Shingle Roof Repair in Newport News, VA

How does a gust lift a shingle?

By getting under the lower edge of the tab, breaking the sealant bond and lifting the tab until it tears or creases.

A gust that finds the lower edge of a tab can break the sealant strip and lift the tab. Once it is lifted, the next gust can crease or tear it, and the shingle beneath is exposed. Edges and rakes take the most wind, so they are where the first lifts appear.

A roofer checks the rows around each lifted tab, because a gust that lifts one tab often lifts its neighbours too.

• The gust breaks the sealant bond
• The tab creases or tears on the next gust
• The rows around it are checked

When is a shingle repair enough?

When the shingles lift without tearing, the sealant bonds in most places and the deck below is sound.

A repair is the right answer where the covering is still flexible and most bonds hold. A few lifted tabs and a handful of torn shingles are repairs. A roof where the tabs tear when lifted, or where the sealant has failed across a large area, is near the end of its life, and the roofer says so in writing.

A sample across the roof is lifted before the decision, so the decision rests on the whole covering.

• Flexible shingles that lift without tearing
• Most bonds still holding
• A sample test across the roof

Why the match is hard to find

Shingle lines change, and a product may be discontinued or re-coloured, so the new shingle may look different on an older roof.

An older roof may carry a line that is no longer made in the same colour or profile. A repair with a visible mismatch is an honest result, and the roofer says so before work begins.

Where no match is found, the options are a visible patch, a larger section or a full slope. Each is written into the quote.

• Identify the line from a removed shingle
• Say whether a match is possible before work
• Write the options into the quote

What the scope should list

Each shingle by slope and position, the line matched or not, the sealant used and the test after the repair.

A shingle scope names each slope, the number of shingles replaced and the line matched. It names the sealant used on lifted tabs and records the test after the repair.

A scope that gives positions lets the next roofer find each repair and see what was done.

• Shingles by slope and position
• The line matched, or no match stated
• The sealant and the test after the repair

Protecting the lawn and planting

Materials and ladders are placed on boards or sheeting, so the lawn and the beds are not damaged during the repair.

A repair crew carries shingles, ladders and debris across the yard. The roofer lays boards or sheeting along the route and under the ladder, so the lawn and the beds are not crushed or stained.

• Boards or sheeting along the route
• Ladders on sheeting
• Lawn and beds protected

Keeping this part of the record current

The record for this part of the roof is updated at each visit, with the date and the result, so the history stays accurate.

A homeowner who keeps this section with the roof file can compare it with the next season's check, and the change between the two is the most useful thing the record can show.

The roofer confirms each point on the day and writes the result down before leaving, so the record reflects the roof as it was found rather than as it was remembered later.