The Short Answer
To check a finished roof repair, review before and after photos with the roofer, look at the repaired area from the ground with binoculars for flat, sealed shingles and clean flashing without smeared caulk, check the yard for nails, and look in the attic for dry wood under the repair. Keep the invoice, photos, written warranty and lien waivers, then watch the ceiling and attic during the first heavy rain.
Key Points
- Before the crew leaves, ask to see before and after photos of every spot that was repaired.
- From the ground, look for shingles lying flat, metal flashing rather than caulk at walls and chimneys, and no debris left on the roof.
- In the attic, the wood under the repair should dry out over the following days and stay dry in the next rain.
- Keep a written scope, proof of payment, photos, the warranty terms and any lien waivers together.
- The first heavy rain, and the first storm with the same wind as the original leak, is the real test.
Before the Crew Leaves
The best time to ask questions is while the person who did the work is still in your driveway. A five-minute walk-through costs nothing and answers most of what you will wonder about later.
- Step 1
Look at the Photos
Ask to see before and after photos of each repaired area. You want to understand what failed, what was removed and what went back. If the roofer found more than one source, there should be a photo of each.
- Step 2
Ask What Was Replaced
New pipe boot, new step flashing, how many shingles, any decking or underlayment. Ask whether anything was found that was not fixed, and why.
- Step 3
Ask How It Was Tested
Was the repair re-tested with water, or will the next rain be the test? Either can be reasonable; you just want to know which.
- Step 4
Ask About Follow-Up
Find out what warranty applies, whether anything needs a check after cold weather, and who to call if water shows up again.
- Step 5
Walk the Yard
Look under the work area for nails, scraps and packaging. Stellar's cleanup includes a magnetic nail sweep; any roofer's cleanup should leave the driveway and beds clear.
What You Can Check Without a Ladder
Stay off the roof. A pair of binoculars or the zoom on your phone shows almost everything a homeowner needs to see. Look at the repaired area from a couple of angles and compare it to the photos.
- Shingles in the repair area should lie flat and in line with their neighbors, without corners curling up or tabs sticking out.
- Where a roof meets a wall or chimney, you should see metal flashing, not a thick bead of caulk or tar doing the job by itself.
- New pipe boots should sit snug around the pipe with shingles lapped correctly over the top flange.
- No tools, scraps, nails or packaging left on the roof or in the gutters below the work.
- New shingles may look brighter or a slightly different shade than weathered ones. That is normal and fades with time, though a discontinued color won't fully match.
A Few Code Details Worth Recognizing
You do not need to be a roofer to recognize a couple of basics. Michigan's 2015 residential code requires base flashing against a vertical sidewall to be continuous or step flashing at least 4 inches high and 4 inches wide, directing water away from the wall. On reroofing work, the code also requires flashings to be reconstructed according to the manufacturer's installation instructions and requires existing flashings, vents and similar devices to be replaced where rusted, damaged or deteriorated.
Sealant has a place, but a small one. If the only thing you can see holding back water at a wall, chimney or vent is a fresh smear of caulk or roofing cement, ask about it. Shingle makers do call for small dabs of roofing cement under shingles to hand-seal them during repairs and in cold weather. That is different from a sealant bead standing in for flashing.
Sealant vs. a real repair
Where caulk and roofing cement belong on a roof, which is not many places, and why tar jobs leak again.
Sealant explainedCheck the Underside Over the Next Few Days
If you can get into the attic safely, standing only on joists or flooring, look at the underside of the deck under the repaired area. Wet wood takes days or longer to dry, so a damp patch the day of the repair is not a failure. What you want to see over the next week is wood getting lighter and drier, not a fresh wet streak.
If decking was replaced, you will see new boards or new sheathing, and nail tips poking through it are normal. Look for daylight around new pipe boots and vents: there shouldn't be any. Before the next rain, take a photo of the area so you have something to compare against.
