Roof repairs and replacement, starting with one free request

What kind of roof problem do you have?

Most roof calls fall into one of a handful of situations, and each one has a different first step. A slow drip that shows up only in heavy rain is a tracing job: somebody has to find where water gets in, which is rarely where the stain is. Shingles torn off by wind, or a roof peppered by hail, is storm damage, and the order of things matters there because of the insurance claim.

A tarp in the middle of the night is an emergency cover, not a repair. And a roof that leaks in several places, sheds granules and curls at the edges is usually a replacement question. Pick the page that sounds like your house:

• Roof repair

  Flashing, lifted or missing shingles, cracked tiles, worn pipe boots and flat-roof seams: the problems a repair can fix.

• Roof leak repair

  How a leak is traced from the stain back to the entry point, and what to do with the bucket in the meantime.

• Emergency roof repair

  Tarps and temporary covers after a storm or a fallen limb, and why the cover comes before the claim.

• Hail damage roof repair

  What hail does to shingles, how to check a storm date, and what Texas law says about deductibles.

• Roof replacement

  A full reroof step by step: the permit, tear-off, deck, underlayment, flashing and the final inspection.

• Cool roofs in California

  When a Bay Area reroof must meet the Title 24 cool roof rule, and how to read the product label.

How a roof request works

1. You tell us about the roof. Call, or use the form on this page: what you see, what the roof is made of if you know, how old it is, and the city or ZIP code.
2. We call or email you back. We go through what you described, which questions to settle before anyone climbs a ladder, and what kind of roofing help fits.
3. You decide what happens next. Nothing is booked and nothing is signed until you choose to. You stay in charge of the roof, the contract and any insurance claim.

Repair or replace: the first question on most roofs

A repair fixes a part; a replacement starts the roof over. A sound roof with one bad pipe boot, a lifted ridge cap or a torn valley is a repair. A roof where the shingles have lost their granules, curl at the tabs and leak in more than one spot has usually reached the end of its life, and patching it means paying for the same visit again next season. Age matters, but so does what is underneath: a soft or rotted deck, more than one old layer, and flashing that was never installed right all push toward a reroof. Our guide on whether to repair or replace a roof walks through the signs one at a time, with the questions to ask the roofer who inspects it.

Storm damage, insurance and what a roofer may do

After a hail or wind storm, the insurance claim is yours. You file it with your insurer, you meet the adjuster, and you pay the deductible. A roofer can inspect the roof and document what they find, with photos and notes you can pass on, but in Texas a contractor who also does the work may not act as a public insurance adjuster for you or advertise that they will, and it is illegal for a contractor to offer to waive or absorb your deductible. The Texas Department of Insurance lays this out in plain language. We follow the same line in both states, and our page on roof damage and insurance claims explains what to photograph, what to keep, and where to report an offer that sounds wrong.

Two regions, two sets of roof rules

The Bay Area and Dallas–Fort Worth ask different things of a roof. In California, roofing work is licensed by the Contractors State License Board under the C-39 roofing classification, a reroof needs a building permit, and replacing half or more of the roof in Climate Zones 4 or 12, which cover parts of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano Counties, triggers the Energy Code's cool roof rule. In North Texas the pressure comes from the sky: hail and straight-line wind, and an insurance market that gives credits for impact-resistant roofing rated Class 1 to 4. Texas has no state roofing license, so homeowners lean on insurance certificates, references and the city's permit office. Read the regional guides for roof repair in the Bay Area and roof repair in Dallas–Fort Worth.

Before you call: five things worth writing down

• Where the water shows. Which room, which wall or ceiling, and whether it appears in every rain or only with wind from one direction.
• What the roof is made of. Asphalt shingles, concrete or clay tile, wood shake, metal, or a flat roof with a membrane or rolled roofing.
• Roughly how old it is. A year from a past inspection report, a permit record, or the seller's disclosure is better than a guess.
• Any storm date. If the damage followed hail or wind, the date lets you and your insurer match it to a reported event.
• Photos from the ground. Take them from the yard or a window. You do not need to climb up, and on a wet or steep roof you should not.

If you want a deeper read first, the blog covers what happens during a roof inspection and how to check a roofer before you sign.