The Top 5 Spring Roof Problems in Palm Beach County

Spring is the dry window before hurricane season

In Palm Beach County, spring sits between the dry winter months and the start of hurricane season on June 1. The roof has had months of cold fronts, dry wind and strong sun, and the daily summer storms have not started. A problem found in April can be repaired on a dry deck, with time to get a permit and schedule inspections, instead of under a tarp in August.

Spring is also when many seasonal owners head north. In towns like Juno Beach and Highland Beach, a large share of homes sit empty through the summer, so a roof that is not checked before the owner leaves may not be looked at again until after the storms.

Molsbee Roofing has worked on Palm Beach County roofs since 1975, from our office in Lake Worth Beach. These are the five spring problems we find most often and how each is fixed properly.

Problem 1: Is winter wind damage still sitting on the roof?

Winter fronts rarely tear a roof open. They lift a few shingles, crack or shift a tile, or loosen a piece of flashing, and nobody notices from the driveway.

• Shingle. A lifted tab has usually broken its seal strip. If the shingle is unsealed but otherwise undamaged, shingle manufacturers allow it to be hand-sealed with the right adhesive. If it is torn or creased, it is replaced and fastened to the product's installation requirements.
• Tile. Hip and ridge tile take the most uplift. A cracked hip or a slipped eave tile lets wind-driven rain reach the underlayment. The replacement is set with the same attachment the roof uses, foam adhesive, mortar or mechanical fasteners, so it behaves like its neighbors.
• Edge metal and flashing. Metal that has lifted at the eave gives the wind a handle. On houses permitted to older codes, we check the drip edge fastening, which current county practice sets at four inches on center.

Problem 2: Is algae or growth holding moisture against the roof?

Winter moisture followed by warm spring days is when dark streaks and green growth appear, mostly on north-facing and shaded slopes. On shingle, growth holds moisture against the surface. On tile, it holds water in the laps and hides cracks.

The fix is a gentle soft wash, never a pressure washer, which strips shingle granules and can crack tile. Trimming branches that shade the roof lets it dry faster. If the roof is due for replacement anyway, ask about algae-resistant shingle lines.

Problem 3: Is water leaving the roof the way it should?

Most spring leaks start where water is meant to move and cannot.

• Valleys. Leaves, palm fronds and pollen pack valleys and push water sideways. On tile, a packed valley can spill water over the valley metal and onto the underlayment.
• Behind chimneys and walls. Debris piles up on the uphill side and holds water against the flashing.
• Drains and scuppers on flat sections. Many homes here have a flat roof over a porch, garage or addition. A blocked drain means ponding, and standing water finds every weak seam in a membrane.

In Royal Palm Beach, where the village has been a Tree City USA since 1990, shade and leaf litter on the roof are a spring constant.

Problem 4: Have sealants, boots and flashing pulled loose?

Cool nights and hot days make roofing materials move. Over a dry season, sealant at skylights cracks, flashing pulls away from walls, and the rubber collars on plumbing vent boots split in the sun. None of this leaks on day one; it leaks in the first wind-driven summer storm.

We check every penetration: plumbing vents, exhaust vents, skylights, satellite mounts and the stands under rooftop equipment. A split boot is replaced with a new boot lapped into the underlayment, not coated with sealant, because sealant alone fails again within a season of sun. Near the lagoon or the ocean, we also look at fastener heads and flashing metal for early corrosion.

Problem 5: Have animals found a way in?

Birds, squirrels, rats and raccoons look for shelter in spring. They get in through gaps at the eaves, damaged soffit vents, lifted eave tile and open ridge caps, then tear up underlayment and insulation. We look for entry points, droppings and nesting material, and close the gaps with metal or screen once the animal is out.

Why does timing matter in some towns?

Some towns set the roofing calendar by ordinance. On the island of Palm Beach, work from December to April runs weekdays only, 8 to 5, with no Saturdays and no heavy equipment before 9, and the town pauses construction from December 24 to January 1. In Highland Beach, Saturdays run 9 to 3 with no dumpsters or dump trucks, so a tear-off is staged on weekdays. Starting in spring leaves room for those rules, the permit and the inspection schedule before June.

What can a spring inspection see, and what can't it?

From the roof we see the covering, flashing, penetrations, valleys, drains and edges. From an accessible attic we see staining, daylight and damp decking. What we cannot see without opening the roof is the underlayment under tile that is still in place, or the deck under a shingle that looks sound. When that matters, we lift a tile or open a small area where it is safe, and we explain what we found.

How do spring repairs add up under the quarter-roof rule?

If repairs, replacements or roof recovering cover more than a quarter of a roof system or section in any 12-month period, the code generally requires replacing or recovering the roof covering across that entire system or section to meet current code requirements. If that system or section was built, repaired or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the portion being worked on must meet applicable current code requirements. Our inspection helps determine which applies to your roof. A string of small repairs can add up to that line, so we keep track of what has been repaired and tell you when a patch has become a whole-roof conversation. If it has, the new roof we build gets a secondary water barrier over the deck before the covering goes on.

From a spring walk-through to a written scope

The inspection is free. We photograph each finding, so an owner who is leaving for the summer can see the same cracked hip tile or split boot we saw, from wherever they are. Then we provide a written scope with the price before any work starts, and the finished repair is photographed too, so the file is complete before the season turns.

Why owners call us before June

Molsbee Roofing is a family company whose roots go back to 1975, working today under Florida certified roofing contractor license CCC1327429. We are a GAF Certified Contractor and an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. Spring repairs and re-roofs carry our lifetime workmanship warranty alongside the manufacturers' product warranties, and after the work we provide a roof certification letter for your insurer when you ask for one. More on repair work: roof repairs and maintenance.

Next step

Get the roof checked before hurricane season starts. Call (561) 318-8624 or request a free roof inspection.