Leak, Missing Shingles, or Storm Damage?
Free on-roof inspection. We tell you whether it needs a repair or a replacement, and we tell you straight.
GAF Certified | Insured & Bonded | Family-Owned Since 2003Roof Repair in Milwaukee & Waukesha County
GAF Certified | Family-Owned in West Allis | Repairing Roofs Since 2003
Most roof problems are not the whole roof. A failed pipe boot, a cracked chimney flashing, a valley that has opened up after twenty winters these are repairs, and treating them as repairs saves you a great deal of money.
Some problems are the whole roof, and a contractor who patches those instead of telling you the truth is selling you a second visit next spring.
We get on the roof, find the actual source, and tell you which one you have in writing. If it is a repair, we repair it. If it is not, we will say so and show you why.
Free inspection, no obligation, from a crew based in West Allis and working this metro since 2003.
Free Roof Repair Estimate
Tell us what you are seeing and we will be in touch.
Not Every Roof Problem Is a New Roof
There is a particular kind of estimate that homeowners in this metro have learned to distrust: the one where someone looks at a single stain on a bedroom ceiling and comes back with a number for a complete tear-off. Sometimes that number is correct. Often it is not, and the actual problem is a twelve-dollar rubber boot around a plumbing vent that dried out and split.
All City Contracting has been repairing and replacing roofs across Milwaukee and Waukesha County since 2003, from our shop at 3044 South 92nd Street in West Allis. We are GAF Certified, a credential fewer than 7% of U.S. roofing contractors hold, and we are fully insured and fully bonded.
What that means for a repair call is simple. We get on the roof rather than assessing it from the driveway, we find where the water is actually entering rather than where it is showing up inside, and we tell you honestly whether the roof has a repairable problem or a systemic one. Those are two different conversations and they deserve two different answers.
Repair or Replace? Here Is How We Decide.
This is the first thing we determine on any repair call, before we quote anything. The answer usually comes down to four things: the age of the roof, how many layers are on it, whether the problem is isolated or showing up in several places, and the condition of the decking underneath.
Usually a repair
- checkA single leak with one identifiable source, on a roof with plenty of service life left.
- checkFailed flashing at a chimney, skylight, or wall intersection, with sound shingles around it.
- checkA cracked or dried-out pipe boot. Extremely common and almost always misdiagnosed as a bad roof.
- checkWind-lifted or missing shingles across a limited area after a storm.
- checkAn open valley or a ridge cap that has taken damage while the field of the roof is intact.
- checkDamage confined to one slope, particularly after a directional hail or wind event.
Usually a replacement
- closeLeaks appearing in more than one location. That is a system failing, not a spot failing.
- closeWidespread granule loss, curling, or cupping across the field of the roof.
- closeSoft or rotted decking found underneath. Shingles fastened to compromised decking will not hold.
- closeA roof already carrying two layers of covering, which Wisconsin caps. There is no third layer.
- closeA roof at or past the end of its service life, where a repair buys a season and costs you the labor twice.
- closeHail bruising documented across multiple slopes, which is generally an insurance claim rather than a repair.
If the answer comes back replacement, we will show you the photos that led us there. Then we can talk about residential replacement, commercial systems, or an insurance claim, whichever applies.
The Six Repairs We Make Most Often Around Milwaukee
Roofs in this climate fail in predictable places. Freeze and thaw cycling, ice loading at the eaves, and summer storm activity all work on the same handful of weak points, and after two decades here the pattern is consistent.
Pipe boots and vent penetrations
The rubber collar around a plumbing vent has a much shorter service life than the shingles around it. It dries, cracks, and lets water straight into the attic often several feet from where the stain appears on the ceiling below. This is the single most common source of a "mystery leak" and one of the least expensive things on a roof to fix.
Chimney and wall flashing
Where the roof meets masonry is where roofs leak. Proper repair means cutting in step flashing and counter flashing, not smearing roof cement over the old detail. A tar patch on flashing is a repair with a two-year clock on it, and on older Milwaukee and Waukesha County homes this is most of the skilled labor in the job.
