Storm damage leaks
Leaks appearing after wind or hail
Columbia County, Wisconsin
Tile roof repair in Columbia County
Tile roofs leak at slipped or cracked tiles, at failed underlayment, and at the mortar bedding on ridges and hips. The tiles themselves often outlast the underlayment beneath them by decades, which means a tile roof can look perfect and still leak — the failure is in a layer you cannot see. Repair needs someone who knows how to walk tile without cracking more of it, which is the single biggest cause of damage on these roofs.
What the job involves
- Replacement of slipped, cracked or missing tiles
- Repointing or rebedding of ridge and hip mortar
- Check of valley and penetration detailing
- Walking boards to avoid breaking further tiles during access
Signs you need it
- Slipped tiles visible from the ground
- Fragments of tile in gutters or on the ground after wind
- Leaks on a roof whose tiles appear undamaged
Why roofs fail in Columbia County
Columbia County 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 Columbia 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.
Questions about tile roof repair in Columbia County
The tiles look fine but it leaks. How?
On a tile roof the waterproof layer is the underlayment, not the tile — the tile sheds the bulk of the water and protects what is underneath. Underlayment typically fails decades before the tile, so an intact-looking roof leaking is the normal presentation.
Can matching tiles still be obtained?
Often, including salvaged stock for discontinued profiles. Where it genuinely cannot be matched, tiles are usually taken from a less visible elevation and the replacements put there instead.
Other roofing work in Columbia County
Shingle repair and replacement
Missing, cracked or lifted shingles
EPDM rubber roof repair
Rubber flat roofing
Hail damage repair
Bruising and granule loss
Roof replacement
Full tear-off and new covering
Siding repair
Vinyl, fiber cement and wood
Describe what you are seeing
You will get a straight answer on whether Columbia County needs someone out today or whether it can wait — before anyone quotes you for anything.
Call (706) 696-1888