Roof Repair for Lombard Homes, Townhomes and Storefronts

Lombard roof repair on dormers and porch roofs

Front dormers on Lombard Cape Cods leak in a few predictable places. The side walls of the dormer, called cheek walls, need a step flashing under every shingle course, with the siding held up off the roof so it does not wick water. The bottom of the dormer window needs an apron flashing that laps over the shingles below it. When either was skipped, or later buried under a bead of tar, water runs down inside the wall and shows up as a stain under the window or along the living-room ceiling.

Older homes near downtown add another suspect: the porch roof. Open front porches often have a pitch too shallow for shingles, and decades of patching leave layers of tar and mismatched material. A lasting repair strips the porch roof, replaces soft decking, and installs a membrane made for low slopes, tied under the siding and over the gutter edge.

Repairing ice dam damage on Lombard eaves, in two stages

Ice dams are a fact of life on many Lombard homes. Once one has leaked, the repair happens in two parts.

During the winter

If water is coming in, we can open channels through the ice with low-pressure steam so meltwater drains, and tarp any area where shingles have lifted. We do not chip ice with hatchets or picks, which breaks shingles and gutters.

Once it warms up

We remove the first few courses of shingles along the damaged eave and check the deck and fascia for rot. Soft wood is replaced, a self-adhering ice barrier goes down from the edge to well inside the heated wall line, and new shingles and drip edge go back on. We also report what we see in the attic, because if heat loss caused the dam, it will form again until that is addressed. Our ice dam guide covers prevention in more depth.

Repairs on shared roofs: who calls, who approves, who gets the report

When a Lombard townhome owner sees a leak, the first call often goes to us, but the roof usually belongs to the association. To avoid delays and disputes, we follow a simple sequence:

1. We confirm with the management company or board who is authorized to approve the work.
2. Our inspection identifies the entry point, which may be above a different unit than the stain.
3. The authorized contact gets photos, the cause, and a price, and approves in writing.
4. After the repair, the report goes to the association, with a copy to the owner who reported it.

Boards appreciate a record that ties each repair to a building and unit. Over a few years it shows which roofs are costing the most and helps plan replacements.

Storefront and office roof repairs along Roosevelt and Butterfield

The retail strips and small office buildings along Roosevelt Road, Butterfield Road and North Avenue mostly have low-slope roofs: EPDM rubber, TPO or modified bitumen. Typical repairs include re-adhering or patching split seams, rebuilding flashing around rooftop heating and cooling units, clearing and re-flashing drains, and resetting loose metal coping on parapet walls.

We schedule around business hours where we can, keep debris and equipment away from customer entrances, and give the owner or property manager a photo report that separates today’s fix from items to budget. For larger projects, see our commercial roofing services.

Permits and unincorporated Lombard addresses

A Lombard mailing address does not always mean the Village of Lombard issues the permit; a parcel outside village limits falls under DuPage County instead. Before a larger repair, we confirm which office covers your parcel and whether the scope requires a permit, and we include any permit in the price. For background on local housing types, see our Lombard roofing page.

Roof Repair for Lombard Homes, Townhomes and Storefronts: questions

Is the leak in my Lombard townhome the association’s problem or mine?

It depends on your declaration. In many associations the roof is a common element maintained by the association, but the documents differ. Check yours or ask the management company; we can work with whoever is responsible.

Can you steam ice dams off my roof?

Yes, when it is safe to work on the roof. Low-pressure steam cuts channels through the ice without damaging shingles. It is a temporary measure; the lasting fix is ice barrier at the eave and less heat reaching the roof.

Can you repair our store’s flat roof without closing the business?

In most cases, yes. Repairs are done from the roof, with access planned away from customer areas, and noisy or messy work can be scheduled outside business hours when needed.