# Roof Leak



## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

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It rained all day and this evening I noticed a stain on my ceiling... a roof leak.

I had planned to replace the aging roof next sping.... not in the dead of winter.

Hopefully  a roofer can repair the leak and I can still wait until spring to replace the whole thing  [not looking forward to it.]

Any advice / suggestions ??


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## deesierra (Dec 20, 2017)

Sorry for your roof troubles! Bad timing for sure. I wish you luck finding a roofer who can do a temporary repair....it's a possibility.....you sure don't want the water damage to spread. It's not a pleasant alternative, but can you get in your attic and find where the leak is coming through, and place some buckets? Would take frequent emptying during storms of course. Good luck.


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

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Thanks 

I've called a couple of roofers.  Hopefully one of them will come tomorrow to assess and fix the problem.

Meanwhile,  I'm feeling guilty because I should have replaced the roof earlier this year... but hindsight is 20/20.


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## terry123 (Dec 20, 2017)

I feel for you. That's one of the reasons I bought a condo as I knew I could not afford things like that.  Don't feel guilty as there were times I did the exact same thing when I owned a home and later regretted it. That's one reason I try to keep my car in good shape. It only has 26,000 original miles and is all I need as I don't drive long distances like I used to.  I don't want to have to buy a new car which I never did anyway. I always worked at dealerships and bought demos at a good price!!


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## deesierra (Dec 20, 2017)

We all have deferred maintenance on our homes, and a new roof is a major expense! No reason for guilt. Do what you can for now :rain:


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

terry123 said:


> I feel for you. That's one of the reasons I bought a condo as I knew I could not afford things like that.  Don't feel guilty as there were times I did the exact same thing when I owned a home and later regretted it. That's one reason I try to keep my car in good shape. It only has 26,000 original miles and is all I need as I don't drive long distances like I used to.  I don't want to have to buy a new car which I never did anyway. I always worked at dealerships and bought demos at a good price!!




My house is too old, too big and needs a lot of updating.

I've thought about moving into a seniors' apartment complex. 
But I value my independence and privacy too much... and
my  garage. That may sound funny... but it is so convenient
to push a button to open the garage door, drive in, push the
button to close the garage door then walk five steps into
the house.  First house I've owned with that perk.

Speaking of cars... I bought my 2004 Honda new and still
have less than 38,000 miles.  That's because everything
I need or want is within a five mile driving distance...
another reason not to move.

.


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

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It could be worse.

I have a friend who lives on Padre Island [Corpus Christi] who has had roof damage since Hurricane Harvey back in August.

It took time for her insurance to process and pay her claim.  Now she is still waiting because roofers in the area are backlogged.

Meanwhile that side of her house is covered with some type of tarp during an especially rainy time.


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

deesierra said:


> We all have deferred maintenance on our homes, and a new roof is a major expense! No reason for guilt. Do what you can for now :rain:




Hail storms are common here in the Dallas area.  Most homeowners here get new roofs paid by hail storm insurance.

But my roof was still in great condition after the last big hail storm... and there hasn't been another big hail storm in my neighborhood since. 

Just my luck for another hail storm to hit  right after I've paid for a new roof.


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## Camper6 (Dec 20, 2017)

Just a tip.

The source of the leak on a roof is not where the water is coming in from usually.  It's farther up the roof and finds its way to a weak spot.

The roofers should be able to give you a temporary fix and an estimate on the replacement.


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2017)

Camper6 said:


> Just a tip.
> 
> The source of the leak on a roof is not where the water is coming in from usually.  It's farther up the roof and finds its way to a weak spot.
> 
> The roofers should be able to give you a temporary fix and an estimate on the replacement.




Thanks for the tip.

I hope you're right and they can temporarily fix it until spring.  I understand it's not a good idea to replace a roof in winter.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 20, 2017)

We had ours done in early December a few years ago, and we're in Colorado.  The job was complete in one long day, it wasn't too bad at all.  Lots of neighbors were getting theirs done during that time due to severe hail damage that summer.  As long as it's not actively snowing or raining, and the roof is not soaked when they begin work, I don't think there would be any issues....but I'm far from an expert, especially in your area.


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## Don M. (Dec 20, 2017)

KingsX said:


> Thanks for the tip.I hope you're right and they can temporarily fix it until spring.  I understand it's not a good idea to replace a roof in winter.



I had the same problem last Fall...15 yr. old roof starting to leak and stain the ceiling.  It's not a good idea to replace the roofing in colder weather, as the shingles need some Summer heat to seal down properly.  I just went to the store and got 3 or 4 cans of Flex-Seal, and sprayed the area where the leak appeared to be coming from.  That took care of the problem, temporarily, and then, this past April, I had a roofing company come over and strip the roof, replace the underlayment with good synthetic material, and new Owens Corning shingles.  We've had several major rainstorms since, and the roof has shown no further problems.  It was a substantial expense...$6,000...but the roofer gave me a nice discount because I picked up all the old roofing with my tractor/bucket, and deposited it all in the huge dumpster they brought....saved them a full days work.


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## Travis.s (Jan 29, 2018)

Hi ..did you get your roof repairs yet ?


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## KingsX (Jan 29, 2018)

Travis.s said:


> Hi ..did you get your roof repairs yet ?




Thanks for asking.

Roofer did a temporary repair in that area [so far so good.]  

My homeowners insurance company will pay for a new roof minus my deductible [hail damage.]

