RV and coach
Roof, Awnings and Exterior
A roof leak does its damage quietly, and by the time it shows up inside, the repair is a wall and not a seam. This is the work a fixed shop is actually built for, because sealant needs to go on dry and stay dry while it cures, and that is a building, not a driveway.
What it usually turns out to be
You do not need a diagnosis to call. Describe what it is doing and we will tell you whether it is a shop job.
A stain on the ceiling, or a soft spot in a corner
By the time it is visible inside, water has usually been travelling for a while, and rarely straight down. We look at the roof seams, the vents, the skylight, the antenna base and the front and rear caps, because water enters at a fitting far more often than through the middle of a membrane. Then we work out how far it has already gone, which is the part that decides the size of the job.
The sealant on the roof is cracked, chalky or lifting at the edges
That is the high desert doing what it does: sun and a big daily temperature swing age lap sealant faster here than the brochure assumes. We check every penetration and seam, remove what has failed rather than smearing over it, and reseal. Sealant put on top of failed sealant traps the leak instead of stopping it.
The awning will not roll out straight, or the fabric is tearing at the roller
Usually the arms, the spring assembly or the mounting rail rather than the fabric itself, and the fabric is the part people replace first. We look at the whole assembly, because a bent arm will tear a new awning as fast as it tore the old one.
You can hear wind or water at a vent, or the fan cover is cracked
Vent covers go brittle in the sun and crack, and the gasket underneath usually goes at the same time. Both are cheap parts and a fast job, and both cause expensive damage if left. We stock replacement vents on the counter.
Something hit the side, and you are not sure how bad it is
Bring it and we will look. Minor exterior panel damage is work we do. Where the damage is structural, or where a sidewall is delaminating, we will tell you that plainly rather than start on it, because you deserve to know which category you are in before anyone opens anything.
The part you need has not been made for fifteen years
Fairly common on an older coach, and not automatically the end of it. We fabricate and modify parts, so an exterior fitting nobody stocks any more is worth asking about before you write the rig off or start hunting salvage yards.
What we do
- Rubber roof leak diagnosis and repair
- Roof resealing and recoating
- Vent, skylight and seal replacement
- Awning repair and replacement
- Minor exterior body and panel repair
- Satellite and antenna hookups
- Leak inspection, roof and seams
- Custom fabrication when the part is no longer made
Will it fit
The question owners ask first and almost nobody answers on a website.
- Service bays
- 7
- Sized for a Class A
- 4
- Yard entrances
- 2
Two yard entrances is what makes a long rig easy to get in and back out of. Call with your length before you drive over and we will tell you whether it fits and when the bay is free.
What we do not do here
- We are a shop, not a mobile service, and on roof work that is the whole argument. Sealant goes on dry and cures dry. A shop can bring the coach in, hold it out of the weather for as long as the job takes, and let you pick it up when the roof is actually finished.
- This page is the outside of the coach: the membrane, the seams, the vents, the awnings and the panels. Water that has already got inside and damaged the living space is a different conversation, and we will have it with you once we know how far it went.
- We do not claim full re-roofing on this page. We repair, we reseal, and we replace vents and seals. If what your coach needs is the whole membrane, tell us and we will give you a straight answer about whether it is ours before you drive over.
- We will not seal over a leak we have not found. Sealant on top of failed sealant hides the problem for a season and makes the eventual repair bigger, and anyone offering to do that quickly is not doing you a favor.
- We do not quote roof work sight unseen. What a leak costs depends entirely on how far the water already travelled, and that cannot be known from a description.
Before you call, have this handy
None of it is required. It just gets you a real answer on the first call instead of the second.
What the roof is made of, if you know
Rubber membrane, fiberglass or aluminum. They take different repairs and different sealants. If you are not sure, the year and the coach maker usually settle it, and a photograph from a ladder settles it faster.
When you first noticed it, and whether it changed
A stain that grew after one storm is a different problem from one that has been the same size for two years. Both are worth fixing, but they are not the same job.
What has already been done up there
Previous sealant, a patch, a repair by a previous owner, an aftermarket antenna or solar panel bolted through the roof. Anything that made a hole is worth knowing about, and nobody is judging the workmanship.
The length and height of the rig
Length tells us which bay you go in. Height matters more on this job than most, because roof work means getting above the coach with it indoors.
Questions
Questions we get asked
Do you come to me?
No, and on roof work that is the point rather than a limitation. Sealant has to go on dry and cure dry, and the one thing a shop can promise that a driveway cannot is that the roof stays out of the weather until the job is finished.
Can you find a leak if I cannot?
Usually. Water almost never enters where it appears, so finding it is a matter of working the seams and the fittings rather than looking at the stain. Tell us what you have already tried when you call, so we do not spend your money repeating it.
Do you do full re-roofs?
We are not claiming that on this page. What we do is leak repair, resealing and recoating, and vent and seal replacement. If your coach needs the whole membrane, call and describe it, and we will tell you straight whether it is work for us.
How often should a roof be resealed?
Look at it more often than you think and reseal when it needs it rather than on a calendar. The sun and the temperature swing here are hard on lap sealant, so a coach that lives in the Carson Valley ages its roof faster than the same coach parked on the coast. An inspection is cheap and a delaminated ceiling is not.
The part I need is discontinued. Is that the end of it?
Not necessarily. We fabricate and modify parts, which is unusual and worth asking about before you give up on an older coach or start calling salvage yards.
Do you sell the sealant if I want to do it myself?
Yes. The counter stocks rubber roof sealants and replacement vents and it is open to walk-ins whether or not we are doing the work. Tell us what your roof is made of and we will make sure you leave with the right product, because the wrong sealant on the wrong membrane is worse than none.
How long will you need the coach?
Longer than most jobs on this site, and honestly so: cure time is real and it is not something we can hurry. We tell you the realistic number when you call rather than book you in and hope.
Talk to someone who works on these
Call the shop and we will tell you the soonest realistic date rather than book you and hold your rig. Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00, Saturday 8:00 - 12:00.