Roof, Slide and Awning
RV Roof Repair and Full Roof Replacement in Southern California
Typical range
$500 to $18,000+
Shop hours
3 to 80+
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
RV roof repair and replacement covers everything from a patched puncture to a full tear-off with new decking, rafters, and membrane on EPDM, TPO, fiberglass, or one-piece aluminum roofs. Work runs $500 to $18,000 and up, or 3 to 80 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials.
01
What this work actually involves
An RV roof is a structural deck, not a cover. Under the membrane sits luan or plywood decking, usually 3/8 to 5/8 inch, screwed and glued to aluminum or wood rafters on 16 inch centers, with block reinforcement wherever an appliance is mounted. When water gets past a failed sealant bead it soaks that decking first, and the decking loses its fastener holding power long before anything shows inside. That is why a roof that looks fine from a ladder can feel spongy underfoot between the rafter lines.
Southern California produces two very different roof failures. In the low desert, Palm Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, Coachella, and La Quinta, the roof surface runs far hotter than the 115 degree air temperature, and membranes chalk, shrink, and pull away from their terminations at the cap seams. In Big Bear Lake and the Ojai backcountry, snow load flexes the roof structure past its design assumptions and cracks the membrane along the truss lines. That crack shows up as a spring leak, not a winter one, which is why mountain owners are usually a full season behind their own damage.
We decide repair against replacement by what the deck reads on a meter, not by how the membrane looks. A dry deck with localized membrane damage is a patch and reseal job. A deck that meters wet across multiple rafter bays means tear-off, because bonding a new membrane to soft substrate buys you one season. On a full replacement we pull every roof-mounted appliance, replace the compromised decking in matching thickness, correct any rot at the rafter ends, and reinstall with new gaskets and butyl throughout.
Systems and brands we work on: Dicor, Eternabond, EPDM, TPO, Alpha Systems.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Moisture metering of the deck across every rafter bay before a repair method is chosen
- Localized membrane patching with Eternabond and compatible primers
- Puncture, tear, and limb-strike repair on EPDM, TPO, and fiberglass roofs
- Full tear-off and replacement of luan or plywood decking in matching thickness
- Rafter, truss, and block reinforcement repair where the substrate has rotted out
- One-piece aluminum roof panel repair and replacement on stick-and-tin trailers
- Removal and correct reinstallation of every AC unit, vent, fan, and antenna
- New gaskets, butyl, and self-leveling lap sealant at all penetrations
- Front and rear cap seam rework where the roof terminates into the cap
- Post-repair water test across the full roof before delivery
03
When you need this service
- A soft or springy feel underfoot between rafters when you walk the roof
- Water staining on the ceiling panel at a vent, AC, or skylight corner
- Membrane that has pulled back from a termination at the front or rear cap
- Visible ponding or a dip in the roof line that holds water after rain
- Sealant beads that have cracked, shrunk, or separated from the substrate edge
- A musty smell in overhead cabinets that is strongest after a rain
- Fasteners backing out of the deck around an appliance flange
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Deck moisture survey
Meter readings taken bay by bay across the entire roof, plus interior ceiling readings. The moisture map decides whether this is a patch, a partial deck, or a full tear-off.
- 02
Appliance and penetration removal
Air conditioners, vents, fans, antennas, and racks come off and are tagged. Nothing gets resealed over. Every flange is inspected for cracks while it is in hand.
- 03
Documented scope and authorization
Photographed findings with meter readings, priced and sent to you or your carrier. Roof jobs grow once the membrane is off, so a supplement path is built in from the start.
- 04
Tear-off and substrate repair
Old membrane stripped, compromised decking cut back to sound material, and rafters or blocking repaired. New decking is bonded and fastened the way the factory did it.
- 05
Membrane or panel install
New EPDM, TPO, fiberglass, or aluminum installed with the correct adhesive system for the material, rolled out flat, and trimmed to the terminations without tension.
- 06
Reinstall and seal
Every appliance reinstalled on fresh butyl with new gaskets, then dressed with self-leveling lap sealant on horizontal surfaces and non-sag sealant on vertical seams.
- 07
Water test and re-meter
The full roof is water tested at pressure, the deck is metered again, and the interior is checked before the unit is called complete.
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Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $500 to $18,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 3 to 80+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
06
On the insurance side
Storm, hail, and impact roof damage is documented photographically with deck moisture readings, which is what separates a covered sudden loss from an age-related denial.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Gas Motorhomes
A Class A gas motorhome is a flat-front coach built on a Ford F53 or Workhorse front-engine chassis, typically 28 to 38 feet. Rear
Vehicle
Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes
A diesel pusher carries a rear-mounted diesel on a raised-rail air ride chassis, usually 34 to 45 feet with full-body paint and pa
Vehicle
Class C Motorhomes
A Class C is a coach body built onto a cutaway van chassis with a sleeping or storage cabover extending above the factory cab. Tha
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Toy Hauler Fifth Wheels
A toy hauler fifth wheel carries a cargo garage behind the axles with a full-height rear ramp door. Load behind the axle centerlin
Vehicle
Park Model RVs
A park model is a towable unit up to roughly 400 square feet built with residential windows, roofing, and finishes, designed to si
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Questions about rv roof repair and replacement
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace an RV roof?
A full roof replacement runs $3,500 to $18,000 and up depending on length, membrane type, and how much decking has to come out. Localized repair starts around $500. The whole range is 3 to 80 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials. The variable that moves the number most is rotted decking, because that turns a membrane job into a structural job.
How do I know if my RV roof needs replacing or just resealing?
Meter readings on the deck decide it. If the decking is dry and the membrane is intact except for a defined area, resealing and patching is the right call. If the deck reads wet across multiple rafter bays or feels soft underfoot, a new membrane bonded to that substrate will fail within a season and the roof needs to come off.
Will insurance cover my RV roof?
It depends on cause. Sudden damage from hail, a falling limb, a low clearance strike, or a storm event is generally claimable under comprehensive. Gradual membrane degradation from desert UV and age is generally treated as maintenance and is not. We document the failure mode with photographs and meter readings so the coverage decision rests on evidence rather than a guess.
Can you walk on my roof to inspect it?
On a walkable roof with a rated deck, yes, and we distribute load on plywood when the deck is questionable. Many travel trailers and lightweight units are not rated for foot traffic at all, in which case we work from staging alongside the unit. Either way, an RV systems estimate is $150 and is refundable as a credit against an authorized repair.
My RV is stored in Big Bear. Does snow change anything?
Considerably. Snow load flexes the roof structure beyond what the rafters were designed for, which opens seams and cracks membrane along the truss lines. The damage rarely leaks while it is frozen. It leaks in spring. Mountain-stored units should be metered every spring, because the interval between the structural event and the visible symptom is months.
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More roof, slide and awning work
Ready to move on rv roof repair and replacement? Bring it to Yorba Linda.