Roof Repair in Miami – The “Return”

Metal roofs are on the rise but tile roofs still dominate, so it makes sense that the most common roof repair in Miami is the “return”. The return is the area at the bottom of a valley which terminates up-slope from the eave. Return problems arise more often on tile roofs than their metal roof and shingle roof cousins.

Due to the inherent characteristics of tile roofs the most common roof repair in Miami is the “return” rebuild. I attribute this partly to the fact most tile setters are not roofers and do not always facilitate the free flow of rainwater off the roof. One misplaced bed of mortar in the return area offers plenty of opportunity for mistakes because of all the detail packed into that small area.

Tile Roof Flashings Often the Problem

As can be seen in the photos the return is the junction of three different flashings: the wall flashing, drip-edge and valley metal. They must be installed in that order and done correctly. One nail in the wrong place and . . . Each piece must be set in roof cement, or “bull”, and not just any roof cement. I have noticed many of these returns failing after ten years, or so, which suggest the use of cheap bull. Over time it degrades, loses some of its oils and shrinks. We always use high-quality modified flashing cement. Each piece must also be primed to ensure good adhesion of the underlayment material. The primer must be allowed to dry as the underlayment will not adhere to wet primer.  The underlayment must also be installed in the proper sequence with the flashings. It is easy to see why there are so many problems in this area when you consider all the variables.

Tile Roof Repair in Miami

 

This Altusa Clay tile roof repair in Miami was not big on square footage but, as is typical of returns, was quite labor intensive. First, roof tiles must be removed to expose all potential problems and facilitate the replacement of flashings and rotten wood. Then the valley metal is peeled back and portions of the wall flashing and drip-edge removed. As usual the bottom of this valley was rotten and required some wood deck replacement – pretty straightforward stuff, so far. The repair area is then dried in with 30 lb. felt and fastened by Code. One by one, each flashing is then evaluated and dealt with – first the wall flashing, then the drip-edge. Sometimes they are simply too short. They should extend half way under the valley metal. Next, before nailing down the valley metal, a synthetic self-adhered tile roof underlayment is installed from the bottom up into the valley area.

Then the valley metal is set in roof cement at the nail lines and nailed down. The underlayment installation can now be finished, the patch perimeter reinforced with bull/membrane and roof tile re-installed.

Related Page at roofermikeinc.com/roofing-miami-style/tile-roof-repair-miami