Water runs downhill along the underside of the deck before it drops, so the brown ring on your ceiling is usually somewhere between two and fifteen feet from the hole that made it. That's why we start in the attic with a flashlight instead of on the roof with a caulk gun: daylight through the deck, a stained rafter, a rusty nail tip, a wet spot on the insulation. The roof tells you where it's leaking if you look from underneath. On the steep, cut-up roofs of Midtown and the Oakleigh Garden District, with their dormers, hips and second-floor walls, and on the long low ranches of west Mobile and Tillmans Corner, that attic look saves a lot of guessing.
After enough Mobile roofs the list of what actually leaks gets short and repeatable: split pipe boots cooked by ten Gulf Coast summers, step flashing a previous roofer caulked over instead of replacing, nail pops from decking that swells and shrinks with the humidity, wind-creased shingles along the ridge and the windward eave from the last tropical storm, valleys clogged with pine straw and oak tassels that hold water against the shingles, and the slow damage of algae on a north slope that never dries. Each has a proper fix, and none of them is a tube of sealant. A repair that's really a worn-out roof gets an honest answer too: we'll tell you when the money is better spent on replacement, and when a FORTIFIED replacement with the grant would cost you less than two years of patching.
What's included
Attic-first diagnosis
We trace the water path from below before we touch the roof, so the repair goes where the leak actually is.
Pipe boots & vents
Split rubber collars replaced with new boots, the number one leak on the Gulf Coast, because UV and heat cook the rubber in about ten years.
Step & counter flashing
Replaced, not caulked, at walls, dormers and chimney chases, woven into the shingle courses the way it should have been the first time.
Valleys & decking
Clogged, cracked valleys rebuilt over ice-and-water membrane and new metal; soft OSB cut out and replaced.
Wind damage
Creased, lifted and missing shingles replaced course by course, with the sealant strip reactivated so the next front doesn't lift them again.
Photos, before and after
Every repair documented so you have a record for your files, your buyer or your insurer.
Roof repair cost in Mobile, AL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Service call & leak diagnosis | $150 – $250 | Credited toward the repair |
| Pipe boot or vent replacement | $175 – $350 each | Most common Mobile leak |
| Step or chimney flashing rebuild | $450 – $1,400 | Depends on length and brick work |
| Valley rebuild | $500 – $1,200 | Membrane and new metal |
| Wind-damaged shingles, one slope | $350 – $1,200 | Course-by-course replacement |
| Soft decking replaced | $85 – $140 per sheet | Added when we find it |
| Emergency tarp before repair | $300 – $900 | See emergency tarping |
These are 2026 Mobile-area ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized (tear-off, decking, underlayment, sealed deck, flashing, vents, disposal, permit) and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about roof repair
How do you know where the leak is?
From the attic first. Water travels along rafters and the underside of the deck before it drops, so the stain is rarely under the hole. We look for daylight, stained wood and rusted nail tips from below, then confirm on the roof with a hose if we need to.
Can you just seal it?
Sealant is what the last person did, and it's why you're calling. Flashing gets replaced and woven in, boots get replaced, cracked shingles get replaced. A proper repair outlasts the caulk by a decade.
Is it worth repairing a 20-year-old roof?
Sometimes. One boot on a roof with ten good years left, yes. A third leak in a year on brittle, algae-streaked shingles, no; the money is better spent on a replacement, and a FORTIFIED one with the grant may cost you less out of pocket than you'd think.
Do you repair metal roofs?
Yes: backed-out screws and worn washers on exposed-fastener panels, flashing at penetrations and sidewalls, and seams on standing seam. See metal roofing.
The black streaks on my roof: are they damage?
They're Gloeocapsa magma, an algae that feeds on the limestone filler in shingles and thrives in Mobile's humidity. It's cosmetic at first and shortens shingle life over time. A soft wash removes it; algae-resistant shingles prevent it on the next roof.
Do you charge for the inspection?
The diagnosis fee is credited toward the repair. Storm inspections are free.