Making a roof watertight again after wind, surge or a nor'easter has lifted, opened or broken the covering.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Storm damage roof repair makes a roof watertight again after wind, wet snow or storm surge has lifted shingles, opened flashing or cracked the decking. A technician finds each point where water is getting in, covers the openings so the next rain does not reach the structure, and then plans the permanent repair. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as soon as one is free.
Coastal Fairfield County takes storm damage in a particular way. The big events here are easterly winds driven along the axis of Long Island Sound, which push wind and water into the western end of the Sound. The National Weather Service assessment of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 found that east winds along that axis caused high surge in the western Sound, with inundation possibly as high as 6 ft above ground in parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties.
Storm damage leaves different signs depending on what the wind did. Wind lifts shingle tabs and breaks the seal strip, so the next gust can finish the job. Flying debris punctures the covering. Wind-driven rain runs under the lower edge of the shingles and into the joints where flashing meets a wall or chimney.
A storm repair starts with protecting the house, not with a finished roof. The first job is to find every opening, cover what is open and make the roof shed water again. The permanent work is planned afterward, once the decking and flashings have been looked at properly.
Do not walk a storm-damaged roof, climb onto a flat section in wind or pull up shingles to look underneath, because a lifted tab can tear further and a cracked deck can give way. Keep generators and power tools away from wet openings. If water is coming through a ceiling, put a container under the drip, move valuables and call (833) 751-2102; the line is answered around the clock, though it cannot promise when a technician will be on site. Check the contractor's Connecticut registration number on the state's elicense.ct.gov system before signing.
The technician starts on the ground, checking the drop zone under the eaves, any nearby lines and any limbs still hanging. Nothing goes on the roof until the ground is safe to stand on,.
Open areas are covered with a temporary covering so the next rain does not reach the decking or the attic insulation. It keeps water out while the repair is planned.
Each slope is checked for lifted, creased or missing shingles and for displaced flashing. The attic is then checked with a light, looking at the underside of the decking, the rafters and any wet insulation. Water often travels along the deck before it shows as a stain.
Water seldom enters in the middle of a field of shingles. It usually comes in at a flashing, a valley, a nail line or a wall joint, and the ceiling stain marks where it came to rest. The technician follows the wet line back to its start.
The scope records what will be repaired, what will be replaced, which materials and fixings are used and what the decking needs. Photographs of the damage are attached, which helps anyone reviewing a claim. The price is explained and approved before any work starts.
Wind lifts and breaks the parts of a roof meant to hold water out, and wind-driven rain then uses the openings. The first failures usually happen at edges, ridges and flashings, where the covering is thinnest or most exposed.
Asphalt shingles are held by a sealant strip and by nails. When wind gets under a tab, the sealant can let go, and the tab then cracks at the nail line and can be torn off in the next gust.
Flashing is usually the weakest point. Wind pushes metal at a chimney or a valley up and away from the structure, and rain then runs behind it. That water may not show in the room below for a day or more.
Not for a homeowner. A storm-damaged roof is wet, shingles lift under weight, and decking that has taken water can soften or give way without warning.
Water makes shingles slick, and a granule-coated roof is more slippery than it looks from the ground. A limb that has come down can crack the decking beneath a surface that looks intact, and a sagged rafter can hide behind a roof that looks flat from the ladder.
Ladders and power lines add the rest of the risk. Keep a ladder off the wall in wind, keep clear of any line near the eave, and call the utility before anyone goes near a roof touching a line.
It depends on how much of the roof is replaced, and the building department for the address makes that call. In Stamford the city says ordinary repairs do not need a permit, but larger roofing work runs through the Building Department's own track.
Stamford's Building Department has a roofing track with its own application forms. The city's frequently asked questions say a permit is not required for ordinary repairs to structures, and the city publishes a list of work exempt from permit requirements. That is the city's guidance, and the homeowner should confirm the current position for the address before work starts.
When a roof and siding permit is issued without a building permit, a final inspection has to be called in before a certificate of approval can issue. For any address outside Stamford, the building department for that address sets its own forms and exemptions, so ask that office directly.
In Connecticut a home improvement contract has to be in writing, and the owner can cancel until midnight of the third business day. Work should not begin inside that window, although an owner can waive the right in a genuine emergency.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection requires every home improvement project to have a written contract. The contract carries the contractor's registration number and four dates: signing, start of work, completion and the last day the homeowner may cancel. A contract missing the required terms is not valid or enforceable against the homeowner.
