Residential & Commercial Roof Repair Company Serving Wichita, Andover, Derby & Goddard.
As a Kansas roofing company, calls come in all the time for help with roof repairs from our Kansas neighbors. Many individuals don’t realize that leaks can develop years prior to a full roof replacement is needed.
Our thorough inspections help pinpoint the problem to provide a solution to our customers. We identify options that involve the lowest cost method to at least temporarily resolve the problem as well as more extensive repairs that may be more costly in the short term, but provide the client with more long-term results. This way you can make the best decision for your home.
Our mission is to make roof repairs as easy as possible. If you’re in need to help begin by reaching out for a free roof inspection.
Flashing Repairs
Most roofing companies around Wichita know that many roof repairs relate to flashing. Very small errors in flashing (as small as 1/8th of an inch) can lead to a serious roof leak. The real problem is if this happens at a location higher than a chimney or wall abutment where the flow of water changes, interior damage can result from heavy rains. Because of this, chimney flashing, headwall flashing, and step flashing are several of the primary places we look for problems. We generally replace damaged flashing. We then seal and shingle these locations.
Another common culprit of leaks is skylights. While they add natural beautiful light to a room, they require proper maintenance. We regularly see improperly installed and older skylights that must be resealed or reflashed completely.
Flashing can also be impacted in ways you may not even consider. Here in Kansas, we’ve even seen flashing altered or chewed away by squirrels, birds, and other animals seeking shelter. Wildlife can be great, but not when it’s in your attic! While we can’t directly remove the animals, we can take care of the flashing problems that let them in.
Roof valleys are another area of common repair. Ice or water shields may not have been installed in valleys or may not have been installed properly. As a result, leaks may develop.
Roof Ventilation Repairs
A vent that hasn’t been sealed correctly can quickly turn into a roof leak, but there are usually bigger issues from inadequate ventilation. Attic vents can be incorrectly installed in a manner that allows for the intake of moisture during rain or snow storms. Soffit vents should work with roof vents as a balanced team. Unfortunately, while roofing in Wichita we regularly encounter roof vents without any soffit vents. This leads to the roof vents, that were designed to exhaust air to actually draw in air (along with rain and snow) into attic spaces. The biggest indicator to look for in a properly planned ventilation system is intake vents along the lowest part of the roof and exhaust vents along the highest parts of the roof. Our normal fix in these cases is to either remove the roof vents altogether or have a handyman install soffit vents where needed.
Weather Related Repairs
Weather in Kansas can be extreme and unpredictable. We can often go from sunny and beautiful days to cold and snowy. Fortunately for you, this fluctuating and ever-changing weather generally means that we can still address roofing issues throughout the year. Unfortunately for many homeowners in Kansas however, we often repair roofs simply because many roofers in the area haven’t mastered the art of installing roofs under our fluctuating weather conditions, resulting in damage.
Shingles have strips of adhesive sealant that hold the shingle down as well as nails which anchor them to the roof decking. If weather conditions are right when the shingles are installed, the sealant strip adhesive may not activate properly. A single day of strong winds can cause dust and debris to settle on the sealant strip which prevents it from sealing.
Smaller issues can also cause big problems that many roofing companies don’t even think about. For example, when installing shingles, nails ought to be flush and perpendicular to the roof decking. Many roofing companies in Wichita install each shingle with 6 nails, but the spacing and pattern of these nails are important. If shingles are installed in the winter, air pressure may need to be changed constantly to make sure the nails reach a proper depth in the roof system. If the shingles are cold, it takes more pressure assure the nails are flush. As the temperature changes throughout the day, the pressure may need to be decreased. In fact, air pressure may even need to be changed just by changing cloud cover. Unfortunately, many roofers just don’t know how to do this, or just don’t care. This means we often see nails that have been underdriven or overdriven resulting in shingles being blown off in strong winds.
We also get called out regularly to remove ice dams. This is a dangerous job and great caught must be taken for personal safety and the protection of the shingles themselves. Ice dams are the result of snow that partially melts and refreezes on the roof and can cause very small holes in flashing and shingles. We see many people that will try to remove ice and snow with pitchforks, picks, and even axes which can all do more harm to your roof than the ice dam itself. Most often ice dams form along the bottom edge and valleys of roofs.
Snow removal can also be a big issue for your roof. Large quantities of snow need to be removed from lower sloped roofs generally seen on apartments and commercial buildings. Roofs can collapse under the sheer weight of snow.
Finally, with our mighty Kansas winds, we often see roofs with scrapes or punctures from tree branches. We can usually just redeck and reshingle the damaged areas if small enough. In some cases where a tree has actually fallen on the roof, an emergency cover can also be installed along with repair.
Emergency Roof Repairs
If you are experiencing a large amount of water entering your home during a storm, call us to request an emergency cover or repair to help prevent further damage until a more long-term solution can be implemented. Insurance companies will generally cover the cost of emergency repairs and prefer this proactive action over more extensive damages.
If you are in need of roof repairs in Wichita, Derby, Andover or Goddard, or Sedgwick and Butler counties, contact our roof repair experts at Pete’s Roofing, LLC today.
Contact Us for a FREE Roof Inspection
