Winter Storm Leak Tracing
Following a ceiling stain from a storm back up the framing to the valley, vent or flashing where the water came in, with moisture readings and photographs kept for the repair.
San Jose, Santa Clara County and the valley communities around it
A roof that let water in during the last storm in San Jose?
A long wet spell finds the valley, the vent and the gutter outlet that a dry autumn never tested. Call (833) 751-2102 at any hour. A local roofer is sent as soon as one is free, and the scope is written line by line before any work starts.
- Santa Clara Valley roofs
- Storm and leak repairs
- Roof replacement
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Today in San Jose
Local weather drives activity here: heat, humidity and rain change what shows up week to week.
San Jose & Santa Clara County
Local roofing you can reach by phone
San Jose Roofing at a glance
San Jose Roofing takes roof calls for San Jose and the communities of the Santa Clara Valley and its foothills, around the clock. A local roofer traces the leak through the attic, reads the covering and the drainage, and writes the scope before any material is ordered. Nothing is priced over the phone, because a figure given before the roof is read would be a guess.
Start with the storm, not the roof. Note when the stain first showed, whether it grew during the rain or after it, and which room is under it. A stain that appears only in the heaviest burst points to a joint the flow forces open, while one that returns after every pause points to a route that drains slowly.
The valley's roofs differ by age and by place. A 1920s original in Willow Glen has a different deck from a 1980s shingle house in Evergreen, and a foothill roof under oaks or redwoods has its own faults. The first visit names the material and the age, then the guides on this site explain each part in turn.
Services
Storm leak tracing, valley and flashing repair, shingle and metal roofs, attic venting and replacement across San Jose
Pick a service for symptoms, process and typical cost, or call and describe what you hear and see.
Storm Season Roof Inspection
A roof walk and attic check made before the rain, listing each fault a long storm would test and the repair it needs, with a record kept for the season.
Original Stock Tear-Off and Re-Roof
Stripping an original or heavily patched roof to the deck, replacing soft boards and rafter ends, and laying a new covering with the ventilation and flashing re-made together.
Tree Canopy Roof Repair
Repairing a roof that branches, falling leaves and standing debris have damaged, with the canopy cut back safely and the gutters and valleys cleared and tested.
Metal Roof Panel Repair
Repairing dented, lifted, seam-split and fastener-failed metal panels on barns, farm buildings and rural houses, with the fixings and the trim checked together.
Shingle Recover and Deck Check
A shingle recover over a single sound layer, or a full re-roof where the layers or the deck say so, with the deck and the ventilation checked before the new covering is fixed.
Creekside Gutter and Drainage Repair
Repairing gutters, outlets and the drainage at the foot of the wall on properties near the creeks, with the discharge placed clear of the foundation and the soil checked after a flood.
Skylight Flashing and Kerb Replacement
Re-making the kerb flashing and re-sealing the frame of a skylight or roof window, with the glazing and the ceiling below tested before the work is signed off.
Flat Roof and Patio Cover Repair
Seam, membrane and drain repairs on flat roofs, patio covers and carport roofs, with the junction to the house wall and the drainage checked in the same visit.
Attic Condensation and Venting
Finding and correcting the moisture and heat in an attic, from blocked intake and missing exhaust to vapour from the house below, with readings kept before and after.
Emergency Dry-In and Tarp
A secured temporary cover over an open roof, fixed to the battens and framing, with the damage photographed and a written record kept for the permanent repair.
Multi-Unit Roof Maintenance
A scheduled check and repair programme for apartment and multi-unit roofs, with drains, seams and parapets logged on each visit and the occupants told in advance.
Pre-Listing Roof Condition Report
A roof walk and attic check that records the covering, flashing, vents and deck for a seller, with the limits of the look stated and the report dated for the sale file.
Roof Replacement Scope and Licence Check
A line-by-line scope for any roof job in San Jose, with the C-39 licence and the workers' compensation certificate checked before the first nail is driven.
Ridge and Hip Repair
Re-setting and re-fixing loose ridge and hip pieces, re-bedding the joints and sealing the ridge line so the top of the roof sheds water in every wind.
Vent Flashing and Chimney Repair
Re-making the flashing and collars at vents, pipes and chimneys, with the counterflashing set in the masonry and the covering lapped over each piece.
Why homeowners call us
Why San Jose Roofing
Answered at any hour
The line is answered at any hour and a roofer is sent as soon as one is free. No arrival time is promised over the phone, because it cannot be known until the crew knows where it is needed.
Traced from the attic
A stain is traced upward through the framing to the valley, vent or flashing that let the water in. The attic is read on the same visit, so the fault is found rather than guessed at.
Scoped line by line
Every job is written as a scope before it starts: the strip, the deck, the underlayment, the flashing, the covering, the ventilation and the clean-up. The owner signs it and keeps the photographs with it.
Built for the wet season
The valley's long storms test a roof in a way that a dry spell does not. Repairs are timed for the dry weeks where the risk allows, and a tarp is fitted the same day when a roof is open.
Records for later
Dated photographs, moisture readings and the signed scope go into a file that a later repair, a sale or an insurance claim will ask for.
How it works
From phone call to fixed, in four steps
Give the address and the storm
Say where the water shows, when it first appeared and whether anything is open to the weather. Those facts choose the crew and the tools.
Cover what is open
If the covering is open, a tarp is fixed to the structure and the damage is photographed from the ground before anything is moved.
Trace the water from the attic
The technician reads the attic from the hatch, follows the wet framing back to its entry point and tests the roof in stages to confirm it.
