Re-roofing and repairs in Wind Drift

Listings show Wind Drift homes built in 1990 and 1995, including Hunters Point at Wind Drift, with tile roofs. A roof from those years has been through more than 30 Arizona summers. Unless it's been redone, the original felt underlayment is well beyond the 20–25 years it typically lasts.

On roofs this old, we often find underlayment that has turned brittle or worn through along the eaves and valleys, flashing that has rusted or pulled away, and ridge mortar that is cracking. Any one of those can let water in during a monsoon downpour.

Wind Drift is a master HOA community with sub-neighborhoods and a mix of single-family homes and townhomes. In townhome sections, roofs are often connected, and responsibility for them varies. Some associations handle roofs; others leave them to owners. Check your sub-association's documents before you plan work.

If you're responsible for your own roof but share a roof line, talk with your neighbors. Re-roofing adjoining units together can make the joint between them cleaner and more watertight.

Wind Drift has a community lake and sits close to Downtown Gilbert and Freestone Park. Three decades of growth means plenty of mature trees in the neighborhood. They provide welcome shade but drop leaves into valleys and gutters and can scrape tiles in the wind.

Keeping branches trimmed and valleys clear is a cheap way to protect an older roof. It also makes the roof easier to inspect.