Do you work in Sumner?

Yes. Sumner is just east of Puyallup, where our office is, and is part of our regular coverage.

How can I tell if my siding is rotting?

Press a screwdriver into the bottom edge of siding and trim near downspouts. If it sinks in easily, the wood is soft and needs replacing.

Why does my downspout cause problems?

If it empties against the foundation, water soaks the ground and splashes back onto siding. Extensions or a tightline carry it farther away.

Who handles permits in Sumner?

The City of Sumner issues building permits inside its limits. We confirm what applies before scheduling.

Can you fix a chimney leak without a new roof?

Usually. Most chimney leaks come from failed counter flashing or a missing cricket, which we can repair without replacing the roof.

Sumner exterior repairs that start with where the rain goes

Sumner is a small city just east of Puyallup. Most of our work here comes back to water: where it lands, where it runs and what it soaks along the way.

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Pierce County

Installing a downspout extension on a Sumner house

Short answer

Sumner is a small city of 10,621 people just east of Puyallup, and it issues its own building permits. Most of our Sumner work centers on water: gutters that overflow, downspouts that drain against the foundation, siding that stays wet at the bottom and roof leaks where two surfaces meet.

Where rain does its damage on a Sumner house

Sea-Tac averages 39.34 inches of rain a year, and November is the wettest month at 6.31 inches. That water has to go somewhere. Gutters catch it, downspouts carry it down, and the ground around the house has to take it away. A failure at any step sends water where it does not belong.

Walk around the house during a heavy rain. Look for water sheeting over the gutter at inside corners, drips at seams and downspouts that empty against the foundation. Those three problems account for most of the water damage we see on siding and trim.

Fixes are usually modest. Re-pitching a run, adding an outlet or extending a downspout carries the water away. Our drainage page covers extensions, splash blocks and tightlines.

Siding and trim near the ground

The lowest siding courses and the trim around doors take the most water. Splashback from the ground, overflow from above and plantings that hold moisture against the wall all keep them wet. Over years, wood siding and trim soften at the bottom edge.

Check by pressing a screwdriver into the bottom of trim boards and siding near downspouts. If it sinks in, the wood is rotting. We cut out the soft section, fix the water source and replace the boards. Painting over rot only hides it.

Rotted trim removed from the bottom of siding

Roof leaks where two surfaces meet

Most roof leaks start where the roof meets something else: a wall, a chimney, a skylight or another roof plane in a valley. Flashing bridges those joints, and when it is bent, rusted or sealed with roofing cement that has cracked, water finds the gap.

We trace the leak from the attic first and then fix the flashing at the source. If a chimney is involved, our chimney flashing page explains counter flashing and crickets. The City of Sumner issues permits inside its limits, and we confirm what applies before work.