Skylight leaks
Water around a roof window
A new roof is more than the covering: decking, underlayment, ice and water membrane at vulnerable points, drip edge, flashing at every junction, and a ventilation system that balances intake against exhaust. Most premature failures trace back to one of those details being skipped rather than to the shingles themselves — which is why two roofs with identical materials can differ by a decade in service life.
Verona has a winter long enough and cold enough that ice damming, not storm damage, is the dominant cause of roof leaks. The mechanism is heat loss rather than weather: warm air escaping into the attic melts snow on the upper roof, the meltwater runs down and refreezes over the cold overhang, and the resulting ridge of ice backs water up beneath the shingle courses until it finds a way in. The roof itself is usually in perfect condition. Repeated through a Dane County winter, freeze-thaw also works every flashing joint progressively looser, and spring brings hail and straight-line wind on top. The reason this matters is that fixing an ice dam leak by working on the shingles does not work — the problem is insulation and ventilation, and that is a different job.
Verona has a population of about 10,619, and the housing stock here sets the pattern for what fails first on a roof.
Detailing, not materials. Flashing reused instead of replaced, ventilation left unbalanced, drip edge omitted, or nails driven high or overdriven — each shortens the life of an otherwise identical roof. These are the things worth asking about.
No. It is the cheapest component and the most common failure point. Reusing it on a new roof means the first thing to fail will be the old part you kept.
Water around a roof window
Buying time when the roof cannot be fixed today
Self-adhering membrane at vulnerable points
Concrete and clay tile
Bruising and granule loss
Clearing, repair and replacement
You will get a straight answer on whether Verona needs someone out today or whether it can wait — before anyone quotes you for anything.
Call (706) 696-1888