Saturday counts as a business day for this purpose, and Sundays and listed holidays do not. Storm work is where people are most tempted to skip the wait. A temporary covering on an open roof can justify starting early, but the waiver belongs to the owner to give, and it is worth writing down.
The price follows the work the roof needs, not a standard rate. Size, access, the number of slopes and whether the decking is affected make the largest difference, and the price is explained and approved before work starts.
The number of slopes affected and their pitch decide how much of the roof must be worked and how much safe access it needs. A steep Greenwich roof with several planes, dormers and valleys takes longer than a single gable, and a slate or tile roof that must be lifted and reset is a different job from a shingle repair.
Access matters as much: a tight street, no room for a dumpster, or occupied units that must stay dry all add planning. Soft decking only shows once the roof is open.
The most common storm call on this coast, and the easiest to handle when limited. A few lifted or missing tabs on one slope can often be re-sealed or replaced with matching shingles. If most of one slope is gone, the repair becomes a slope replacement.
Flashing at chimneys, wall joints and valleys is often the first thing a storm moves, because it is held by a few fixings and a bead of sealant. Repair means lifting the covering, replacing or re-bedding the flashing and resetting the shingles beside it. The fixings are checked as well as the seal.
Once rain has got past the covering and wet the sheathing, the repair cannot stop at the surface. Wet boards swell and can crack at the nail line, and wet insulation stays compressed after it dries. The technician cuts out and replaces affected boards and checks the rafters they sit on before the new covering goes on.
Storm damage on this shore has a direction. The western end of the Sound takes east winds straight along its axis, so a house on the water in Shippan Point, the South End or Old Greenwich can see surge and wind at the same time. A hurricane barrier protects about 600 acres of downtown Stamford against surge, and it does nothing for a roof.
The housing mix shapes who decides. The South End and downtown are dense multifamily, where a storm opening on a shared roof affects several households. Stamford's owner-occupancy rate is 48.8 percent against 66.5 percent for Connecticut, so the person who sees the leak is often not the person who signs for the repair.
Across the state line, the rules change. Port Chester and the other Westchester municipalities sit under the county home improvement license and New York's written-contract rules, which set a $500 threshold for a written agreement. A Connecticut registration does not authorize work in Westchester, and a Westchester license does not authorize work in Stamford. The state-line guide explains the split before a storm repair is signed on either side.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent storm damage roof repair, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Re-sealing, replacing and matching shingles after wind has lifted or removed them from a slope.
Repair and replacement of the metal at roof-to-wall joints, valleys and openings on older houses across Fairfield County and lower Westchester.
Pre-season checks of fixings, flashings, edge metal and gutter attachment on houses that face Long Island Sound.
A written look at covering, flashing, decking and ventilation, used to decide between repair and replacement on Fairfield County roofs.
Connecticut issues no roofing license.
This coast gets two storm seasons: nor'easters from September into April and tropical systems from June through November.
A roof storm claim turns on whether the damage came from a sudden event such as wind, a storm or an ice dam, and on what the policy covers.
Wait until the wind is safe on the ground, then call. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as soon as a technician is free. Photograph visible damage from the ground, and move valuables away from a ceiling taking water.
It can leave marks, and it is only a stopgap. It is fixed to the roof in the least exposed spots and removed once the permanent repair is done. It keeps water out of the decking while the repair is planned, and it should not stay on a roof longer than the scope requires.
No. Coverage depends on the policy and on what caused the damage, and this page does not decide that. The Connecticut storm insurance guide linked on this page covers claims in the state. Ask your insurer about your own policy before signing.
Not while the cancellation period applies. Work should wait until that period has passed, unless the homeowner has waived the right in a genuine emergency. The contract must carry the last day to cancel, so check that date before signing.
Connecticut issues no roofing license. Roofers doing home work register with the Department of Consumer Protection as home improvement contractors. Check the registration on the state's elicense.ct.gov system and match the number to the one on your contract.
Yes. New York State does not license home improvement contractors, but Westchester County does, and its license covers roof work on residential properties of up to three units. Licensed contractors display a green sticker on the rear bumper showing the expiry date. Ask to see the county license before any work is agreed.