Roof leak repair in Scottsdale

The most common roof repairs in Scottsdale

Valley leaks on tile roofs. The valley is where two roof planes meet and where all the water goes. Under the tile there is a metal valley flashing and, on older roofs, felt that has been baking for 20 years. Monsoon debris — palo verde litter, mesquite pods, pigeon nests — dams the valley, water backs up sideways over the edge of the flashing, and the dead felt lets it through. A roofer lifts the tile back three or four courses, cleans it out, installs new underlayment lapped correctly onto a new or cleaned valley metal, and relays. $500–$1,200 per valley.

Pipe jacks and roof vents. The lead or neoprene boot around every plumbing vent is a wear part. Lead jacks get chewed by birds and split; neoprene gets cooked by UV and crumbles. On a tile roof the fix also means resetting the tile around the jack so it sheds properly. $300–$500 per penetration, usually done in the same visit.

Chimney and wall flashing. Stucco-to-roof transitions on Scottsdale homes are a chronic leak point: the stucco was run down over the flashing without a proper counterflashing and reglet, and the caulk that held it together is long gone. The fix is a proper chimney flashing repair. Scottsdale roofers usually do it as a cut-in reglet, new counterflashing and a cricket on the uphill side. $600–$1,500.

Skylight leaks. Usually the curb flashing or the seal between the dome and the frame, not the glass. Most are a small skylight leak repair. Scottsdale prices for skylight flashing run $400–$900; a cracked dome is a replacement.

Shingle roof repair. Scottsdale shingle roofs are mostly in South Scottsdale, and the usual problems are wind-lifted tabs, cracked shingles, exposed nail heads and failed ridge caps. Most patches are $300–$800.

Tile roof repair in Scottsdale

Broken and slipped tile is the everyday tile roof repair. Scottsdale tile gets broken by foot traffic from an AC tech, a satellite installer or a painter, and a slipped tile exposes the felt to direct sun. Cracked tile lets water reach the underlayment faster. Roofers here usually keep common profiles in stock and source discontinued clay from salvage yards, and the work is priced per tile plus the visit. Emergency tile roof repair after a storm is usually the same job done in a hurry: reset what slid, replace what broke, and tarp anything that cannot be closed the same day.

Foam roof repair in Scottsdale

Blisters, cracks at the parapet, ponding spots and blocked scuppers are spot repairs, typically $300–$800, and that covers most foam roof repair. Scottsdale sun is the reason for the rest: a full recoat — power wash, primer where needed, two coats of elastomeric acrylic — restores the UV protection and is due every 5–7 years. Older built-up roofs follow the same logic as any flat roof repair. Scottsdale's sun ages the surface, so the coating or cap sheet matters as much as the patch. Office, retail and apartment roofs have their own page: repairing low-slope roofs on small commercial buildings. See the foam recoating short list for timing and pricing.

Repair, or is the felt done?

This is the question on every tile roof over 15 years old. A roofer lifts tile at the leak and looks at the felt. If it is still pliable and the leak has an obvious cause — a blocked valley, a split jack, a cracked tile — a repair holds. If the felt cracks when folded, or comes up as dust, a repair only moves the leak to the next weak spot. A good roofer photographs the felt so you can see it yourself, then prices both a repair and a tile relay on the same estimate. The full decision is written out in repair vs. replacement in Scottsdale.

Monsoon roof leak repair

Scottsdale's monsoon runs July through September, and it produces most of the year's leaks in about ten weeks. If water is coming in, say so when you request an estimate and ask how soon a roofer can come out and whether they can tarp first; nobody can honestly promise a time during a big storm week. Leaking roof repair in monsoon season is almost never the whole roof; it is one valley, one jack or one wall transition, and the permanent fix waits until the roof dries out. For an active leak, the storm damage page covers the first 24 hours and what to do with insurance if wind or hail was involved.

Finding the leak

Water rarely shows up on the ceiling directly under where it got in. It runs down the underlayment, along a batten, and drops at a nail or a seam. A roofer traces it from the attic when there is access and from the roof when there is not, and how to find a roof leak from inside walks through what you can check yourself before anyone arrives.

Comparing two repair quotes

Two roofers can look at the same leak and write very different prices. Before you pick one, line them up on a few points:

• What caused the leak. A good quote names it — a split pipe jack, a choked valley, stucco pulled off a wall flashing — rather than just saying "leak."
• What gets replaced. New underlayment at the valley, a new jack, new counterflashing, or just sealant. Caulk over a failed flashing buys a few months, not a fix.
• How much tile is lifted. A valley job that only lifts one course is cheaper and shorter-lived than one that goes back three or four.
• Broken tile. Priced per piece, with the profile named, so a matching problem does not surprise you halfway through.
• What happens if the felt is bad. The quote should say so in writing, with a photo, and give the relay price alongside.

A quote that is half the price of the other one is usually skipping one of those lines. Ask which one before you decide.

What a good repair visit includes

1. The roofer walks the roof, lifts tile at the leak and at two or three other spots to check the felt, and photographs everything.
2. They check the attic if there is a hatch, looking at the deck from below for staining and daylight.
3. You get a written price, and you decide. Ask how long the price is good for.
4. A careful roofer checks the repair before leaving and leaves the photos with you.

Any Scottsdale roof repair, from Old Town bungalows to Troon custom homes, starts with those four steps. Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills have their own pages.