Water standing on a low-slope roof section over a brick wall after rain

Flat Roof Repair in Dallas

Water that sits for days, a seam that opened over the den, or a drain that backs up every storm. One free call connects you with an independent DFW roofing company that works on low-slope roofs.

Call (469) 649-7066 Run the drainage checklist

Flat roofs are more common on DFW houses than people think

Ask around a Dallas neighborhood and plenty of homeowners own a flat roof without calling it that: the covered patio built off the back of a brick ranch, the den or garage apartment someone added in the 1980s, the carport, the porch roof under a second-floor window, or the whole roof of a mid-century modern house. Flat roof repair in Dallas is mostly about those low-slope sections, plus the duplexes, small shops and offices with the same kind of roof.

"Flat" is really "low slope." The 2021 International Residential Code sets a minimum design slope of one-quarter inch per foot (2 percent) for modified bitumen and thermoplastic single-ply roofs, just enough to move water toward a drain, gutter or scupper. When that small pitch is lost to a sagging joist or a bad tie-in, water stays put.

Nobody from DFW Expert Roofers ever goes up on a roof; the business is a free phone line. Mention on the call that the trouble is on a flat section, and an automated assistant transfers you to an independent, locally owned roofing company that does this kind of work. That company inspects, quotes and repairs, and you pay it directly.

Workers installing a white membrane on a flat commercial roof with rooftop units nearby

A drainage checklist you can run from the ground

Most flat roof trouble starts with water that has nowhere to go. You do not need to go up to spot the warning signs. Look from the yard, a second-story window or inside the house the day after a good rain, then again two days later.

The two-day test. NRCA calls it ponding when a puddle is still there two full days after the rain stops, in weather that should have dried it. If you can see a puddle from an upstairs window on day three, note where it is and photograph it.
Downspouts and scuppers. During a rain, is water actually coming out of the downspout or through the opening in the parapet? A dry downspout in a downpour points to a clog above.
Overflow stains. Dark streaks running down brick or siding below the roof edge mean water is spilling over instead of draining.
The tie-in line. Inside, check the ceiling where the flat section meets the main house. Stains along that line usually mean the flashing between the two roofs has failed.
Sagging ceilings or doors that stick. A deck that has deflected can trap water and in turn add more weight. Keep people out from under a bulging ceiling.
Debris after wind. Leaves, pecan hulls and shingle grit wash onto low sections from the roof above and pack into drains. Ask the roofer to clear them on each visit.

The International Building Code describes positive roof drainage the same way: the roof must be built with enough slope, allowing for how the deck bends under load, to drain within 48 hours of precipitation. For an existing roof, the residential code lets a re-roof skip the quarter-inch minimum slope only when the roof already drains that way.

Where flat roofs fail on North Texas homes

Seams and laps

Every membrane has joints. Welded TPO seams can be missed in spots, adhesive seams on EPDM age, and the laps on rolled asphalt roofing open up after many summers of expanding and contracting.

Blisters and cracks

Trapped moisture or air under asphalt-based roofs swells into blisters in summer heat. A blister is not always a leak, but one that splits lets water into the layers below.

Drains and scuppers

Low roofs collect what falls from higher ones. A clogged drain or a scupper set too high leaves a pond the size of the clog's reach.

The wall and roof joint

Where a patio roof or addition meets the brick or the main roof, the flashing has to turn up the wall and tuck under the siding or shingles. Poor detailing here is a classic source of leaks in additions.

Penetrations

Vent pipes, skylights, satellite mounts and the occasional window unit stand or AC line set punched through a flat roof all need their own flashing.

Hail and foot traffic

Low roofs take hail straight on, and every service visit to a rooftop unit adds wear. Look for punctures and torn spots near equipment after storms.

Flat roof repair, do it yourself? Here is why not

A flat roof looks easy to walk on, and hardware stores sell cans of patch. That combination sends a lot of people up a ladder. The risk is real: OSHA's residential construction guidance says falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths among residential construction workers, and its fall prevention campaign reports that falls to a lower level caused 389 of the 1,034 construction deaths recorded in 2024. Those are trained workers with equipment. A wet membrane, a soft deck around an old leak or a step back off an unguarded edge does not care how flat the roof looks.

The repair itself is also harder than it seems. A patch has to match and bond to the existing material, which is often unknown to the homeowner. Some low-slope systems go down with hot asphalt or an open torch. A sealant smeared over a seam can hide where the water actually enters and make the real repair larger later. And finding the leak is half the job: water on a flat roof can travel a long way under the membrane before it shows on the ceiling.

What helps instead is everything you can do from inside and from the ground:

Leave the roof to the roofer. A wet or storm-hit roof is slippery, and damaged decking can give way, so keep off it and keep the ladder put away. Stay clear of any downed power line and report it to Oncor or your local electric utility, or call 911. Inside, pull furniture and electronics away from the drip, set out a bucket or towels, and keep everyone out of a room where the ceiling is sagging. Take photos from the yard and from inside, then call your insurance company and a roofer.

