Roof repair in Tampa Bay

Not every damaged roof is a replacement, and around Tampa Bay the honest answer is often a section: a slope that Milton took, a valley worn through, rotten fascia and drip edge under a clogged gutter, or a limb through the deck in Carrollwood. A contractor who repairs will tell you how many years the rest of the roof has; a contractor who only replaces will not.

Call and get connected with an independent local roofing contractor who serves your area. Describe the problem and the roof's age; the contractor calls you back to schedule an inspection and gives you a written scope.

Repair or replace: the 25% rule

Florida Statute 553.844 sets the line. When more than 25% of a roof section is repaired, replaced, or recovered within 12 months, the whole section must be brought up to current code, which usually means a full re-roof of that section with a secondary water barrier and current fastening. Under 25%, a repair can match what is there.

The exception that matters here: if the roof or roof section was built, repaired, or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or later (in practice, installed since March 2009), only the portion being repaired, replaced, or recovered has to meet current code, whatever the percentage. Riverview's 2006 roofs fall on one side of that date and its 2012 roofs on the other; ask the contractor which side yours is on, and ask them to show you the permit history.

Common repairs around the bay

• Re-laying a slope of wind-lifted shingles that broke their seal, with new underlayment under the section.
• Valley replacement: new metal or woven shingle valley, on roofs under trees.
• Fascia, soffit, and drip edge where gutters overflowed or the deck edge rotted.
• Deck repairs: replacing sheets of plywood where a leak or a limb got to them, then re-shingling the section.
• Flashing at walls and chimneys, and the step flashing where a second story meets a lower roof.
• The flat-to-pitched transition on mid-century additions in St. Petersburg and Largo.

Permits and the wind rating

Any repair that replaces a section is a permitted job in the two counties, and Pinellas County designs ordinary homes to a 145 mph ultimate wind speed everywhere in the county. The shingles, underlayment, and fasteners used on a repair carry a Florida Product Approval, the statewide route (Tampa Bay is outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so Miami-Dade Notices of Acceptance are not the requirement here). The contractor pulls the permit in their license number; a contractor who suggests you pull it as owner-builder is telling you something.