Roof leak repair in Schaumburg

The repairs we do most in Schaumburg

Chimney and wall flashing. Half the leaks we trace in Schaumburg end at a chimney. The step flashing was mortared into the brick in 1978 instead of counter-flashed, the mortar joints have opened, and water runs down the back of the chimney into the family room. We cut a reglet into the brick, install new step and counter flashing, and add a cricket behind any chimney wider than 30 inches so snow does not pile against it. Chimney flashing repair Schaumburg homeowners call about is usually $600–$1,200.

Pipe boots. The rubber collar around the plumbing vent cracks after 10–15 years of freeze-thaw. It is a $300–$450 fix and it ruins more bathroom ceilings than anything else on this list. We use a lead or a silicone boot rated for cold.

Valleys. Split-levels and L-shaped ranches have valleys that carry two roof planes of snowmelt into one channel. Closed-cut valleys with no ice-and-water shield under them leak from the bottom up. Rebuilding a valley with membrane and new shingles runs $800–$1,500.

Wind-lifted and creased shingles. After a spring storm, tabs lift, the seal strip breaks and the shingle creases at the nail line. Creased shingles do not reseal; they get replaced. Shingle roof repair Schaumburg-wide after a wind event is typically $300–$700 for a slope, matched as closely as a 15-year-old color allows.

Ice dam damage. By February the stain has appeared above the exterior wall on the north side. We steam the dam if it is still there, then replace the shingles and any rotted decking at the eave, and add ice-and-water shield if there is none. Ice dam roof repair Schaumburg homes need is $500–$1,500 for the roof side; the attic side — air sealing and insulation — is a separate line and the part that stops it recurring.

Skylights. The 1980s and 90s skylights on additions and split-level family rooms leak at the curb flashing, not the glass. Skylight leak repair Schaumburg-area runs $400–$900 to reflash; if the unit is fogged or the seal has gone, replacing it during a re-roof is the better move.

Emergency roof repair

If water is coming in now, call and say so. Emergency roof repair Schaumburg homeowners need after a storm or a burst ice dam is a tarp or a steam job the same or next day, then the permanent repair when the roof is dry. We photograph everything before the tarp goes on so your claim is not compromised.

How we find the leak

Water rarely comes through the ceiling under the hole. It runs down a rafter, along the top of the drywall and drops 8 feet from where it entered. So we start in the attic with a flashlight: trace the stain on the underside of the deck uphill to the nail, boot, valley or flashing it came from, then go up on the roof and confirm. The how to find a roof leak from inside post walks through what you can check yourself before we arrive.

When a repair is the wrong answer

If the shingles are brittle enough to crack when we lift them, the repair will leak at its edges within a couple of years. If there are three layers up there, we cannot legally repair into a roof that has to come off. If the roof is 22 years old and losing granules everywhere, a $900 valley rebuild is money you will not get back. In those cases we quote the replacement and explain why. The repair-or-replace guide lays out the same rules we use.

What a repair visit looks like

1. Attic first, roof second. We tell you what we found, in plain terms, with photos from both.
2. A written price on the spot. Repairs under about $800 are usually done the same visit if you say yes.
3. Matching shingles from the same manufacturer line where the roof is under 10 years old; the closest color where it is older. We tell you if the patch will be visible from the street.
4. A hose test on the repaired area before we leave, if it is above freezing.

Neighborhoods

Weathersfield, Timbercrest, Lexington Fields, Sheffield Manor, Kingsport Village, Olde Schaumburg Centre, the townhome associations along Wise Road, and across the border into Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, Streamwood and Roselle. Same price everywhere in the 847 and 224 area codes. Gutter and roof repair Schaumburg homeowners ask us to combine is fine — a leaking eave is usually a drip-edge and gutter problem together, and we fix both. If you are in one of the two suburbs we get called to most, see Arlington Heights or Hoffman Estates.