Roof Damage Repair
Wind Damage Roof Repair in Federal Way, WA
After a high-wind event, the superintendent walks the perimeter before anything else. He starts at the corners, where uplift is highest, and works along each edge, pressing on coping, tugging at drip edge and looking at every termination. Only after the edges are recorded does he cross the field. In Federal Way, WA, the reference is the windstorm of November 2024, when Enumclaw reached 74 mph, the highest in Washington, and it reminded owners that a roof starts to fail at its edges.
The repair that follows is sequenced the same way: edges first, then the field, then the details.
What does the post-wind walk record?
The walk records every edge, every corner and every piece of rooftop equipment. We photograph lifted coping, bent drip edge, displaced gutters, torn flashing and loose membrane, and we measure the length of each. We cut cores where the membrane has fluttered, to see whether the insulation under it stayed attached and dry.
Fastener pull tests are run on mechanically attached systems and on the retained deck, since a lifted sheet may have pulled fasteners loose without tearing. The results go on a numbered plan, with the direction of lift marked. A reviewer can see where the wind entered and how far it traveled.
Flashing gets a closer look than the field does. Wind pulls base flashing off walls, lifts counterflashing and loosens pipe boots, and the resulting gaps leak in the next rain. We press on terminations, probe sealant and check the flashing at every curb. Any flashing failure found is listed with a photograph, and the repair is added to the scope.
Seams matter as well. A sheet that fluttered may have stretched its laps. We probe lap edges along their length, and any seam that has opened is marked for a seam failure repair. Nothing is assumed from a distance.
Where do the repair limits stop?
Limits follow the damage. A torn lap and a bent edge call for a repair at those locations. A section of membrane lifted from its attachment calls for removal to the first sound fastener row, and the limit is marked in paint. If the insulation beneath is wet, the limit extends to dry board.
When damage is widespread or the roof is near the end of its life, repair gives way to replacement. A commercial roof replacement is priced next to the repair, with cores and photographs showing why. The owner and the carrier can compare both numbers against the evidence behind each.
The deck gets its own pass once the membrane is off. Steel decks are checked for bent flanges and loose fasteners, and wood decks for splits where uplift pulled nails. Deck repair carries a unit rate agreed in advance, so a surprise under the old sheet does not stall the job. The crew leader reports the finding the same day.
How do we stage a storm repair on an occupied site?
Storm repairs happen on live sites. The lay-down yard sits away from entrances and fire lanes, and the crane pick, if needed, is scheduled for quiet hours. A named flagger controls delivery trucks. A notice goes to tenants naming the closed entrance, the loud hours and the work zone.
A retail lot on Pacific Highway South protects customers, while an industrial building at Woodbridge protects dock lanes, and the plan differs accordingly. The crew leader walks the site with the manager on the first morning and signs the staging drawing.
Materials arrive in the order they will be installed. Edge metal and clips come first, since edges are rebuilt first. Rolls of membrane stay dry on pallets, and nothing is left loose on the roof overnight. A short briefing at the start of each shift covers wind, weather and the day's open area.
How is the damaged area sealed first?
The temporary seal goes on the same day when the roof can be reached safely. The seal can be a membrane strip, a self-adhering patch or a ballasted tarp, logged as temporary and tested with water. Edge metal is re-secured to stop air getting under the sheet.
Rain follows wind in this area, and with about 155 wet days a year in Tacoma a damaged roof is rarely dry for long, Auburn's heaviest rain arriving in November and December. A wind event in the wet season is followed by rain, so the temporary seal cannot wait. The permanent repair follows in the next dry window, after the adjuster has seen the damage.
The first task each morning is a check of every seal from the day before. A wind event often comes in a series, and a seal that held through one gust may not survive the next. The crew leader keeps spare membrane strips, tarps and ballast on the truck during storm season for that reason.
How are edges and tie-ins rebuilt to resist the next gust?
Edges are rebuilt with continuous cleats, closer fastener spacing at corners and sealed joints. Coping is fastened through clips, not into the membrane. Drip edge is replaced where it is bent, and gutters are re-hung to sound fascia. Tie-ins between old and new membrane get termination bars and a sealed lap.
Washington applies the 2021 International Building Code with state amendments, the newest effective March 15, 2024. Wind uplift requirements follow the code and the manufacturer's attachment schedule. An edge metal, coping and gutter repair done to that schedule is the best insurance against the next gust, and the closeout walk checks it fastener by fastener.
Rooftop units are checked for shift. A unit that moved on its curb has broken the flashing around it, and straps or tie-downs that loosened need replacing. The mechanical contractor resets the equipment; our crew rebuilds the curb flashing and tests it. Condensate lines and conduit that were knocked loose are reported, so the right trade fixes them.
What does the owner receive at closeout?
The closeout package holds photographs of the damage and the repair, measurements, pull-test results, product data and the punch list with items closed. A claims reviewer can follow it from first photograph to final walk. The owner keeps the file with the roof records, and a storm damage roof repair history becomes part of the roof's record.
An owner with buildings in Kent and Auburn can request the same format for each roof after an event, so a regional storm produces one comparable set of files.
The package also lists what the next walk should check: edges after the first big wind of the next season and drains after the first heavy rain. That keeps the repair from being forgotten once it is done.
Commercial Roofing Questions
What should be checked first after a high-wind event?
The perimeter: coping, drip edge, gutters and flashing terminations, then rooftop equipment and the field. Edges are where uplift starts, so they come first.
How can I tell if wind lifted the membrane?
Look for flutter, ridges, torn laps and exposed fasteners. A pull test on the fasteners confirms whether the attachment held.
Does wind damage always require a new roof?
No. Local damage is repaired, and the limits are set from cores and pull tests. Widespread damage on an aging roof can tip the balance toward replacement.
What goes on the roof the same day?
A temporary seal: a membrane strip, patch or ballasted tarp, labeled temporary and tested with water. The permanent work follows once the damage is recorded.
How will the repair resist the next storm?
Edges get continuous cleats, closer fastener spacing at corners and sealed joints, following the code and the manufacturer's attachment schedule.
Send the roof plan and the date of the storm
Send the roof plan, photographs of the damage and the date of the storm. We will walk the sequence, staging and tie-ins with your team before a number goes on paper.
