its sealant, or the rubber collar on a pipe boot cracks and sends water down the vent stack. We replace the failed piece, weave new shingles into the existing courses, and seal every nail we expose. Small roof repairs like these are worth doing early. Left alone, the decking underneath softens and the job grows.

The attic tells us more than the shingles do, so that is where we finish. Daylight at the nail line, dark rings on the sheathing, or frost on nail tips in winter all point to something specific. Outside, we look for granules collected in the gutters, cracked sealant at penetrations, soft spots underfoot and worn valleys. With the median Madison home built in 1979, we also count the layers already on the deck. That count often decides between repair and tear-off.

Replacement means a full tear-off down to bare deck. Every old layer comes off, and any sheathing that has delaminated or rotted gets cut out and replaced. With about 36 inches of snow a year, we run ice and water shield along the eaves and through the valleys, then synthetic underlayment over the rest. Drip edge, vents and wall flashing are all new. Reusing tired flashing under fresh shingles is how a new roof starts leaking early.

New roofing installation covers more than whole houses: garages, additions, dormers and the flat section over a porch. On pitched roofs we lay architectural asphalt shingles, each one fastened on the manufacturer's nail line over synthetic underlayment. Shallow and flat areas get a fully adhered EPDM or TPO membrane, turned up the wall and tucked under counter-flashing, because shingles cannot shed water at that pitch. Standing seam metal suits either. We handle the permit.

We start on the roof itself, not from the driveway. We walk the slopes where it is safe to, check shingles for lifted tabs, cracked seals and granule loss, and look at the flashing around chimneys, vents and skylights, since that is where most leaks begin. Then we go into the attic to find stains, damp sheathing or daylight. Water often travels along a rafter before it drips, so the ceiling stain rarely marks the actual hole.

You get the scope on paper before anyone touches a shingle. The estimate lists what we found, where it is, and what we plan to do about it: which flashing gets replaced, how many courses of shingles come off, whether any decking is suspect. Small roof repairs get the same written treatment as bigger jobs. If a repair makes less sense than a partial replacement on an older roof, the estimate says so plainly and shows both.

Old material comes off only as far as the damage goes. We lift shingles by hand around the repair area, pull the nails, and cut back to sound material so the new work ties into courses that still seal properly. Rotted flashing, dried pipe boots and brittle underlayment all come out rather than being patched over. Tarps go down on the lawn and over plantings first, and debris goes straight into a trailer, not onto your gutters.

With the old layers off, the deck tells the truth. We press and probe every sheet in the opened area and cut out anything soft, delaminated or stained through. Replacement panels match the thickness of what is already there so the new roof lies flat, with ends landing on rafters and clips between them. On a house built around 1979 (the local median), a slow leak can soak the decking for years before anyone sees a stain.

Underlayment is the layer that stops water when shingles fail. Along eaves, in valleys and around penetrations we lay a self-adhered ice and water membrane, lapped over the existing sheet so water sheds downhill and never runs behind a seam. The open field gets synthetic underlayment, fastened with cap nails rather than staples. With about 36 inches of snow a year here, the eaves and valleys are where melt sits longest, and they get the most attention.

New shingles are matched to the existing roof as closely as the product line allows, then woven into the surrounding courses and hand-sealed where the old strips have lost their tack. We nail on the manufacturer's line, not above it, because high nails are a common reason shingles blow off. Step flashing goes in piece by piece at every wall, counterflashing is cut into mortar at chimneys, and pipe boots are replaced rather than caulked.

A repair is not finished until we check it the way we checked the roof at the start. Every nail line, seal strip and flashing lap gets looked at again, and we go back into the attic to check the sheathing around the old leak and look for daylight. Where it is practical, we run a hose over the repaired section and watch from inside. If the work needed a permit, we handle the permit inspection too.

Cleanup covers more than the obvious pile. We sweep the roof and gutters for granules, nail tips and loose sealant, then run a magnetic roller across the lawn, driveway and beds in crossing passes. Tarps come up last so nothing shaken loose from them gets left behind. Old shingles, flashing and packaging leave with us, not in your trash bins. At the end, we walk the property with you so you can point out anything we missed.