Seattle Roof Repair: Wind, Rain, and General Maintenance

Seattle roofs are at risk like few other cities around the country. High levels of precipitation take their toll, but the prolonged periods of light rain can be even more harmful than the quick-hitting storm. With a storm, there's at least a decent chance you'll know that your roof has suffered damage. When a small imperceptible crack allows rainwater to slowly enter your subroofing and attic, it may be months or even years until you notice there's a problem. This is no easy or cheap fix. Fortunately, this is a worst-case scenario: many Seattle roof repairs are not such an ordeal. Unfortunately, there are any number of things that can happen to your roof.

Even the high-octane installation of Safeco's roof is far from immune, needing new roofing pads at a cost of $350,000. Of course, much of this unanticipated repair has to do with load-bearing more than high levels of precipitation, but it does illustrate the number of different things that occur to any roof. Last January, for example, windstorms ravaged the Seattle metropolitan area creating an inordinate amount of roof repairs for homeowners.

Seattle Roof Repair Contractors
In general, roof contractors are notoriously untrustworthy. As many areas of the home improvement industry are experiencing a dearth of qualified contractors, the roofing industry is one of the most in-demand professionals out there. Plus, the nature of roof work opens up a number of different scams for the unaware homeowner. It's absolutely imperative that you find a contractor with proper certification and positive customer reviews. ServiceMagic prescreens all of our contractors and provides secure customer ratings to help ensure you find someone you can trust. More than anything, you need to talk to several contractors and understand exactly what is going on with your roof. Otherwise, you risk cutting yourself on the double-edged sword that is improperly repairing your roof and paying (or overpaying) for unnecessary repairs.

Cost of Roof Repair in Seattle
Roof repair can cost anywhere from $150 to more than $1,500. Theoretically, it can cost a lot more than that, but these generally include worst-case scenarios that involve replacement more than repair. Unfortunately, even a thorough inspection may not yield an exact estimate until the repair work begins. This doesn't mean, however, you should leave things open-ended, either. Take a look at this example told to us by a Seattle homeowner whose roof repair cost $1,300:

"The contractor was very upfront and honest on his original bid. The job ended up costing less than the original quote. That, to me, shows his honesty. I asked for a worst-case scenario. His estimate wasn't the cheapest, nor the highest. I felt I could trust him, and I was right."

Other Seattle Roofing Projects
As much as you may not want to think about it, the need for roof repair can also lend itself to other roofing projects. Older roofs may be damaged simply from old age. Particularly if you're looking at a major roof repair, you might be best served by a new roof installation. Smaller projects might also include roof ventilation, a great project that works well with replacement windows and/or upgraded insulation. These projects help your home's energy-efficiency without sacrificing indoor air quality.