What counts as a patch?
A patch addresses the symptom at the surface: sealant in a gap, mastic over a crack, a piece of metal or membrane over a hole. It treats the spot where water is getting in without rebuilding the system (shingles, underlayment, flashing) that was supposed to keep it out.
A repair, by contrast, takes the failed assembly apart and rebuilds it the way it was designed: new shingles woven in, new flashing layered correctly, damaged decking addressed underneath.
When a patch is the right call
Patches have a legitimate job description:
- Stopping active water intrusion fast, with the real repair scheduled behind it
- Bridging weather: a January leak patched until a dry stretch allows proper work
- Bridging budget: keeping a roof watertight while you plan a replacement already on the horizon
- Buying a sale-pending house a few honest weeks (disclosed, please)
When a patch is the wrong call
A patch is the wrong answer when it's pretending to be the repair. Sealant has a service life of a couple of years at best on a roof surface; sun and temperature swings crack it, and the leak returns to a spot that now has goop complicating the proper fix.
The expensive version of this story: patch fails quietly, water works on the decking for two more winters, and a $600 repair becomes a $3,000 one. The patch didn't save money; it financed the damage at a terrible interest rate.
Our approach
When we patch something, we say so, and we tell you what the real repair is and when it should happen. When the right move is the full repair now, we'll tell you that too, with a written estimate and photos of why. (What repairs involve and cost.)
If someone's only offer for your leak is a can of sealant, get a second opinion. Ours is free. And for the full leak journey, start with the Roof Leak Guide.