Mark the Stain and Hold Off on Paint
Trace the edge of the ceiling stain lightly with a pencil and date it. A stain that stays inside the line through a few storms belongs to the old leak. A stain that grows past the line means water is still getting in.
Don't rush to paint or patch the ceiling. Drywall and insulation that got wet need time to dry out, and painting too early can trap moisture and hide the evidence if the repair needs a second look. Interior repair is a separate trade from roofing; when you're satisfied the roof is holding, a painter or drywall contractor can take it from there.
The First Big Rain Is the Real Test
No inspection beats weather. Within a day of the first heavy rain after the repair, check the attic and the pencil line on the ceiling. If the original leak only appeared in a particular kind of storm, such as a strong west wind or a winter thaw, the repair isn't fully proven until that kind of weather comes back. Keep an eye out through the first winter if the leak was ice-related.
If water shows up again, don't let someone else patch it, and don't patch it yourself. Call the company that did the work, send photos and the date and weather, and let them come back under their warranty. Another contractor's work on the same spot can muddy who is responsible.
Log it
Use the leak log in our guide to describing a leak to record date, weather, wind direction and what you saw.
Leak logThe Paperwork to Keep, and Why
A roof repair generates a small file that matters later: when you sell, when you file an insurance claim, if the leak comes back, or if a supplier says they weren't paid. Keep it in one place with the date.
On payment, Michigan's Construction Lien Act gives homeowners real protection if they keep records. Section 570.1118a says a construction lien does not attach to a residential structure to the extent the owner has paid the contractor according to the contract, and the owner proves it with an affidavit backed by the contract, any change orders and evidence of payment. Section 570.1115 sets out lien waivers: partial or full, conditional or unconditional, and a lien claimant who has been paid in full must give a full unconditional waiver. Keep the paid invoice and proof of payment on every job, and on larger jobs ask about waivers. This is general information, not legal advice.
- The written scope and price you approved, and any written changes.
- The final invoice, marked paid, and your proof of payment (check, card statement or receipt).
- Before and after photos of each repaired area.
- The written warranty, with its term and what it covers.
- Any lien waivers, and any permit record if the work needed one.
How Long You Have to Raise a Workmanship Problem in Michigan
A written craftsmanship warranty is a promise in your contract. Michigan law adds its own time limits on when you can go to court over defective work, and they run separately from whatever the warranty says. Knowing they exist is a good reason to check a repair carefully now rather than years from now.
For breach of contract, the Revised Judicature Act sets a 6-year limitation period for an action to recover damages or money due for breach of a contract not covered by its other subsections (MCL 600.5807(9)), counted from when the claim first accrued. Separately, MCL 600.5839 limits actions against a contractor for injury to property arising out of the defective or unsafe condition of an improvement to real property: the action must be brought within 6 years after occupancy, use or acceptance of the completed improvement, or, where the defect results from the contractor's gross negligence, within 1 year after the defect is or should have been discovered, but never more than 10 years after occupancy, use or acceptance.
Whether a particular roof repair counts as an improvement to real property, and when a claim accrued, are questions courts decide case by case. What you control is the record. The date you accepted the work, the invoice, the before and after photos and the warranty terms are what establish the timeline later.
- Report a problem with a repair to the contractor in writing as soon as you notice it, with dated photos, and keep a copy.
- Keep the invoice that shows the completion date; it is the starting point for both the warranty and the statutes.
- If the contractor does not respond, talk to an attorney well before any of these periods could run out.
Time limits in detail
Michigan's contract limitation, the statute of repose for improvements to real property, and how warranties fit in.
Workmanship claim time limitsThis summarizes the statutes and is not legal advice; an attorney can tell you how they apply to your repair.
Understand the Warranty You Actually Have
Repair warranties are not all the same, and the written document is what counts. Most Stellar repairs carry a 10 to 15 year craftsmanship warranty. That craftsmanship warranty covers the work and is separate from any manufacturer warranty on materials. None of it is automatic: the term and coverage are what is written for your job.
