Roof repair in Chesapeake

Where Chesapeake roofs actually leak

After enough attics you learn that water almost never comes through the middle of a shingle field. It comes in at the places where something interrupts the shingles.

Pipe boots. The rubber collar around every plumbing vent cracks after 10–15 years of Virginia sun. The leak shows up as a stain near a bathroom or the kitchen. This is the roof leak repair Chesapeake VA homeowners call about most, and it costs $250–$450 with a new boot and the shingles around it.

Chimney flashing. Brick chimneys on 1970s–90s homes in Greenbrier and Great Bridge were often flashed with a single strip of aluminum caulked to the brick. Once that caulk fails, water runs behind it. Proper chimney flashing repair Chesapeake crews should be doing means step flashing woven into the shingles plus counter-flashing cut into the mortar joint, and it runs $600–$1,500 depending on chimney size.

Valleys. Two roof planes meeting at a valley carry more water than anywhere else on the roof, and on older roofs the shingles there are worn thin. A valley re-lay with ice-and-water membrane underneath is $500–$1,200.

Skylights. A skylight leak is usually the flashing kit, not the glass. Skylight leak repair Chesapeake homeowners pay for is usually a new flashing kit at $400–$900; if the unit's seal has failed, replacement is $1,200–$2,500 installed.

Wind damage. Lifted, creased or missing shingles on the slope that faced the wind. Shingle roof repair Chesapeake crews do after a storm is $300–$800 for a few square feet of matched shingles, more if the underlayment tore. If the whole slope is creased, that becomes a storm damage claim.

Wall flashing at dormers and additions. Water runs down the siding and behind missing or short step flashing. Common on homes that had a room added over the garage.

How we find the leak

1. We start in the attic with a flashlight, looking for the water trail on the underside of the decking. Water travels along rafters, so the stain on the ceiling is rarely under the entry point.
2. We walk the roof above that spot and check every penetration and flashing within about six feet.
3. If it isn't obvious, we run a hose on sections of the roof in sequence while someone watches in the attic. Takes 30 minutes and finds almost everything.
4. You get photos of the problem and a written price.

Repair or replace?

Most roof repair Chesapeake VA homeowners need is at one or two spots on a roof that has years left, and that's when we repair. We say so when it doesn't: if the shingles are losing granules across the whole roof, if there are already two layers up there, or if we're finding soft decking in more than one place, a repair buys you a year and a replacement conversation anyway. The roof replacement page walks through that decision, and our post on repair versus replacement has the numbers.

Gutters, decking and the parts around the roof

Gutter and roof repair Chesapeake homeowners book tend to go together — a gutter that has been overflowing for years rots the fascia and the first course of decking behind it. We replace rotted decking at $90–$150 per sheet, rebuild fascia, and re-hang or replace the gutter section so the fix holds. If you have moisture in the attic without an obvious leak, read our post on roof leaks that are really condensation before you spend money on shingles.

Neighborhoods we repair roofs in

Great Bridge, Greenbrier, Hickory, Deep Creek, Western Branch, South Norfolk and Indian River in Chesapeake; Kempsville, Great Neck and Princess Anne in Virginia Beach; and Portsmouth, Norfolk and Suffolk. See the Virginia Beach and Great Bridge pages for detail.