Agree the scope and the work
The scope is written line by line, the licence and the workers' compensation certificate are checked, and the owner signs before any material is ordered.
What should you do in the first hour of a storm leak?
Keep the room clear, put a container under the drip and switch off any fitting near the water at the wall. Then call (833) 751-2102 and describe where the water shows.
Keep people and pets out of the room under the stain. A ceiling that holds water can sag without warning, so furniture is moved and the ceiling is watched. Photographs from the doorway, with the date, are the first record of the leak.
Do not climb onto the roof to look for the source. A wet covering is slippery, and the trace is done from the attic and the roof by a technician, starting from the stain.
How is a valley-floor roof different from a foothill one?
A valley-floor roof sheds its water across a flat lot, and a foothill roof sheds it down a steep slope. The faults that water finds are different in each, and the scope names the ones that apply.
On the valley floor the risk is drainage: outlets that discharge against the wall, gutters that hold a pool and ground that carries water back to the foundation. On the foothill side the risk is the flow itself, which runs in narrow lines to the valleys and the penetrations near the middle of the slope.
Trees add a third kind of wear in the hills. Branches rub the covering, leaves clog the gutters and shade keeps the north faces damp. The technician records each of those and names the arborist's work separately.
Service areas
Serving San Jose and all of Santa Clara County
San Jose
ZIP 95110, 95112, 95113, 95116, 95126, 95128
Willow Glen
ZIP 95125
Berryessa
ZIP 95133
Alum Rock
ZIP 95127
Santa Clara
ZIP 95050, 95051, 95054
Campbell
ZIP 95008, 95009
Cambrian
ZIP 95124
Milpitas
ZIP 95035, 95036
Evergreen
ZIP 95135
Alviso
ZIP 95002
Sunnyvale
ZIP 94085, 94086, 94087, 94089
Los Gatos
ZIP 95030, 95032
Almaden Valley
ZIP 95120
Cupertino
ZIP 95014, 95015
Saratoga
ZIP 95070, 95071
Mountain View
ZIP 94040, 94041, 94043
New Almaden
ZIP 95042
Coyote
ZIP 95013
Los Altos
ZIP 94022, 94024
Fremont
ZIP 94539
Redwood Estates
ZIP 95044
Blossom Valley
ZIP 95123
Mount Hamilton
ZIP 95140
Palo Alto
ZIP 94306
San Jose, CA 95113 · 25 km service radiusCall (833) 751-2102
Not on the list?
We also cover many smaller communities across Santa Clara County. Check your ZIP.
Job stories
Typical jobs around Santa Clara County
A valley leaks in the first long storm of the season
- What homeowners notice
- A two-storey house in a central neighbourhood shows a stain on a bedroom ceiling after the first soaking storm of the season. The stain sits a few feet from the chimney, and the valley above it had debris held in its lower end since the autumn.
- What we do
- The technician traces the wet framing upslope in the attic and finds a line of dark sheathing along the valley. The debris is cleared by hand, the valley metal is re-lined where a nail hole let water through, and the lower course is tested with a run of water.
- What to expect
- The valley drains clear on the test, the attic board dries over the following week and the owner receives the photographs, the date and the scope for the record.
A stain under an original roof leads to a soft rafter end
- What homeowners notice
- An original house from the 1920s shows a stain along the eave of a back bedroom. The covering has been patched in several places and the fascia beneath the gutter has begun to soften at one corner.
- What we do
- The crew strips the covering on the affected slope to the deck, probes the rafter tails and finds two that have rotted at the eave. The rafter ends are cut back to sound grain and sistered, the flashings at the chimney are re-made and the new covering is laid over fresh underlayment.
- What to expect
- The slope is covered and the attic is dry on the next check. The owner keeps the scope, which records the rafter ends replaced and the flashings renewed, with the photographs of the deck.
A gutter overflows under oaks after every leaf fall
- What homeowners notice
- A foothill house under mature trees has a gutter that overflows at its low corner after each leaf fall. The fascia behind the overflow is stained and the shaded north face of the roof shows moss near the eave.
- What we do
- The gutter is cleared and flushed, the run is re-hung on new brackets and re-pitched to its outlet, and the outlet is carried clear of the wall with a splash block. The moss is cleaned with a soft brush and the arborist's assessment is recommended in writing.
- What to expect
- The run holds its fall on the water test, the overflow stops at the next heavy rain and the owner has the arborist's note and a schedule for clearing the gutter after each leaf fall.
Still stuck? We pick up 24/7.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent roofing, send the form and we'll call you back.
Guides
Answers before you call
Repair or Replace a Roof in San Jose: How the Decision Is Made
Most roofs in San Jose can be repaired for years after the first leak, and a few need replacing sooner than the owner expects.
Checking a C-39 Licence and Cover Before Roof Work in San Jose
A roofer working in San Jose must hold a C-39 roofing classification from the Contractors State License Board, and a C-39 roofer must carry workers' compensation coverage even with no employees.
What the January 2023 Storms Showed About Roofs in San Jose
In early January 2023 a run of storms brought flood watches to the Bay Area, and the county declared a countywide flood emergency on 4 January 2023, according to Valley Water citing the National Weather Service.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will someone come out at night or in a storm?
The line is answered at any hour, every day. A roofer is sent as soon as one is free, and the crew works around the weather as far as it safely can.
Do you give a price over the phone?
No. A figure given before the roof has been read would be a guess. The roofer writes the scope on site and the owner signs it before any work starts.
How do I check the roofer is qualified?
Ask for the C-39 licence number and the workers' compensation certificate, and check the licence on the Contractors State License Board's website before paying a deposit.