El Monte, CA
Fix the leak before it costs you a ceiling
The expensive part of a roof leak is almost never the roof. It is the insulation, the drywall and the framing that got wet on the way to the ceiling stain.
Describe the repair job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three El Monte contractors who do this work.
You are on the list.
No provider in El Monte is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a repair job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- What it would cost to replace instead, so you can compare like for like
- Whether matching material is still available in your colour
- Whether the surrounding material has enough life left to be worth tying into
- Where the water is actually getting in, not just where it is showing up
- What the repair does to any remaining manufacturer warranty
The usual culprits, in order: flashing at a wall or chimney, a cracked pipe boot, a valley that was never lined properly, and a nail that backed out. Actual holes in the field of the roof are uncommon.
A good repair visit starts in the attic, not on the roof. Daylight through the deck, wet insulation, and rust tracks down a nail shank all say more than a walk on the shingles.
Repairs on a roof with five years left are money well spent. Repairs on a roof with two are usually a deposit on the replacement you are about to buy anyway.
Locally
Then, less dramatically: ember intrusion through vents and open eaves. Most houses lost to wildfire are lost to embers arriving ahead of the fire, not to the fire itself.
About repair here
I have solar panels. What happens to them?
They come off and go back on, and that is a separate cost, often handled by the solar installer rather than the roofer. If the roof is near the end of its life, do the roof first — removing and refitting panels twice is money wasted.
Should I repair or replace?
Rough rule: if the covering has more than about five years left and the damage is confined to one area, repair. If it is at the end of its life or you are patching the third leak in two years, you are paying instalments on a replacement.
What warranty should I expect?
Two separate things. The manufacturer covers the material for its rated life, but only if it was installed to their specification. The contractor covers workmanship, commonly five to ten years, and only for as long as they are trading.
How much deposit is normal?
Ten to thirty per cent is ordinary, and is often used to order material. A demand for full payment up front is a reason to walk away.
What is it going to cost?
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.