Common problems
Something that keeps coming back, something that only happens sometimes, something you have stopped noticing. Each page here starts from what you saw and works back to the cause.
Symptoms
What have you noticed?
Pick the description closest to what is happening at your house. Each page says what is usually behind it, in the order we find it, whether it tends to be a repair or a replacement, and which of our services deals with it. None of them can see your house, so treat them as a way to ask better questions when someone comes out, not as a diagnosis. The longer comparisons, like seamless against sectional or repair against replacement, are in the guides.
Roofing
Ceiling stain that appears after rain
A stain that darkens or spreads after rain means water is getting through the roof and reaching the drywall. The mark is seldom directly under the entry point, because water runs along rafters and sheathing before it drops. The job is to trace the path from the stain back up to the detail that failed, then decide whether that detail is the only weak spot.
Roofing
Cracked or slipped roof tiles
A cracked, chipped or slipped tile is common on a concrete or clay roof and rarely a leak on its own, because the underlayment beneath it is what keeps water out. The trouble comes when that felt is old. A handful of broken tiles on a roof with sound underlayment is an afternoon's repair; the same tiles over brittle felt are a sign the whole roof is nearing the end.
Roofing
Moss growing on the roof
Moss grows where a roof stays damp: the north slope, under trees, wherever fog sits in the mornings. It is not just cosmetic. A mat of moss holds water against the roofing for days, works its way under the edges of shingles and tiles and keeps the surface wet enough to shorten its life. Removing it gently, then fixing what keeps the slope damp, is the job.
Roofing
Roof leaks only when it is windy
Rain that falls straight down runs over a roof. Rain driven sideways by wind is pushed up under the edges of shingles, into the seams of flashing and through vents that face the weather. A leak that appears only in stormy weather is almost always at one of those details, and it is real even though a calm rainy day never shows it.
Rain gutters
Gutter dripping at a seam or corner
A gutter that drips at a joint while the rest stays dry has a seam that no longer seals. In sectional gutters that means the connector or the sealant between two lengths has given way. At corners it can happen on seamless runs too, because the mitre is still a joint. One drip is a resealing job; a run with several is telling you the joints have reached the end.
Rain gutters
Gutter overflowing at one corner
One corner spilling while the rest of the gutter behaves is almost never a sign that the whole system is too small. Water from two or three roof planes usually meets at that corner, and either it cannot get out fast enough or the run has dropped so the low point is no longer at the downspout. Find which, then fix that one thing.
Rain gutters
Gutter pulling away from the house
A gutter that has dropped, tipped forward or opened a gap along the top is no longer held by its fasteners. The nails or screws have either worked loose from the vibration of years of rain, or the fascia they were driven into has softened. Full gutters weigh far more than empty ones, and a run that was barely holding gives up in the first wet week of winter.
Rain gutters
Gutters overflow in heavy rain
If the gutters drain a light rain and spill along their whole length in a hard one, the run is being asked to move more water than its outlets can pass. Sometimes the channel really is too small for the roof above it, but more often the downspouts are too few, too narrow or partly blocked. Sizing the way out comes before sizing the trough.
Rain gutters
Water pooling next to the foundation
Water standing against the foundation after rain is a drainage problem that often starts at the roof. A downspout that empties at the base of the wall puts every drop from that side of the roof exactly where you do not want it. The fix is to carry the water away from the house, and that is sometimes a gutter job, sometimes a grading job and sometimes both.
Rain gutters
Water running behind the gutter
Water should leave the roof edge and drop into the gutter. When it runs down the back instead, it is getting between the roof and the trough, usually because there is no drip edge, the gutter sits too low or too far out, or the first row of roofing stops short of the edge. Left alone it rots the fascia the gutter hangs from.
Skylights
Skylight dripping or fogging up
Moisture at a skylight has three different sources and they need three different fixes. Rain coming past the flashing or the frame is a leak. Fog trapped between the panes is a failed glass seal. Beads on the inside face on a cold morning are condensation from the room. Watch when it appears and where it starts, and the source usually names itself.
Skylights
Skylight gone cloudy or yellow
A skylight that has slowly yellowed or gone milky is an acrylic dome that has spent decades in the sun. The plastic has broken down and no cleaning will bring the clarity back. The same aging makes it brittle, so a dome that looks tired is also one that can crack in the next hailstorm or under a fallen branch. Replacement is the answer, and it is a chance to fit glass.
Free estimate
Find out what it costs
Tell us what's happening at your property, one step at a time. We'll review your request during business hours and arrange a free inspection.
What happens after you send it
- We call during business hours to set a time.
- A free visit. We measure on site and nothing is signed at the door.
- The proposed work and the price, in writing.
- (925) 555-0100Phone
- Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 5:00 PMHours
Sat by appointment · Sun closed
100 Example Road, Brentwood, CA 94513 · office@example-roofing.demo
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