Roof deck and sheathing repair in Phoenix

In a dry climate, people assume roof wood stays sound forever. Most of the time it does. Trouble comes from water that gets in and stays. On tile roofs, felt that has worn out after 20 to 25 years of Valley heat lets water reach the deck at every crack and nail hole. Each monsoon storm wets the wood a little more, and the attic heat does not always dry it before the next storm. Over a few seasons, that wood softens around the leak.

Flat roofs have their own pattern. Standing water after storms, blocked scuppers and worn coating can soak the deck under foam or built-up layers for years before anyone notices. Older homes with plank decks, common under some original flat roofs in central Phoenix, can have gaps and rot at plank ends. OSB, used on many newer homes, swells and loses strength when wet more readily than plywood.

On a tile roof, we lift and stack tiles over the damaged area plus a margin, remove the old felt and find the edges of the soft wood. We cut back to the nearest rafter or truss on each side so the new panel lands on framing, then check the framing itself for rot. New plywood goes down with the right nailing pattern and spacing for expansion. Fresh underlayment laps over the old, and the tiles are relaid. If felt across the roof is near the end, our tile underlayment replacement may make more sense than repeated deck patches.

On foam or built-up flat roofs, we cut through the roofing layers to expose the deck, replace the bad section, and rebuild the roof system above it with new foam and coating or new plies. On shingle roofs, we strip shingles over the area, replace the deck and reshingle with matched courses. In every case, we photograph the damaged wood before it is removed so you can see why it was replaced.

Sometimes the sheathing is only the first sign. If rafters or trusses below are also soft, cracked or sagging, they need sistering, where new lumber is fastened alongside the old, or replacement. Truss repairs on modern homes may need an engineered repair detail, and we tell you if that is the case before going further. Heavy concrete tile adds load, so a sagging truss under tile is not something to ignore.

If deck damage is widespread across the roof, replacing the deck section by section stops being efficient. At that point a full re-roof with new sheathing is usually the better value, and our roof replacement service covers that work and the permit process most Valley cities require for a full re-roof. We show you the photos and both prices so the choice is yours.

Once the roof is open down to the wood, every layer above is easy to inspect. We look at the felt around the opening to see how far its wear extends, check the flashing at any nearby wall or vent, and look at the tiles or foam for the original water path. Fixing the deck without closing that path only buys time, so the source gets repaired in the same visit.

We also look at attic ventilation from inside. A hot, poorly vented attic bakes the underside of the deck and the felt above it, which speeds aging in Valley summers. If intake or exhaust vents are blocked or missing, adding them while the roof is open costs far less than doing it later as a separate job. We point out what we find and price it separately.