Roof Leak Repair in Salt Lake City, UT

In our experience across Salt Lake City, the overwhelming majority of leaks trace to one of these — and only a small minority are a failure of the shingle field itself.

Older homes here frequently carry two or three existing shingle layers, and plank or skip-sheathing decking under them. Both push tear-off and decking lines up, so budget above the valley midpoint on anything pre-1960.

That range assumes a complete tear-off, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield at the eaves and valleys, new flashing, and ridge ventilation. A quote materially below it is usually missing one of those, not finding a cheaper shingle.

When a leak shows up narrows the cause considerably before anyone gets on the roof.

• Only in heavy, sustained rain — usually a valley or an underlayment issue. Light rain does not build enough volume to overwhelm it.
• Only in wind-driven rain from one direction — flashing on that side, or lifted shingles.
• Only in winter, near an exterior wall — ice damming, not a hole. The roof is fine; the eave detail is not.
• Constant drip long after the rain stops — water is sitting in insulation or on the back of the ceiling and releasing slowly. The entry point may be well uphill.
• Same spot every time, gets worse each year — an unrepaired entry point that is enlarging. This one gets expensive if left.
• New spot each time — the field of the roof is at end of life, not a single failure point.

1. 1

   Move what is underneath

   Furniture, electronics, anything absorbent. Bucket under the drip.

2. 2

   Relieve a bulging ceiling

   If drywall is sagging and holding water, put a bucket under it and pierce the low point with a screwdriver. Letting it drain in a controlled spot is far better than a whole section of ceiling coming down at once.

3. 3

   Kill power to the area if water is near fixtures

   Any water near a light fixture, fan, or outlet means shut that circuit off at the panel.

4. 4

   Photograph everything

   Before you clean up. Time-stamped photos are what an insurance adjuster will want, and you cannot recreate them later.

5. 5

   Do not get on the roof in a storm

   Wet shingles, wind, and a ladder is how people get seriously hurt. Nothing on that roof is worth it.

6. 6

   Call us

   We can usually get a temporary dry-in on the same day in Salt Lake City and come back for the permanent repair once we can work safely.

Two things move a repair up its range faster than anything else: how long the water has been getting in, and how hard the area is to reach. A leak caught in the first season is usually a boot and a few shingles. The same leak found two winters later has often taken decking, insulation, and drywall with it.

Salt Lake City has some of the oldest housing stock on the Wasatch Front. It is common for us to pull back two or even three layers of shingles on an Avenues or Liberty Wells home, and older homes often have skip-sheathing or plank decking underneath that has to be evaluated before a new roof goes on.

Downtown sits at roughly 4,300 feet, and the bench neighborhoods above it catch heavier snow loads and stronger canyon winds coming out of Emigration and Parleys.

Housing here is a mix of pre-war bungalows and Victorians in the older east-side and Avenues neighborhoods, mid-century ranches on the west side, and infill townhomes downtown. We work throughout The Avenues, Sugar House, Capitol Hill, Rose Park, and the rest of Salt Lake City — including everything near downtown.

ZIP codes we serve in Salt Lake City: 84101, 84102, 84103, 84104, 84105, 84106, 84108, 84109, 84111, 84116.

We work throughout Salt Lake City — The Avenues, Sugar House, Capitol Hill, Rose Park, Liberty Wells, Yalecrest, Glendale, Poplar Grove, Federal Heights, the East Bench — and everything around downtown, the I-15 / I-80 interchange, the University of Utah campus, the Jordan River corridor. Salt Lake City has roughly 200,000 residents and sits in Salt Lake County.

Downtown sits at roughly 4,300 feet, and the bench neighborhoods above it catch heavier snow loads and stronger canyon winds coming out of Emigration and Parleys.