Repair, recover or replace

Close view of a gutter and downspout corner on a brick home below a shingle roof edge

A local problem on a roof that is otherwise dry and sound is usually a repair: re-welding or re-taping a seam, rebuilding flashing at a wall, clearing and resetting a drain, or patching a blister. When water has soaked the insulation or decking across a wide area, or the surface is brittle and cracked everywhere, replacement starts to make more sense.

Low spots that cause ponding often need more than a patch. A roofer may suggest tapered insulation or a cricket to steer water toward the drain, or fixing a sagging joist before new roofing goes on. Ask for the drainage fix to be written as its own line on the estimate.

On cost, the cost site HomeGuide puts flat roof replacement at about $3 to $11 per square foot nationally, with the membrane choice driving most of the spread, and a shingle tear-off at about $3 to $6 per square foot. Because a porch or addition roof is usually small, the total is often modest, but a roofer may have a minimum charge. Real quotes in DFW vary.

What to ask before a flat roof repair

What is the roof made of now? TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen, rolled roofing or a coating. The repair material should be compatible with it.
Where is the water getting in? Have the roofer photograph where water enters the roof itself, not only the ceiling stain.
Is the insulation or deck wet? A few core cuts or a moisture reading answers whether a repair will last.
What will fix the ponding? Drain work, tapered insulation, a cricket or structural repair, each priced separately.
How is the flashing at the wall handled? It should run up the wall and tie in under the siding, brick flashing or shingles, not stop at a bead of caulk.
Is a permit needed? Many DFW cities require one for re-roofing; small repairs often do not need one. Ask the roofer to check with your city.

How a flat roof call works

Dial the lineAn automated assistant picks up (469) 649-7066 any time and asks what you need. The same number also takes air conditioning, heating and pressure washing calls, so say "roof".
Tell it about the roofHail, a drip in the ceiling, shingles in the yard, a tree limb, or an aging roof you want checked, plus your town and how soon you need someone.
Get transferredThe call goes to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in Dallas-Fort Worth. It hears a quick summary of your call before it answers.
Work with that companyIt inspects, prices and does the job, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot pick up, it gets your name, number, town and need so it can call you back.

No state license for roofers. Texas does not license roofing contractors. A 2025 bill that would have had the state license re-roofers (HB 3344) cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote, and it died when the session ended. That puts the checking on you: ask for a certificate of liability insurance sent to you by the roofer's insurance agent or insurer, a written contract that lists the full scope, the permit or contractor registration your city requires, addresses of nearby jobs, and proof the shingle warranty was registered. The line does none of this checking for you. How to check a roofer in Texas.

About this line: DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

Flat roof calls across the metroplex

Flat roof questions from DFW homeowners

Can I repair a flat roof myself?

It is not a safe or reliable weekend job. Falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths in residential construction according to OSHA, and a wet membrane is slick. Store-bought patches rarely bond to TPO, EPDM or modified bitumen the way the original materials do, and some systems are installed with hot asphalt or open flame. Stay off the roof, catch the water inside, take photos and have a roofer find the cause. The leak repair page explains how the source is traced.

Are flat roofs cheaper to replace?

Per square foot, not by much. HomeGuide puts flat roof replacement at roughly $3 to $11 per square foot, depending heavily on the membrane, while a shingle tear-off runs about $3 to $6 per square foot in its figures. A flat section over a porch or addition is often small, so the total can be lower. These are national cost-site ranges; real quotes in DFW vary with access, insulation and drainage work.

How long can water sit on a flat roof?

Water right after a storm is normal. The roofing industry's usual line is 48 hours: NRCA treats water still standing two days after rain, in weather that allows drying, as ponding, and the building code defines positive roof drainage the same way. Puddles that outlast that point usually trace back to a dip in the surface, a deflected deck or a clogged drain, and they shorten the life of the roof.

Why do flat roofs leak?

Mostly at the details: seams that open up, flashing where the flat section meets a wall or a sloped shingle roof, drains and scuppers that clog, and holes around vents and equipment. Ponding makes each of those worse because water sits against the weak spot instead of running off. Blisters and cracks from heat and age are another common source on older roofs.

Who fixes flat roofs in Dallas?

Roofing companies that do low-slope work. Not every shingle roofer does, so mention the flat section when you call and, if you know it, what it is covered with. The line transfers you to an independent, locally owned DFW roofing company. For larger buildings, see commercial roofing.

Flat roof leaking or holding water? Call the free line

Say what the roof is doing and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes you to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in DFW. That company comes out, looks at the roof and prices the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Picks up day or nightStorms here often hit in the evening. The assistant answers at 2 a.m. the same as at noon.
Costs you nothingThe line sends no bill. Any price you hear comes from the roofer, and you can ask for it on paper.
Check before you hireTexas issues no roofing license, so ask for an insurance certificate, a written contract and the permit your city requires.
Your call to makeListen to what the roofer found, read the estimate, and say yes only when it adds up.