Too many leaks to keep chasing: a FORTIFIED replacement in Gulfport

The homeowner had known Gulf South Roofing for years — he lives across the street from Joey’s brother — and had been told for a while that the roof was reaching the end. What finally moved it was the leaks: a 25-year-old shingle roof on a large house, with problems at both dormers.

Dormers are where South Mississippi roofs fail most often. The flashing where a dormer wall meets the roof field takes water from two directions, and both of his were leaking. Those were his main concern going in.

He got other numbers, which we encouraged. The estimate that won was not the cheapest line — it was the one that dealt with the details: the dormer flashing, the gutters, and the rotten fascia behind them.

Before we could roof, the gutters had to come off. They were copper — heavy, soft, and already bending under debris — and the fascia behind them had rotted. We recommended pulling the gutters, replacing the fascia, and letting us roof before new gutters went up, so the new gutters would never sit under a tear-off. He did exactly that. It pushed the start back about a month, and it meant the roof went on over sound wood.

The replacement was built to the FORTIFIED Roof standard:

• Full tear-off to the deck, with the decking inspected and repaired.
• Self-adhering ice-and-water membrane across the entire roof deck — not just the valleys — so the house stays dry even if shingles are lost in a storm.
• Peel-and-stick starter course at every eave and rake, and drip edge fastened every four inches.
• New flashing at both dormers, bent in our own Gulfport shop.
• Storm covers cut and fitted for the gable louvers and photographed in place, which FORTIFIED requires as proof the openings can be shuttered.

Every step was geotagged and photographed — eight to ten documented photos per job is the least the FORTIFIED evaluator will accept — and the designation certificate was issued on completion.

Then the yard. He keeps what may be the greenest lawn in Mississippi, so we built covers from two-by-sixes and plywood over the beds, kept the crew on the right side of the fence where the garage roof meets the neighbor’s yard, and cleaned up every evening.

Four days on the roof, finished on schedule and on the estimate — including a ceiling touch-up we did after a stain showed at one dormer partway through the job. We went back, corrected the flashing detail, and had the ceiling repainted. That is what the workmanship warranty is for.

When we started arranging professional photography of finished roofs, his was one of the first houses we called. He wanted to show the yard.