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Roof Leak Repair and Detection in Kerrville, TX
Roof Leak Detection
Total Foundation & Roofing finds and repairs roof leaks in Kerrville, Texas and across Kerr County, using thermal imaging and moisture mapping rather than opening ceilings to guess. We also cover Fredericksburg and Comfort, plus Ingram, Center Point, Hunt and Harper.
The hard part of a roof leak is almost never the repair. It is finding it. Water does not come in where it appears — it enters at a failed penetration or a lifted piece of flashing, runs along the underside of the decking or down a rafter, and drops through the ceiling somewhere else entirely. A stain in the middle of a bedroom can come from a pipe boot six feet away and three feet higher up the slope.
That is why guessing is expensive. Opening drywall to look, or replacing the shingles nearest the stain, is how homeowners end up paying twice for the same leak. We locate the entry point first, show you the evidence, then repair it.
We are a licensed roofing contractor based in Kerrville, at 317 Sidney Baker Street, offering full roofing services for homes and commercial property across Kerrville and Kerr County.
Where Roof Leaks Actually Start in the Hill Country
Kerr County sits inside the county warning area of the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio forecast office, and the local pattern is long UV exposure punctuated by wind and occasional hail. After eighteen years on roofs in this region, the same handful of failure points account for most of what we find:
- Pipe boots. The rubber collar around a plumbing vent is the single most common source. Direct sun makes it brittle and it cracks, usually somewhere between years eight and twelve — long before the shingles are worn out.
- Chimney and wall flashing. Anywhere the roof meets something vertical. Step flashing lifts, counter-flashing pulls away from mortar, and sealant that held for five summers stops holding.
- Valleys. Live oak and cypress canopy across the older parts of Kerrville drops a lot onto roofs. A valley packed with leaf litter holds water against the shingle instead of shedding it.
- Skylights. Almost always the flashing kit rather than the glass, and almost always at the head where water sits longest.
- Exposed fasteners. On metal roofs, screws and their neoprene washers degrade under thermal cycling and start weeping years before anything looks wrong from the ground.
- Ridge and hip caps. Wind lifts them, the seal breaks, and driving rain gets underneath.
None of these are visible from the ground, and several are not obvious from the roof either. That is what the equipment is for.
roofing
Roof Leak Detection
Our Services
We take a customized approach to every property, beginning with a detailed inspection.
Our Roof Leak Detection Process
Step 1: Visual inspection
We start on the roof, not in the attic. Flashing, penetrations, valleys, ridge caps, gutters and the shingle field itself. Most leaks are found here, and finding one this way is the cheapest outcome for you.
Step 2: Thermal imaging
Infrared cameras read temperature differences across the roof and ceiling. Wet insulation and saturated decking hold heat differently from dry material, which makes the wet area visible even when the surface looks intact. This is what finds the leaks a visual inspection misses.
Step 3: Moisture mapping
Moisture meters measure actual water content in shingles, underlayment, decking and the ceiling below. Thermal imaging shows where to look; moisture mapping confirms how far the water has travelled and how much material is affected. That is what determines whether this is a small repair or something larger.
Step 4: Written report
Photographs, thermal images, the location of the entry point, and clear repair options with a price. If the leak has been running long enough to affect decking or framing, we tell you that before you commit to anything.
Then the repair
We fix what we find. Depending on the cause that is roof repair, storm damage repair, or on a commercial low-slope roof, commercial roofing work. If water is coming in right now, that is emergency roof repair — we tarp first and diagnose after.
Why Choose Total Foundation & Roofing
- We find it before we quote it. You get the entry point identified and photographed before any repair price is discussed. A roofer who cannot show you where the water is getting in is guessing.
- Eighteen years in the Texas Hill Country. Owner Daniel Sowell has worked on roofs here since 2008. Knowing that pipe boots go brittle around year ten in this sun is not something equipment tells you.
- Thermal imaging and moisture meters as standard, not as an upsell. They are how the job gets done properly.
- Based in Kerrville. Our office is on Sidney Baker Street, so we reach a leak in Kerr County quickly rather than scheduling you into a route out of San Antonio.
- We repair what we find. Roof repair, emergency repair and concrete work — one company, and nobody handing you on once the diagnosis is done.
- Most leaks are preventable. Scheduled roof maintenance catches failing sealant and packed valleys before they become the leak you are calling about.
- See the work. Read our customer reviews or browse the project gallery.
Testimonials
What They’re Saying About Us
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you find a roof leak without tearing anything apart?
Thermal imaging and moisture meters. Wet insulation and saturated decking hold heat differently from dry material, so an infrared camera makes the wet area visible through a ceiling without opening it. Moisture meters then confirm actual water content and show how far it has spread. Between them we can usually identify the entry point from the roof surface and the room below, without cutting into anything.
Why is the leak nowhere near the water stain?
Because water travels before it drops. It enters at a failed penetration or lifted flashing, runs along the underside of the decking or down a rafter following the slope, and falls through the ceiling at the first low point it reaches. A stain in the middle of a room commonly comes from an entry point several feet away and higher up the roof. This is the single most common reason homeowners repair the wrong thing.
What causes most roof leaks in Kerrville?
Cracked pipe boots more than anything else. The rubber collar around a plumbing vent goes brittle under long Hill Country summers and typically fails between years eight and twelve, well before the shingles wear out. After that: flashing at chimneys and wall transitions, valleys packed with leaf litter from live oak and cypress canopy, skylight flashing, and on metal roofs, exposed fasteners weeping as the washers degrade.
How much does roof leak detection cost?
Detection is part of the job rather than a separate charge in most cases — we find the leak, then quote the repair. Most minor roof repairs in Kerrville run $300 to $1,500. Where a leak has been running long enough to affect decking or framing the cost is higher, which is exactly why finding it early matters.
Yes, and low-slope commercial roofs are where detection equipment earns its keep. On a flat roof, water can enter at one seam and travel a long way across the deck before it appears inside, and pulling up membrane to find it is expensive. Thermal imaging narrows the search to a few square feet. See commercial roofing for TPO, modified bitumen and maintenance plans.
Yes, and low-slope commercial roofs are where detection equipment earns its keep. On a flat roof, water can enter at one seam and travel a long way across the deck before it appears inside, and pulling up membrane to find it is expensive. Thermal imaging narrows the search to a few square feet. See commercial roofing for TPO, modified bitumen and maintenance plans.
Is it a roof leak or a plumbing leak?
A useful first test is whether it only appears after rain. Roof leaks are weather-driven; plumbing leaks are not, and often show as a constant damp patch or an unexplained rise in your water bill. Slab leaks show differently again — warm spots on a floor, water usage with no visible source, or cracking that comes alongside foundation movement. We handle roofing and foundation repair both, so if the water is not coming from the roof we can tell you where to look rather than sending you away.
