Common roof problems in San Jose and what the repair costs

Hail is not the main threat here. NOAA's storm records show no hail of one inch or larger in Santa Clara County since 2015, and the largest hail in that record was 0.75 inches. Wind, sun and winter rain do the work instead, so repair calls here tend to be about lifted or cracked shingles, dried-out sealant and worn flashing around vents and chimneys.

Age adds to it. By Census estimates for 2019 to 2023, 61 percent of homes in San Jose were built before 1980, and the median home was built in 1975. A roof on a house that old has often been patched or replaced once already, and the older layers underneath can hide soft decking.

If your house fits that description, a roof repair inspection is a sensible first call. Roofers Hotline can book it, and you get a written estimate that names each problem found.

Start inside, since that is where most homeowners first notice a problem. Look at ceilings and the tops of walls for brown stains or peeling paint, and check the attic after rain for damp insulation, dark wood or daylight at the roof boards. From the yard, look for shingles that are curled, cracked or missing, granules collecting in gutters, and metal flashing that has pulled away from a chimney or vent.

Here is how that can play out. A homeowner sees a faint ceiling stain in a hallway after a rainy week. In the attic, the insulation below the nearest vent pipe is damp. That points to cracked flashing at the pipe, which is a small repair when caught early. Left alone through another winter, the same leak can soak the decking.

Take photos of anything you find and call. The written estimate will list what needs fixing and what can wait.

Some problems should not wait for a convenient week. Water dripping through a ceiling, a sagging section of roof, or shingles blown off after a windy night all call for a same-night phone call. Roofers Hotline answers 24 hours a day, and emergency tarping and leak repair is available at any hour to keep water out until a full repair is done.

San Jose's record shows why storms can still matter. Federal disaster declarations that include the county number 15 from 1977 to date, and the most recent, on April 3, 2023, was for Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides. Rain is light in a normal year, about 16 inches by the 1991 to 2020 climate normals, but it falls in a short season, so a leak you ignore in fall gets tested hard in winter.

If a storm is forecast and you suspect damage, call before it arrives.