Common problems
Some of this is maintenance. Some of it is a new roof.
Membership covers the first list. The second list means the roof needs to be replaced. We will say so in the report and quote the new roof. A yearly visit catches this on cabins and rentals you are not in all year, and on the house you live in.
Addressed with maintenance
Left alone, these get worse and the roof wears out faster. A yearly visit catches them.
Failed pipe-boot sealant
Caulk cracks, pulls away, and water follows the pipe. On metal, a shingle-style boot does not sit on the ribs. Resealing or replacing the boot stops a leak before it hits the ceiling.
Loose screws on metal roofs
Wind backs fasteners out. Some stand up with the threads showing. Some holes are empty. Tightening or replacing them keeps the panel from working loose and leaking.
Failed sealant on flashing
Old mastic around a chimney jack or flashing collar cracks and pulls back. Resealing or resetting it is maintenance. Rebuilding the flashing is not.
Missing flashing at a wall or corner
The metal runs to the siding and stops, or a corner does not close and you can see wood. Water goes straight in. Proper flashing kicks it out onto the panel, not under it.
Debris in valleys and at the eaves
Needles, cones, and dirt hold water and snow. Clearing it (Essential and Preferred, when the roof is safe) keeps ice and rot from starting there.
Gap behind gable trim
If the rake trim sits off the panel, snow and water get on the wood fascia. Fasten it so the gap is closed. A tree-hit piece gets replaced.
A few missing or lifted shingles
One wind event can peel a handful. Replacing them protects the underlayment while the rest of the roof is still sound.
Needs a new roof
Patching these wastes money. We won’t sell another year of repairs on a roof that should come off.
The shingles are worn out across the roof
Cracks through the tabs, curling, bald spots. Patching a roof that is done wastes money. It needs to come off.
Storm damage past a patch
A few shingles are maintenance. A panel gone, or a whole slope blown off, is replacement work.
The deck is rotten, or there are already too many layers
Soft sheathing or stacked roofs are not a caulk job. That is a tear-off.
The roof is sagging
Structure, not surface. That is beyond a membership visit.
Leaks in several places, not one boot
Isolated leaks can often be maintained. A roof that is leaking as a system is at the end.
Metal panels rusted through or the coating is gone
Loose screws are maintenance. Panels that have failed are a new roof.
The roof is at the end of its service life
Age plus condition. The report will say so. We will not sell another year of repairs on a roof that should come off.