Here’s a roof repair story with a happy ending. It began with a call from a retired couple in a Virginia (VA) neighborhood because they were getting water stains on the ceiling over their front sun room. Although it was a matter of minutes for us to find the source of the leak it took some detective work to find out how it happened.
Two years earlier the couple had celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Their children and grandchildren decided to have a surprise party for them. They arranged to have the couple away from home for the morning and when they returned, the home had been decorated for the party, complete with a large “congratulations” sign nailed to the roof. (We were shown the pictures to prove it.)
The retired gentleman was a retired building contractor and excellent do-it-yourself repairman. Once the party was over he knew exactly how to seal the holes in the roof made by the nails and replace the damaged shingles. Over a year or so, the sealing compound he used shrunk down from the sun on the south-facing side of the sun. It started to allow a little rain enter the roof. Eventually the holes got big enough to let the rain trickle down to the drywall ceiling.
We made short work of the leak before it did more than leave a few small stains, which the home owner was able to cover with a fresh coat of paint. We like this kind of roof repair story – one where the problem is fixed before severe damage is done.
