Repairs
Roof Repair in Bethlehem, PA
A brown ring spreading on the ceiling, a slate lying in the flower bed, shingles flapping after a windy night? Call and speak with an independent contractor that does roof repairs in and around Bethlehem.
Where a roof usually lets water in
Roofs seldom fail in the middle of a slope. Water gets in where the covering stops or changes direction: at the flashing around a chimney, along a wall or dormer, in a valley, at a vent pipe's rubber boot, or along a party wall where two rowhome roofs meet.
The stain inside is often some distance from the opening outside, because water runs along the deck and rafters before it drips. A sound repair finds where the water actually enters, fixes that point, and checks the wood around it for rot before closing it up again.
Checklist
What to tell the contractor when you call
- The address, and whether it is in the city or one of the townships or boroughs around it
- What the roof is made of: shingle, slate, metal, or a flat membrane over the back rooms
- Where the water shows up inside, and whether it comes with heavy rain, wind from one direction or a winter thaw
- What you can see from the ground: missing shingles, slates on the lawn, bent flashing, a sagging gutter
- Roughly how old the roof is and what has been patched before
- Whether the house sits in one of Bethlehem's historic or conservation districts
- How a ladder gets to the problem: front street, rear alley, steep yard or a neighbor's lot
Old houses, old weak spots
Much of Bethlehem's older housing is brick rowhomes and twins with a steep slate or shingle roof at the front and a nearly flat roof over the back rooms. The two meet at a joint that has to be flashed properly, and party walls and old chimneys add more seams where water can find a way in.
Through a Lehigh Valley winter the temperature crosses the freezing mark over and over, and each crossing works at cracked flashing, loose slate and lifted shingle tabs, and snow melting over a warm attic refreezes at the eaves into ice dams. That is why a leak often first shows itself after a thaw, or after a windstorm peels back a few courses of shingles.
Typical jobs
Repairs that come up on Lehigh Valley roofs
Slipped or broken slate
Rusted nails let slates slide out one by one. A slater pulls the stub and hangs a matching slate on a hook or strap without disturbing its neighbors.
Chimney and wall flashing
Step and counter flashing work loose from brick as mortar joints wear. Resetting or replacing it is a common fix for a leak beside a chimney or dormer.
Ice-dam leaks
Meltwater backs up under the eave courses. The damaged section gets repaired; the lasting cure is attic air sealing and ventilation.
Wind-lifted shingles
Tabs that have lost their seal fold back in a gust. Replacing and resealing a patch of shingles is routine when the rest of the roof is sound.
Flat rear roofs
Splits, blisters and open seams in the membrane over a rowhome's back rooms, often where it meets the parapet or the pitched roof above.
Vent boots and nail pops
Rubber collars around plumbing vents crack with sun and cold, and nails backing out lift a shingle. Both are small jobs that stop a drip.
How a contractor decides between repair and replacement
A roofer looking at a leak weighs three things: how much of the roof is worn, whether the deck underneath is still solid, and whether the repair will hold for long enough to be worth it. A shingle roof with one failed flashing and plenty of grit left on its shingles is a repair. A roof with bald, curling shingles everywhere usually is not, because the next leak is already on its way.
Slate is judged differently. The stone can outlast its nails and flashing by decades, so a slate roof shedding a few pieces may only need those pieces rehung and the flashing renewed. If slates are flaking apart or the nails have failed across whole slopes, patching stops making sense. A careful contractor will say which side of that line your roof is on and, where it is close, price both. The repair or replace guide covers the signs in more detail.
Rules for repairs
Pennsylvania and Bethlehem rules that apply to a repair
Each point links to the official text it comes from. Local practice varies, so ask the permit office before work starts.
Repairs count as home improvement
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act defines home improvement to include repair work and work on roofs, above a small minimum job price, and anyone doing it must first register with the Attorney General (HICPA, sections 2 and 3). Check a registration at attorneygeneral.gov or on 1-888-520-6680.
Same contract rules
A repair covered by the Act needs the same written, signed contract as a full replacement, and the three-business-day right to cancel applies (HICPA, section 7).
Permits are a local question
The state's Uniform Construction Code leaves repairs to houses out of its scope unless a local ordinance brings them in (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(9)). The City of Bethlehem asks owners to check with the Bureau of Code Enforcement, (610) 865-7091, before starting any work (city page).
Historic district repairs
In the central Bethlehem Historic District, HARB does not review ordinary maintenance and repairs that leave the exterior appearance and materials unchanged, and the Bureau of Code Enforcement decides whether a job counts as maintenance (HARB design guidelines). The South Side guidelines say regular repair of slate can add years of life to an existing roof (HCC design guidelines).
Questions
Roof Repair: what people ask
Is a repair worth it if the roof will need replacing in a few years?
Often, yes. A sound repair keeps water out of the ceiling and the wood underneath while you plan for the bigger job. Ask the contractor how long the repair should last and whether the money would be better put toward the new roof.
Should I go up and look at the damage myself?
It is safer not to. Wet shingles and slate are slippery, and slate cracks under a boot. Look from the ground or from an attic with good footing, catch drips in a bucket, move belongings away from the leak and describe what you see when you call.
Does a roof repair need a permit?
It depends on the municipality and the size of the job. Pennsylvania's construction code leaves house repairs to local ordinance, so ask the permit office for your address. In the City of Bethlehem that is the Bureau of Code Enforcement, (610) 865-7091.
Can a few slates be replaced on a historic house?
Generally, yes. In the central historic district, HARB does not review ordinary repairs that keep the roof's look and materials the same, though the Bureau of Code Enforcement makes that call. Matching the color and size of the old slate is part of the job.
More services
Other roof services
- Roof ReplacementThe old roof comes off, the deck is checked and the new roof goes on, start to finish.
- New Roofs & AdditionsAdditions, new homes and enclosed porches: framed, sheathed and tied into the old roof.
- Asphalt Shingle RoofsArchitectural shingles, the right underlayment and proper ventilation for Pennsylvania winters.
- Slate RoofsLoose slates rehung and flashing renewed, or a worn-out slate roof replaced with new slate, synthetic slate or shingles.
- Metal RoofsStanding seam on houses, porches and farmhouses; snow behavior and noise explained.
- Low-Slope & Rowhome RoofsRowhome rears, porches and additions: membranes, drains and parapet flashing.
- Ice Dams & Winter RoofsIce dams and icicles: fixing the leak, and what stops them coming back.
Roof leaking or worn out?
Talk to a roofing contractor who works in Bethlehem
One call connects you with an independent roofing contractor serving Bethlehem, Easton, Bethlehem Township, Hellertown and Lower Saucon. Have the roof looked at, then ask for a written price for the repair or the new roof.
Drips in the attic, cracked slate or a tired old roof? Talk it over with a local contractor.
Your call goes to an independent roofing contractor in the Bethlehem area that takes on repairs as well as full replacements.
Call (610) 835-0847Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and privacy policy.