Ice dam damage at the eaves
When warm air escapes into the attic it melts snow on the upper roof, that water runs to the cold eave and refreezes, and the resulting ice ridge pushes water back up under the shingles. The repair addresses the damage; the fix addresses the ventilation that caused it. We assess intake and exhaust balance as part of any eave-related repair, because replacing the shingles without correcting the airflow just resets the clock.
Wind-lifted and missing shingles
Thunderstorm downbursts in southern Wisconsin can push past 80 mph with no warning. Shingles do not always tear free often they lift, break the seal strip, and lay back down looking normal from the ground while no longer being sealed. Those are the ones that go in the next storm.
Open valleys
Valleys carry more water than any other part of the roof and take the most wear. On older homes with cut-up rooflines and multiple dormers, an open or failed valley is a frequent single-source leak, and it is repairable well before the rest of the roof needs attention.
Ridge and hip caps
The caps along the ridge and hips are the most exposed shingles on the roof and are frequently the first to show damage after a wind event. They are also commonly disturbed by ridge vent installation done poorly. Replacing caps is a contained repair when the field of the roof is otherwise sound.
Two Rules That Decide What Is Possible on Your Roof
Wisconsin residential construction runs under the state Uniform Dwelling Code administered by DSPS. Two provisions come up on nearly every repair conversation, and both are worth knowing before you take a quote from anyone.
Two layers is the ceiling
Wisconsin caps a roof at two layers of covering. If your home already carries two, a repair can still address an isolated problem but the next roof is a full tear-off, with no lay-over option. Any contractor who offers a third layer to save you the tear-off cost is offering a failed inspection, a voided manufacturer warranty, and a complication at resale. Part of our inspection is telling you which layer count you are working with, because it changes what your options actually are.
Ice barrier is not optional in this climate
State code requires an ice barrier membrane at the eaves for homes in our climate zone, and the freeze and thaw cycling across Milwaukee and Waukesha County is exactly why. If a repair involves opening up the eave, the barrier goes back correctly. Skipping it is the most common shortcut on cut-rate work, and you do not find out until water backs up under the shingles in February.
Permit requirements for repair work vary by municipality and can change. We confirm the current requirement with the correct building office for your address and pull whatever is required before we start.
A Bad Repair Can Cost You a Good Warranty
This is the part most homeowners do not hear until it is too late. If your roof is still under a manufacturer warranty, the way a repair is performed can affect that coverage. Improper fastening, incompatible materials, and sealant used in place of proper flashing detail are all common ways a cheap repair quietly ends an expensive warranty.
It matters even more on a roof we did not install. Before we touch a warrantied roof, we determine what coverage exists and what the manufacturer requires, and we work within it. If a repair would jeopardize your coverage, you will hear that from us before we start rather than after.
Repairs we perform carry our workmanship warranty in writing, and annual roof inspections are available on request at no charge afterward which is generally how a small problem gets found while it is still small.
Water Coming In Right Now
If water is actively entering the house, the priority is stopping the damage rather than diagnosing the cause. Move what you can out of the way, put a container under the drip, and if there is a bulging spot on the ceiling, a small hole in the low point will let it drain in a controlled way rather than letting the drywall come down in one piece.
Then call us at (414) 385-7003. Do not go up on a wet or iced roof yourself most serious injuries in this trade happen to people who are not doing it for a living.
Document what you are seeing with photos and note the date. If this turns out to be storm-related, that documentation matters to a claim, and we handle the insurance process from first inspection to final repair.
From First Call to Finished Repair
- Free on-roof inspection. We get on the roof, not just the driveway. We trace the leak to its actual entry point, check the decking around it, look at the flashing, and assess attic ventilation while we are there.
- An honest repair-or-replace answer. You get our determination with photos behind it. If a repair is the right call, we scope it. If it is not, we tell you why and what the alternative looks like.