I'm [hopefully] waiting until March/April to put on the new roof.


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## KingsX (Jan 29, 2018)

.

I have another question.

Decades ago I had my former house reroofed twice with no incident.

This time around,  roofers are telling me to be safe, I should remove things [pictures, etc] that are mounted on inside walls.

Is this really necessary?  I've never had to do that before. But this will be the first time I've re-roofed this specific house [pier and beam ranch-style house built in 1967.] 

My neighbor recently had her roof replaced...  so I asked her and she said her roofer said nothing about removing anything from inside walls.


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## Ken N Tx (Jan 29, 2018)

KingsX said:


> .
> 
> I have another question.
> 
> ...


Had mine done twice, I don't think a roofing nail gun would cause stuff to fall..


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## Camper6 (Jan 29, 2018)

They use heavy duty nailers now and the vibration might knock stuff off the walls.

Inside walls support the roof.

Also a lot of pounding to remove the old shingles.


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## Travis.s (Jan 30, 2018)

I have been doing roofing and interior remodeling for 30 years..and have never heard of that..i can only assume it was to make sure that pictures didnt fall due to pounding on the roof


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## Travis.s (Jan 30, 2018)

If you or anyone that you know..has had a bad experience with a contractor. .or need something as small as a light bulbs changed. Safety handles in shower.door ways. Made larger. .anything to help make life easier. .i know if a small company ..helping is the goal..and very reasonable prices.


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## Ken N Tx (Jan 30, 2018)

5 neighbors around me never took down any!!


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## Travis.s (Jan 30, 2018)

Unless you have valuable pictures or paintings. And you feel that they aren't properly hung...i wouldn't be concerned. .perhaps usa a different contractor.


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## Travis.s (Jan 30, 2018)

Have you considered a steel roof ? The cost is about the same,most likely less.with 30 shingles you'll get roughly 25 years.opposed to 3 times that with steel,and no repairs or worries. This also insulates your home better.shingles require nails. .steel only uses screws..is very durable. And fast to install


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## KingsX (Jan 30, 2018)

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Thanks for the information  

I admit the roofers have me paranoid.

I'm very careful to strongly anchor wall hangings... and I have lots of them.

If the roofers could make those fall down,  they could also be damaging the house structure itself.


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## Don M. (Jan 30, 2018)

KingsX said:


> .Thanks for the information  I admit the roofers have me paranoid.I'm very careful to strongly anchor wall hangings... and I have lots of them.If the roofers could make those fall down,  they could also be damaging the house structure itself.



I wouldn't worry about roofers rattling the walls...unless a house is so flimsy that a strong gust of wind shakes the walls.  When we had our roof done, there were 4 big guys up there stomping around with pitchforks and blade scrapers, tearing everything off down to the bare wood.  It was a bit noisy inside, but no big deal.  Then, when installing the new roofing, they used pneumatic nailers...and again, a bit noisy, but not problems.  We have gobs of pictures on the walls, and even an old antique German cuckoo clock on one wall, and Nothing was disturbed.  

Just hire a contractor with a good reputation, and let them do their thing.


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## KingsX (May 19, 2018)

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Just an update.

I had a new roof put on last month.   There were at least half a dozen workers
plus a couple of overseers who did it all [2222 sq ft ranch house] in one day !!
My insurance company paid all but my deductible.  So far so good !

I'm glad that's over !

.


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## Camper6 (May 19, 2018)

It depends on how well the pictures have been hung.

It's safer to take them down instead of having them fall and break the glass and having to have them reframed.

Really how many pictures are there?


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## C'est Moi (May 19, 2018)

KingsX said:


> .
> 
> Just an update.
> 
> ...



Glad you got it taken care of.   I'm surprised that your insurance company paid for a new roof, though.  It has been my understanding that they "prorate" and consider the age of the roof being replaced.   (So if the roof is half the expected life, the insured would receive only half of the cost of replacement.)  

We had a roof replacement due to hail years ago; it was covered by our insurance but our house was only 4 months old at the time.


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## jujube (May 19, 2018)

Last month, the folks across the street were getting a new roof. The old shingles were torn off, new underlayment went down and then BAM! everybody disappeared and it was three weeks before the new shingles went on.  The new shingles were sitting on the roof the whole time.  I never found out what happened.  Maybe they got stopped because no permit was pulled or a check bounced?  Who knows.  

The roof on the first house my late husband and I owned back in the early 1970's started leaking about a year after we bought it.  The roofers came and tore the roof off and found out that there were four layers of shingles on the house.  It's a wonder the house didn't collapse - lol.   It passed a VA inspection somehow and we were too dumb and new to home ownership to question anything.  What the roofer said was probably the original cedar shingles were still on the roof (the house was built in 1923).  When they ripped them off, the whole neighborhood smelled like cedar.  I gathered up as many as I could and paneled a wall in the basement with them.


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## KingsX (May 19, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> Glad you got it taken care of.   I'm surprised that your insurance company paid for a new roof, though.  It has been my understanding that they "prorate" and consider the age of the roof being replaced.   (So if the roof is half the expected life, the insured would receive only half of the cost of replacement.)
> 
> We had a roof replacement due to hail years ago; it was covered by our insurance but our house was only 4 months old at the time.




The roof that was replaced was about 22 years old.

I have a really old Allstate policy... same policy I had on my previous older house which paid for two roofs minus my deductible.
I think it pays better than some of the newer policies... but it probably cost more too.

.


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