Low-slope in Geddes
Flat Roof Repair in Geddes When a Porch or Addition Roof Has Been Patched Twice
Flat roof repair in Geddes begins with the pitch. If a porch, addition or garage roof has been patched twice, photograph it from the side and send the picture to us.
Asking where the water gets in commits you to nothing.
What we do
We help you find where the water really gets in and book a diagnostic visit with an independent roofer, who puts the fix in a written proposal.
Our word before the ladder goes up
- You owe nothing for asking, and you can walk away.
- The visit looks for the way in before any roof talk.
- You see the repair proposal in writing before work starts.
- The $100 credit follows the rules on our Terms page.
The roofer you hire answers for their own work and contract.
Signed Roofing Pros Syracuse, (315) 640-3590
What this word covers
Questions
Questions about low-slope roofing, for Geddes
Does a garage roof count as low-slope?
Only if it is roofed separately and sits low. A garage under the main roof usually shares its pitch. Ask the roofer to measure it.
Can I tell the slope from the ground?
Roughly. A side-on photo shows whether the roof looks flat or steep. The contractor measures it and writes the number in the proposal.
What if my main roof also stains a ceiling?
Say so on the form. The contractor can look at both and write one proposal.
Does Westvale have porch roofs like this?
Some detached houses do. The housing figure tells you almost no neighbor shares the roof, not whether it is low.
Older Geddes houses and the roofs added to them
More than a third of Geddes housing predates 1950. A house built then may have had rooms added since. An enclosed porch, back room or covered entry would come with its own roof, so ask what has been added.
This is a proxy for age, not a measurement of your roof. It makes the slope question reasonable to ask.
In New York, asphalt shingles are allowed on a 2:12 pitch or steeper. Once the pitch drops to between 2:12 and 4:12, two layers of underlayment are required. Below 2:12, a membrane or another product is the answer.
Signs
Marks that point to low-slope roofing in Geddes
A lower roof with shingles and a lot of tar
Bands of black tar at the edges mean an earlier fix. Count them, and note how long ago each was done.
The stain is in the room under the addition
If the stain is under the low roof and not under the main roof, start with the low roof.
Rain stains it in the same corner
A repeat spot after rain, season after season, is a slope story more than a storm story.
A shallow dip or pooling after rain
A low roof that holds water for hours is not shedding it. Photograph it the next morning.
Check first: a safe look at a Geddes porch or garage roof
Stand in the yard and photograph the roof from the side, with a window or a door frame in view. A roof that falls 2 inches over every 12 inches of run is a 2:12 slope. Send the photo with what you know.
Do not step onto a wet or icy roof for this, and do not lean a ladder on it. The contractor measures the pitch on the visit.
If it measures 2 or more, the slope is not what is failing, and the stain has another cause. If it measures under 2, that is the answer you were missing, and it explains why patching has not held.
Our porch roof article shows the same test with a drawing. Our Geddes diagnosis page helps if your stain has another possible cause.
A different product, not another patch, for a Geddes low roof
If the pitch is too shallow, patches only stretch out the problem. A single-ply membrane such as EPDM, TPO or PVC is made for a low slope, and the code sets a small minimum fall for drainage.
Ask the contractor to measure, name the product and list the seams and edges in the written repair proposal. A porch roof that leaves a ponding spot is one more thing to raise.
Ask too how the old covering will be handled and what goes under the new one. A proposal that skips those two lines leaves you guessing about the very part that leaked.
The wall seam matters as much as the field of the roof. The Geddes flashing page lists what to ask about it.
Other ways in
When low-slope roofing is not where Geddes should begin
Roof Leak Diagnosis
Trace the stain to its source first.
Roof Flashing Repair
Name the joint nearest the drip.
Gutters and Drainage
Follow the water from edge to ground.
Attic Ventilation
Seal the ceiling before adding any vents.
Nearby
More low-slope roofing pages around Geddes
Photograph the Geddes porch roof from the side.