Roof repair
Roof repair that finds the leak, not just the stain
Water rarely comes in where it shows up on the ceiling. Josh traces the leak to its source on the roof, fixes the actual problem with flashing and new material, and tells you honestly how much life the rest of the roof has left.
In short
Most roof leaks in Lancaster County are not shingle failures. They are flashing failures: the chimney, a skylight, a plumbing vent, a wall where a porch roof meets the house, a valley that was cut wrong. The previous repair was usually a tube of roof cement that worked for a year. The right repair is metal flashing installed the way it should have been the first time.
Josh does repairs on roofs of every age and material, including roofs he will eventually replace. A repair that gets you five more years out of a sound roof is a good deal. A repair on a roof that is finished is not, and he will tell you which one you have.
Repairs Josh does most often
Nearly every repair call is one of these.
- Chimney flashing: new step flashing woven into the shingles and new counter-flashing let into the mortar joint, replacing tar that has cracked
- Pipe boots: the rubber collar around plumbing vents splits after 10 to 15 years in the sun and is the single most common leak
- Missing or lifted shingles after wind, matched as closely as current colors allow
- Skylight flashing and reseating, or replacement of the skylight with a new flashed unit
- Valley repairs where the shingles have worn through or the valley metal has rusted
- Wall flashing where a lower roof meets siding, including the sunporch and porch roofs that leak into the room below
- Ridge cap and hip shingles that have blown off
- Soft decking cut out and replaced in a small area
- Flat roof patches and seam repairs on EPDM and TPO membranes
How Josh finds a leak
The stain on the ceiling is downhill from the leak, sometimes a long way downhill because water runs along rafters and the top of the drywall before it drops. Josh starts in the attic if there is one, with a flashlight, looking for the water trail on the underside of the deck. Then he goes on the roof and checks every penetration and transition above that point. On a clear day he may run a hose on sections of the roof while someone watches inside.
That takes an hour. It also means the repair is the right repair. A contractor who quotes a leak from the driveway is guessing.
Sunporch and porch roofs
A lot of houses in Ephrata, Lititz and Lebanon have a sunroom or enclosed porch on the back with a low-slope roof that was shingled when it should have been membrane or metal. Those leak at the wall where they meet the house and along the low edge. The fix is usually a new roof on that section only, in standing seam metal or EPDM, with new flashing let into the siding.
One HomeAdvisor customer's sunporch roof replacement was done with the room below kept clean and undisturbed, on time and on budget. That is the normal outcome when the job is planned right.
Price guide
What this usually costs
Typical ranges for repairs in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, as of 2026. Josh quotes the exact number after seeing the roof.
- Pipe boot replacement
- $250 to $450
- Missing or wind-damaged shingles, one area
- $350 to $900
- Chimney re-flashing
- $650 to $1,600
- Skylight re-flash or replacement
- $600 to $2,800
- Valley repair
- $700 to $1,800
- Sunporch or porch roof, new membrane or metal
- $2,500 to $7,500
- Decking repair, small area
- $400 to $1,200
Steep or hard-to-reach roofs add to the labor. If a repair is going to cost more than a third of a replacement on an old roof, Josh will say so and show you the numbers both ways.
Call before the next storm if you see any of these
- A new stain on the ceiling or a stain that grows after rain
- Shingles in the yard after wind
- Cracked rubber on a plumbing vent boot
- Tar smeared around the chimney or a skylight
- A dip or sag in one section of the roof
- Water in the sunroom or porch when it rains hard
How a job goes
From the first call to the walkthrough
- 1
Call or send the form
Josh calls back the same day, usually within a couple of hours. Tell him what is going on and he will ask a few questions.
- 2
Josh comes out and looks
On the roof, in the attic, under the deck. He measures, takes photos, and brings samples in the truck. No sales presentation.
- 3
You get a written estimate
Materials named by brand, the scope spelled out, a price that does not expire at midnight. Over $500 it is a written contract, as Pennsylvania requires.
- 4
The work gets done
Materials delivered, the job done by Josh with help as the job needs, the site cleaned every day, permits and inspections handled.
- 5
Walkthrough, then you pay
Josh walks the finished job with you. Anything on the list gets done. Final payment when you are satisfied.
Questions people ask
How fast can you get here for a leak?
Active leaks get priority. Josh usually gets a tarp or a temporary fix on within a day and schedules the permanent repair right after.
Can you match my shingle color?
Close, usually. Shingles fade and manufacturers change colors, so an exact match on a 15-year-old roof is rare. Josh brings samples and picks the nearest.
Is it worth repairing a 20-year-old roof?
If it is one problem on an otherwise sound roof, yes. If it is the third leak in two years, the money is better spent on a replacement, and Josh will tell you.
Do you repair metal roofs?
Yes. Loose fasteners, failed sealant at laps and penetrations, rusted panels and bent trim are all repairable.
Do you repair flat rubber roofs on row homes?
Yes. Seam repairs, patches and new terminations at parapets, or a full new membrane if the old one is shot.
Free estimate
Get a number, not a pitch.
Tell Josh what the house needs. He will call back, come out, measure, and give you a written estimate with the materials named.
(717) 598-7728Calls and texts answered seven days a week. Estimates by appointment, Monday to Saturday.
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