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Roof Leak Repair in Flower Mound
A stain on the ceiling tells you where water ended up. Finding where it came in is the actual job.
In Brief
Most leaks start at a penetration or a joint: a pipe boot, a vent, a valley, or where a roof meets a wall.
Water runs along rafters and decking before it drips, so the stain can be feet away from the entry point.
Houses here are built on slabs, and storage goes to the attic and garage. A slow leak can soak boxes and insulation for months before a ceiling shows it.
Where Leaks Start
Pipe boots
Every plumbing vent that comes through the roof wears a rubber collar. Sun cracks the rubber, the crack opens around the pipe, and rain follows the pipe straight down into a bathroom or laundry wall. It is the most common small leak on a shingle roof and one of the cheapest to fix.
Roof-to-wall joints
Two-story houses with a lower roof over the garage or porch have a line where shingles meet an upper wall. Step flashing and the siding or brick above it keep that joint dry. If the wall cladding sits tight on the shingles, or flashing was skipped, water gets behind.
Valleys
Two slopes pour into one channel. Leaves from oaks collect there, hold water, and send it sideways under the shingles.
Chimneys and chimney boxes
Masonry and wood-framed chimney boxes both rely on flashing and, on the uphill side of a wide one, a small diverter. Siding on a framed box often rots at the bottom first. See siding repair.
Fasteners
A nail that has backed out, or one left exposed on a vent flange or ridge cap, is a pinhole that leaks only in wind-driven rain.
Before the Contractor Arrives
- Put a bucket under the drip and move what you can out from under it.
- If the ceiling is bulging with water, a small hole at the lowest point lets it drain into a bucket and can save the rest of the sheet.
- Take photos of the stain and note the date and how hard it was raining.
- From the attic, if it is safe to go up and you stay on the framing, a flashlight may show a wet trail on the underside of the deck.
- Stay off the roof. Wet shingles on a steep slope are how people get hurt.
What the Repair Looks Like
Once the source is found the fix is usually small: a new boot, a rebuilt section of flashing, a few shingles and some sealant in the right place. What takes time is the finding. A contractor may run a hose on the roof in sections while someone watches inside.
Ask for before and after photos. You cannot see the top of a two-story roof and you are entitled to see what you paid for.
Stained ceiling board and wet insulation are separate work. Say on the form if you want that looked at as well.
Questions on This Page
The roof is two years old. How can it leak?
New shingles do not rule out an old or reused flashing, a missed pipe boot or a nail in the wrong place. Contact the company that installed it first; its labor warranty may apply.
It only leaks in certain storms. Why?
Wind direction. Rain blown from one side reaches joints that vertical rain never touches. Tell the contractor which way the weather was coming from.
Is a leak an emergency?
Active dripping near wiring or a sagging ceiling is urgent. A dry stain is not, but it should be traced before the next heavy rain.
Tell Us Where the Stain Is
Which room, which floor, and when you first noticed it.
Call (469) 933-1247 Use the Form