"it's like pulling a loose thread on a sweater, suddenly half the roof's exposed."
Haha, exactly my experience last summer. Started with replacing a few shingles, ended up deep-diving into flashing tutorials at 1am. Speaking of aluminum flashing, anyone know if there's a solid way to patch minor damage without tearing everything off? Most guides I've seen jump straight into full replacements, but surely there's gotta be a middle ground... right?
You might manage a temporary patch with roofing sealant or aluminum tape if it's minor enough, but honestly, those are usually short-term fixes.
Depends—how bad's the damage exactly?"surely there's gotta be a middle ground... right?"
"Depends—how bad's the damage exactly?"
Yeah, that's the real question. Had a similar issue last spring—small crack on aluminum flashing after a storm. Thought I'd get away with aluminum tape, and it held fine... until the next heavy rain hit. Ended up redoing it properly anyway. If it's minor, you might stretch it a bit with sealant or tape, but honestly, if you're seeing noticeable damage, probably better off biting the bullet sooner rather than later.
Had a similar issue last spring—small crack on aluminum flashing after a storm.
If you're seeing noticeable cracks or gaps, I'd say redo it properly. Tape or sealant might buy you a little time, but in my experience, water always finds its way back in... and usually at the worst possible moment. Better safe than sorry.
Yeah, totally agree here—sealants and tapes are just temporary band-aids. I've inspected plenty of homes where homeowners tried the quick fix route, only to end up with bigger headaches later on. Even tiny cracks can let moisture seep in slowly, causing hidden damage over time. Plus, aluminum flashing isn't too pricey or complicated to replace properly, so why risk it? Just my two cents from seeing this stuff go wrong more times than I'd like...
