Roof Repair: what to expect
Not every roof problem is a re-roof. A pipe boot that has gone brittle in the Florida sun, a lifted ridge cap, a section of step flashing that was never sealed properly, or a dozen shingles peeled back by a gust, these are repairs, and a good contractor will tell you so.
The judgement call is whether the surrounding roof still has usable life. If the shingle mat is brittle, the granules are largely gone, or you are patching the third separate area in two years, repair money tends to be money spent twice. Ask the contractor to photograph what they found and to explain, plainly, what condition the rest of the field is in.
Repairs also matter for insurance reasons. Deferred maintenance is one of the most common grounds for a claim being reduced or denied, so fixing a small failure promptly, and keeping the invoice and photos, is worth more than the repair itself.
Typically included
- Shingle, tile and flat-section repairs
- Pipe boots, vents, skylight and chimney flashing
- Photo documentation of what was found and what was done
- Honest read on whether repair or replacement is the better spend
Before you sign
Verify the contractor's licence at myfloridalicense.com, ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly by their insurer, get the full scope of work in writing, confirm that a permit will be pulled, and never pay a large cash deposit. If the work is connected to an insurance claim, read anything that assigns your benefits to a contractor very carefully, and speak to your carrier, not to us, about your policy.