A roof leak does not wait for a convenient time. Roof Commander repairs leaks, storm damage, failed flashing, and missing shingles across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee, and on urgent leaks we frequently get out the same day you call. We have been repairing roofs here since 2001 and we will tell you honestly whether a repair will hold or whether you are throwing money at a roof that needs replacing.
The majority of roof leaks in this area are not the shingles failing. They are details failing.
Flashing. Chimneys, wall intersections, skylights, and dormers all rely on metal flashing to move water away. Flashing rusts, pulls loose, or was installed poorly to begin with. This is the single most common leak source we find.
Pipe boots. The rubber collar around plumbing vents dries out and cracks, usually around the eight to twelve year mark in this climate. It is a cheap part and a common cause of a mysterious ceiling stain.
Valleys. Where two roof planes meet, water volume is highest. Debris packs into valleys, holds moisture, and works underneath the shingle course.
Wind lifted and creased shingles. After a wind event, shingles that did not blow off may still be lifted or creased at the seal strip. They look fine from the driveway and fail in the next storm.
Nail pops. Nails back out over years of thermal movement and push through the shingle above, creating a pinhole path for water.
Ice and freeze thaw damage. Less common here than up north but not rare. Water gets into a gap, freezes, expands, and widens the gap.
Water does not drip straight down. It runs along the underside of the decking, follows a rafter, and comes through the ceiling somewhere else entirely. A stain in the middle of the living room can originate from a flashing failure fifteen feet away.
This is why we inspect from the attic as well as the roof surface. We look for daylight, damp insulation, water tracks on the rafters, and staining on the decking. Then we get on the roof and check the suspected area against what the attic told us. Chad photographs everything and shows you the pictures, both what was wrong and what it looked like after the fix.
Guessing at a leak location and patching the wrong spot is how a homeowner ends up paying three roofers for the same leak.
We would rather do an honest repair than an unnecessary replacement, and we say so on every call. Repair is usually the right answer when the roof is under fifteen years old, the damage is limited to a specific area, the shingles still have their granules and flexibility, and the decking underneath is solid.
Replacement is usually the right answer when leaks are appearing in multiple unrelated areas, when the shingles are curling or shedding granules across the whole field, when the roof is past twenty years, or when the decking has gone soft. In those cases a repair buys months, not years.
If you are in the second category, see roof replacement. If a storm caused the damage, the repair may be covered, which is a different conversation entirely. See storm damage restoration.
When water is actively coming into the house, the priority is stopping it before anything else. We tarp roofs and make temporary repairs to keep water out until a permanent fix can be scheduled and, where a claim is involved, until the adjuster has seen the damage.
Do not let anybody tell you to leave active water intrusion alone so the adjuster can see it. Your policy requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and photographs plus a tarp satisfy that far better than a ruined ceiling.
Full detail, including what to do before we arrive: emergency roof repair.
Small repairs are exactly that. A cracked pipe boot, a handful of lifted shingles, or resealing a section of flashing sits at the low end. Larger repairs involving valley rebuilds, chimney flashing replacement, or decking sections run higher.
Three things drive the number: how accessible the damage is, whether the shingles can be matched, and whether there is decking damage underneath. Matching is worth a note. Shingle colors are discontinued over time, so on an older roof an exact match may not exist. We will show you the closest available option and let you decide whether a visible patch on a back slope is worth it versus a larger scope.
If the damage came from a storm, the repair may fall under your policy. We will document it either way, at no charge, so you can make that call with real information.
Franklin has beautiful old housing stock, especially around the downtown historic district, and older roofs come with their own issues. Original flashing that was never replaced when the roof was. Multiple layers from decades of overlays. Decking made from plank boards rather than plywood, which behaves differently under foot and under fastener.
We work on these regularly and we will tell you when a repair on a roof like that is a temporary measure rather than a fix. Sometimes a temporary measure is exactly what you need, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you know what you bought.
