Why does my roof only leak in windstorms?

Wind pushes rain sideways into wall junctions, vents and siding gaps that steady rain does not touch. Those spots are where we look first.

Can you tarp a roof during a storm on Hilltop?

Sometimes. If wind and footing make it unsafe, we help you protect the inside and tarp at the first safe window.

Do you work on the older houses near South J Street?

Yes. We work on old and new houses across Hilltop, and older ones get the hand-flashing and board-sheathing care they need.

Should I file an insurance claim after wind damage?

That is your decision. We document the damage with photos either way. Our storm damage page covers what we record.

Do I need a permit to replace a storm-damaged roof?

Often not, for a single-family Tacoma house when old coverings come off and framing stays the same. We confirm before starting.

Roof repair on Hilltop, where the bluff catches the wind

Height over the water is what sets Hilltop roofs apart. Wind-driven rain reaches flashing and siding that sheltered roofs never get tested on.

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Roofer replacing wind-torn shingles on a Hilltop house

Short answer

Yes, we repair roofs on Hilltop, a neighborhood of about 12,002 residents on a high bluff above Commencement Bay and the Port. That height means wind reaches roofs here with little to slow it. Lifted shingles, torn ridge vents and leaks that show only in driving rain are the calls we get most often.

A high bluff over the bay and the Port

Hilltop sits on a high bluff over Commencement Bay and the Port of Tacoma. Storms coming up the Sound meet the bluff with nothing in the way, and roofs here take the wind at full strength. The first parts to fail are the ones with the least holding them down: ridge caps, rake-edge shingles, and tabs whose seal strip has let go.

Wind-driven rain also travels sideways and uphill under laps that would shed calm rain. On Hilltop, a leak that appears only during a southerly blow usually points to a wall junction, a vent facing the storm, or siding that lets water behind it. We look at those first.

Old houses next to newer infill

Hilltop keeps a row of eight houses from 1889 and 1890 on South J Street, a reminder of how early this part of Tacoma was built. Older houses here often have board sheathing, tall chimneys and trim that has been painted over many times. Newer infill on nearby lots tends to have lower-slope roofs and flat sections over stairwells or entries.

That mix means we carry both skill sets onto Hilltop: hand-flashed steps and chimney crickets on the old houses, and membrane work on the newer low-slope sections. Our flat roof repair page covers the low-slope side, including scuppers that back up in November, the wettest month at Sea-Tac at 6.31 inches.

New step flashing at a wall junction after a windstorm

Repairs after a windstorm

After a storm, start inside: look for new ceiling stains and damp spots near exterior walls. From the street, look for missing tabs, shingles lying in the yard, and bent ridge vents. Stay off the roof. Our windstorm checklist covers what is safe to check.

When we come out, we photograph the damage before touching it. Then we replace lifted and creased shingles, reset or replace ridge vents, and hand-seal tabs along the windward edges. A single-family reroof in Tacoma is often permit-exempt when the old coverings come off and the framing stays the same, so most storm reroofs here do not wait on a permit.