- Written estimate, line items visible. No verbal numbers, no pressure to sign the same day. You should be able to read what you are paying for.
- The repair, done to the detail. Proper flashing rather than sealant, correct fastening, matched materials where we can match them. Most repairs finish in a single visit.
- Walkthrough and warranty. We walk the work with you and put the workmanship warranty in writing. Annual inspections available on request afterward at no charge.
Where to Go From Here
Residential Roofing
Full replacement for homes across the metro, with shingle lines matched to your roof's pitch and architecture rather than what is on the truck.
Storm Damage & Claims
Free documented inspection, adjuster meetings, and the full claim run from first look to final nail.
Commercial Roofing
TPO, EPDM, and modified bitumen repair and replacement for storefronts, mixed-use buildings, and industrial property.
Roof Repair Across Milwaukee and Waukesha County
We are based at 3044 South 92nd Street in West Allis, which puts most of this metro within a short drive. That matters for repair work more than for replacement a repair call is usually urgent, and a crew twenty minutes away answers it differently than a crew that has to come in from another county.
West Allis, Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners, Franklin, Oak Creek, Elm Grove, Menomonee Falls, and the surrounding communities as well. Not sure whether you are in our area? Give us the address and we will tell you.
Roof Repair Questions
How do I know if I need a repair or a whole new roof?
The short version is that isolated problems on a roof with service life left are repairs, and problems appearing in multiple places on an aging roof are replacements. But the honest answer is that you cannot reliably tell from inside the house, because water travels along the decking and shows up well away from where it entered. That is what the free inspection is for, and we will give you the determination in writing with photos.
How much does a roof repair cost?
We will not quote a range here, because the ranges you find online are wide enough to be useless. A pipe boot replacement and a chimney reflash on a steep pre-war roof are not the same job. What we will do is get on your roof, find the actual problem, and hand you a written estimate with the line items visible. Request one here.
Can you repair my roof in the winter?
Yes, and we do it every year. Cold-weather work requires knowing how to handle materials at low temperatures, but it is entirely workable. If you have an active leak in January, waiting until spring is the expensive option water in a wall cavity over a Wisconsin winter causes far more damage than the roof repair would have cost.
Will a repair match my existing shingles?
We match as closely as the product line allows. On a roof more than a few years old, expect some visible difference shingles weather, and a new one will not look identical to a sun-aged one no matter who installs it. If an exact match matters to you and the roof is close to end of life anyway, that is worth factoring into the repair-or-replace decision.
Is my leak covered by insurance?
It depends on the cause. Sudden damage from a storm event is generally covered; gradual deterioration and deferred maintenance generally are not. If we find storm-related damage during the inspection, we will document it and can handle the claim process. If the cause is age and wear, we will tell you that too, because filing a claim that gets denied helps nobody.
Someone knocked on my door and offered a free roof inspection. Should I let them?
Be careful. After a hail event, out-of-state crews arrive in this market within days. Be wary of anyone who inspects from the driveway, quotes on the spot, wants a signature the same day, or offers to cover or discount your deductible the last of those is not legal in Wisconsin and puts your claim at risk. Ask whether they are licensed, insured, and bonded in Wisconsin, and ask where their office is.
Do you repair roofs you did not install?
Yes, that is most of our repair work. If the roof is still under a manufacturer warranty we will determine what coverage exists and work within its requirements, so that a repair does not cost you the warranty.
How fast can you get out here?
Call us at (414) 385-7003 and we will give you a straight answer based on the current schedule and how urgent the situation is. Active leaks get prioritized. We are based in West Allis, so travel time across most of this metro is short.
Get Your Free Roof Repair Estimate
A real inspection on the roof, an honest answer about whether it needs a repair or a replacement, and a written estimate you can read line by line. That is how we have earned this metro's business since 2003.
Request Free Estimate Or call (414) 385-7003