Repair first, when the roof still has years in it

Roof Repair in Plano, TX

Not every problem on a 25- or 30-year-old roof means a new one. A handful of lost tabs, a cracked pipe collar or a lifted ridge cap is a half-day repair, and the honest question is whether the rest of the roof is worth repairing around.

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What a Repair Call Usually Turns Out to Be

Shingles gone or creased after wind, typically along an edge or the ridge where the wind gets underneath.
A pipe collar that has split. The rubber around a plumbing vent dries out years before the shingles do.
Flashing that has let go where the roof meets a chimney, a wall or a dormer.
Nails backing out and lifting the shingle above them.
A previous repair done with sealant alone, which has now cracked.

If water is already showing on a ceiling, start with leak repair; the stain and the entry point are rarely in the same place.

The city's line

Where a Repair Ends and a Re-Roof Begins

The city's handout sets the line by area: a permit is required for re-roof work exceeding 25% of the roof area.

Individual replacement shingles have to carry at least a Class C rating, and unpackaged seconds are not permitted on any job.

Source: City of Plano Building Inspections, “Re-Roof Residential Permit Requirements,” form revised September 16, 2016. Confirm current requirements with the city before work starts.

So a true repair normally sits under the permit threshold, and a “repair” that keeps growing across a slope can cross it. A contractor who works in Plano will tell you which side of the line the job is on before starting, not after.

When Repairing Stops Making Sense

The shingles around the repair break when lifted

Old shingles have to bend to let a new one slide in. If they snap, each repair makes two more.

Granules are gone across whole slopes

Bare, shiny patches mean the weathering layer is spent. A patch fixes one spot on a roof that is failing everywhere.

This is the third call in two years

At that point the money is better put toward a replacement, and an inspection will say so in writing.

A sale or a policy renewal is coming

A buyer's inspector or an insurer will look at the whole roof, not the patch. Better to know first what they will see.

Repair Questions

Will the new shingles match?

Close, rarely exact. Shingles fade, and a product line from the 1990s may no longer be made. On a back slope that seldom matters; on the front it is worth asking to see a sample against the roof first.

Does a small repair need a city permit?

The city's handout requires a re-roof permit when work exceeds 25% of the roof area. A repair below that is normally outside it. The contractor confirms for the specific job, and Plano Building Inspections answers the question directly at 972-941-7140.

How fast can someone look at it?

Call (972) 526-0131 and describe what you can see from the ground. An active leak is treated as urgent; a cosmetic problem is scheduled.

Something Loose on the Roof?

Describe it over the phone or in the form, with the build year if you know it.

Call (972) 526-0131 Send the Details