Use the Google review from the customer with the urgent leak that Chad came out to see the same day within about thirty minutes of the call, who mentioned being shown before and after photographs.
On urgent active leaks we often get out the same day. Call (615) 218-6872 and tell us water is coming in, and we will work you in as early as we can.
Usually, but not always. Shingle lines get discontinued, so on an older roof the closest available match may be slightly off in color. We will show you the option before we install anything so you can decide.
It depends on the cause. Sudden damage from a storm, hail, or a fallen limb is typically covered. Gradual wear, age, and lack of maintenance are not. Our free inspection will tell you which one you have.
No. Inspections and written estimates are free, including storm damage inspections.
A properly performed repair should not. Poor workmanship or an installation outside of manufacturer specification can. This is one reason to use a certified contractor rather than a handyman on a roof still under warranty.
A correctly done repair on a roof with life left in it should last the remaining life of the roof. A repair on a roof already at the end of its service life is buying time, and we will tell you plainly which situation you are in.
Roof Commander installs full replacement roofing systems across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and the rest of Middle Tennessee. We have been doing it since 2001, we are GAF certified and Owens Corning Preferred, and most residential replacements we do are finished in a single day.
Learn about Roof Replacement in Franklin, TNThis page is about the damage and the repair. For how the claim itself works, from filing through the final check, see insurance claim assistance.
Learn about Storm Damage Restoration in Franklin, TNThis page is about the claim process. For what hail and wind actually do to a roof and how we restore it, see storm damage restoration.
Learn about Roof Insurance Claim Assistance in Franklin, TNRoof Commander inspects roofs across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee at no charge. That includes storm damage inspections, pre purchase inspections on a home you are buying, and annual checkups on a roof you want to keep an eye on.
Learn about Free Roof Inspections in Franklin, TNPart of our roof repair service. If water is coming in right now, call (615) 218-6872 rather than reading further.
Learn about Emergency Roof Repair in Franklin, TNPart of our roof replacement service. Compare against asphalt shingle before you decide.
Learn about Metal Roofing in Franklin, TNPart of our roof replacement service. Compare against metal roofing before you decide.
Learn about Asphalt Shingle Roofing in Franklin, TNSiding is the other half of your home's weather envelope, and it fails quietly. Roof Commander installs and repairs vinyl, fiber cement, and Hardie siding across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee.
Learn about Siding Installation and Repair in Franklin, TNGutters are the least glamorous part of a house and one of the most consequential. Their job is to take every gallon that lands on your roof and put it somewhere that is not against your foundation.
Learn about Gutter Installation and Repair in Franklin, TNRoof Commander handles interior and exterior painting across Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee. A lot of this work comes at the end of a restoration job, when a storm put water through a ceiling or hail took the finish off the trim, and the homeowner would rather not hire a separate painter to close out the project.
Learn about Interior and Exterior Painting in Franklin, TNRoof Commander is a general contractor, not only a roofing company. Chad and Grover Warren are third generation contractors, and the family business has covered construction, remodeling, framing, drywall, flooring, concrete, stucco, and plastering going back decades.
Learn about Home Renovations and Remodeling in Franklin, TNShingles are not rated for low pitch, and installing them there is one of the most common roofing mistakes we find in Middle Tennessee. If you have a porch roof, an addition, or a section over a garage that keeps leaking no matter how many times somebody patches it, this is almost certainly why.
Learn about Flat and Low Slope Roofing in Franklin, TNSoffit is the panel that closes off the underside of your roof overhang, the part you see when you stand under the eave and look straight up. Most homeowners in Franklin never think about it until it starts sagging, a squirrel gets behind it, or a painter points out that the wood has gone soft.
Learn about Soffit Repair and Replacement in Franklin, TNFascia is the vertical board that runs along the edge of your roof, capping the ends of the rafters. It is the board your gutters hang on.
Learn about Fascia Board Repair and Replacement in Franklin, TN