Do you work on the Gig Harbor side of the Narrows?

Yes. Gig Harbor and the surrounding peninsula are part of our coverage. Call any hour and tell us where the house is.

My roof is only a few years old. Why is it leaking?

On newer roofs, leaks usually come from install details such as missing kick-outs, high nailing or caulked boots. These are targeted repairs, not a reason to reroof.

Who handles permits in Gig Harbor?

Inside city limits, the City of Gig Harbor. Outside them, much of the peninsula is unincorporated Pierce County. We confirm which applies to your address.

How can I tell if wind broke my shingle seals?

Often you cannot from the ground. Lifted shingles may lie flat again after the storm. We check seal strips by hand along rakes and ridges.

Are wind-rated shingles worth it here?

On exposed lots, yes. Our asphalt shingle page explains how the high-wind nailing pattern and starter strip add holding power.

Gig Harbor roof repair across the Narrows, where wind tests every edge

Gig Harbor is across the Narrows from Tacoma, and its housing is younger than most of the South Sound. That changes what goes wrong with a roof here.

Call (253) 449-1922

Answering 24/7
From our Puyallup office
Pierce County

Resealing wind-lifted shingles on a Gig Harbor house

Short answer

Gig Harbor roofs sit across the Narrows from Tacoma, where the Weather Service logged 52 mph at Tacoma Narrows Airport in the December 2018 windstorm. Much of the housing is young, with 31.7% built from 2010 to 2019, so our work here leans toward wind repairs and fixing install details on newer roofs.

Narrows wind and what it does to a roof

On December 20, 2018, the Weather Service recorded 52 mph gusts at Tacoma Narrows Airport, on the Gig Harbor side of the water. Open water lets wind build before it reaches the shore, and homes on exposed lots feel it on the rakes and ridges first.

The damage pattern is predictable. Shingles at the gable edges lift and crease, a section of ridge cap peels back, and a ridge vent cut too wide can let rain blow in sideways. Lifted shingles that settle back down often look fine from the ground, so we check for broken seal strips by hand.

If you can see shingle pieces in the yard or a flapping edge, call any hour. A small wind repair done quickly costs far less than the leak repair that follows if rain gets under the lifted course.

Young houses, and the install details that matter

Gig Harbor grew 68.8% from 2010 to 2020, and nearly a third of its homes were built in that decade. Most of those roofs still have plenty of life in the shingles. When they leak, the cause is usually an install detail rather than worn material.

Three details come up again and again on newer roofs anywhere: a missing kick-out flashing where a roof edge dies into a wall, nails driven too high on the shingle, and pipe boots sealed with caulk instead of lapped into the courses. Each one is a targeted repair. None of them is a reason to replace a roof that is otherwise sound.

We fix them to the shingle maker's installation instructions and show you photos of what we found. If a builder's roof has more than a few of these, a full inspection before the next winter is worth the time.

Kick-out flashing where a roof edge meets a wall

Crossing the bridge: permits and scheduling

Gig Harbor became a Tacoma commuter town after the first Narrows bridge opened in 1950, and we make the same crossing for jobs here. The City of Gig Harbor issues permits inside city limits. Much of the peninsula around it is unincorporated Pierce County, where the county's reroof rules apply instead.

With 12,029 residents in the city itself and many more homes in the surrounding county area, the address matters when you call. Tell us where the house is and we will confirm which office handles the permit before any work is scheduled.