Porch roofs and patio covers in Vancouver, WA

In a place where it rains for much of the year, a covered patio or porch is one of the most used parts of the house. These roofs are small, but they are tricky. Most are attached to the house along a ledger board, and that joint has to be flashed so water running down the house wall goes over the cover instead of behind it. Many are also built at a low pitch, which limits which roofing materials will work.

Our crews re-roof existing porch and patio covers, repair leaking ledger flashing, and roof new covers built by deck and patio contractors. We work with shingles, standing seam and corrugated metal, and low-slope membranes. On front porches of older homes we also rebuild worn roofs where the porch was added or reworked over the years, often with odd slopes that need special care.

Why porch and patio roofs leak

The weak spot on almost every attached cover is the ledger, the board bolted to the house that carries one side of the roof. If the flashing above it is missing, lapped the wrong way, or sealed only with caulk, water running down the siding gets behind the ledger and into the wall. That can rot the ledger, the rim joist and the sheathing long before a leak shows. We see this on many covered decks added years after the house was built.

Pitch is the second issue. Patio covers are often built nearly flat so they do not block upstairs windows. Shingles on a roof that low let water back up under them during steady rain. Clear or translucent panels crack, yellow and leak at the screws over time. Moss from nearby firs collects on low covers and slows drainage even more, so the roof stays wet long after the rain stops.

Porch and patio cover work we do

We size the job to what the cover needs. Sometimes that is new flashing and a few panels. Sometimes it is a full re-roof with a different material better suited to the pitch. We also add gutters to covers that dump water onto walkways and steps, which keeps the patio usable and the slab or deck dry. Small details like that change how often the space actually gets used, especially in winter.

• Ledger flashing repair and replacement
• Re-roofing porch covers in shingles or metal
• Low-slope membrane on nearly flat covers
• Replacing cracked translucent patio panels
• Gutters and downspouts on patio covers
• Tie-ins under upper-story siding and windows

Choosing a roof for a low patio cover

For covers with very little slope, a single-ply membrane or a standing seam metal roof is usually the best match. Both handle slow drainage far better than shingles. Metal also sheds fir needles and dries quickly after rain. If you want daylight under the cover, we can install polycarbonate panels, which are tougher and hold up longer than older fiberglass panels. Where the cover is visible from the street, we look for a material that ties in visually with the main roof.

On steeper porch roofs, especially on Craftsman and older homes, shingles that match the main roof are usually the most natural choice. Those roofs still need careful flashing where the porch meets the house and around any posts or columns that pass through the roof. We also check for ventilation if the porch ceiling is enclosed, since trapped moisture can rot the decking from below. A small vent strip often solves it.

Checking the structure under the cover

Porch and patio covers carry their own weight plus rain, debris and the occasional snow load. We check posts, beams and rafters for rot, especially where wood meets concrete or sits in standing water. A cover that sags between posts usually needs a beam repair or an added post before re-roofing. When the ledger is soft or rotted, we replace it and reflash the wall properly, rather than covering damage that will keep spreading.