Read yours for three things: how long it lasts, what it covers (the repaired area, or more), and what voids it, such as someone else working on the same spot. If you sell the house, ask whether the warranty transfers and how. Our warranty guide covers the differences in more depth.
Roof repair warranties explained
Craftsmanship vs. manufacturer coverage, what repair warranties usually exclude, and transfers.
Warranty guideAfter-Repair Checklist
| When | Check | Good sign | Call back if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the crew leaves | Photos, scope, yard | Every source shown before and after; yard swept | You can't get photos or a clear answer on what was done |
| That week, from the ground | Repaired area with binoculars | Flat shingles, metal flashing, no debris | Lifted shingles or caulk standing in for flashing |
| That week, in the attic | Deck under the repair | Wood drying, no daylight at boots or vents | New wet streaks without rain |
| First heavy rain | Attic and pencil-marked stain | Dry wood, stain inside the line | Drip or stain growing past the line |
| First matching storm or thaw | Same checks | Still dry | Leak returns in the original conditions |
Something Not Right After a Repair?
Whether we did the work or someone else did, a free inspection will tell you whether the repair is holding and what, if anything, it still needs.
Related Guides
What Happens During a Roof Repair Visit
Diagnosis, the written price, the fix, re-testing and cleanup.
Learn MoreRoof Repair Warranties Explained
Craftsmanship vs. manufacturer coverage and what voids them.
Learn MoreOur Warranty
How Stellar's craftsmanship warranty and manufacturer coverage work.
Learn MoreDocumenting Roof Repairs for Insurance and Resale
What to keep for claims, buyers and the seller disclosure form.
Learn MoreQuestions We Hear
How long should I wait before repainting a ceiling after a roof leak repair?
Wait until the ceiling is fully dry and the repair has made it through at least one heavy rain without new water. Wet drywall and insulation can take days or weeks to dry depending on how soaked they were. Painting early can trap moisture and hide a stain that would tell you the leak isn't fixed. Use a stain-blocking primer before paint.
Is it normal to see nail tips in the attic after a roof repair?
Yes. Roofing nails are long enough to pass through the shingles and the deck, so their tips show on the underside of the sheathing. That is how a nailed roof is supposed to look. What isn't normal is daylight around a pipe boot, vent or chimney, or a nail that missed the deck and is sticking up through the shingles on top.
What paperwork should I get after a roof repair?
At minimum, an invoice that describes what was repaired and where, marked paid, plus the written warranty with its term. Ask for before and after photos of each area. On larger jobs, ask for lien waivers, and if a permit was required, keep the permit number and inspection record. Store all of it together with your proof of payment.
What should I do if my roof leaks again after a repair?
Contact the company that did the repair first, with photos and the date, time and weather. Most repair warranties cover the work itself, and the original roofer needs a chance to come back. Don't have someone else patch the same spot in the meantime, and don't smear sealant on it yourself, since either can complicate the warranty. Protect the inside as you did the first time.
What This Page Cites
- 2015 Michigan Residential Code, Chapter 9 Roof Assemblies, Sections R905.2.8.3, R908.5 and R908.6, International Code Council (https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIRC2015P2/chapter-9-roof-assemblies), accessed October 2026
- Installing Timberline HDZ Shingles in Different Seasons, GAF (https://www.gaf.com/en-us/blog/installing-timberline-hdz-shingles-in-different-seasons-281474980127309), accessed October 2026
- Construction Lien Act, MCL 570.1115 (waivers of lien), Michigan Legislature (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-570-1115), accessed October 2026
- Construction Lien Act, MCL 570.1118a (homeowner payment defense and affidavit), Michigan Legislature (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-570-1118a), accessed October 2026
- Revised Judicature Act of 1961, MCL 600.5807 (breach of contract limitation periods), Michigan Legislature (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-600-5807.pdf), accessed October 2026
- Revised Judicature Act of 1961, MCL 600.5839 (limitations on actions against contractors for improvements to real property), Michigan Legislature (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-600-5839.pdf), accessed October 2026