Cleats, Hold-Downs and the Wind Load
A cap that only sits on the parapet will leave in a strong wind, so the real strength of an edge lies in what is hidden: the continuous cleat beneath the drip edge, the fasteners into solid blocking, and the hold-down at the back of the cap. Many older edges rely on a few exposed screws that have loosened with years of movement, and once the cap starts to lift, a gust can peel it away in one piece.
The wind forecasts before the January 2025 Eaton Fire called for widespread Santa Ana gusts of 60 to 80 mph, which is the kind of load a cap or fascia has to be fastened for. We replace failed cleats with continuous ones, fasten into blocking that can actually hold, and size the edge profile to the wind exposure of the building. A taller office building on Lake Avenue and a small flex unit on Foothill Boulevard in Lamanda Park do not face the same uplift, and the failures we see in wind damage repair show which details to build heavier.
Gutters, Leaders and Where the Water Goes
A gutter is simple until it overflows. It then pours water down the face of the wall, saturates the fascia, and undermines whatever is below. Gutters fail from clogged outlets, undersized leaders, sagging hangers and joints that were never soldered, and on a busy commercial building, they also catch more debris than anyone expects.
We re-hang gutters on proper brackets set at a slope that actually drains, replace leaders with sizes matched to the roof area they serve, and seal or solder every joint. At the other end, downspouts must discharge somewhere that will not soak the foundation or splash the masonry. Where the roof drains through scuppers instead, our scupper and drain correction picks up the same water path, and the two details are designed together.
Choosing Metal and Fasteners for the Building
Metal choice should follow the building. Galvanized steel is common and economical, and it needs good coatings and well-sealed cut edges. Aluminum resists rust but moves more with temperature and dents more easily. Copper and stainless steel are costly and reserved for buildings where their longevity and appearance are part of the design. Whatever the metal, fasteners must be compatible with it, because dissimilar metals in contact with moisture corrode each other, and a stainless screw in a galvanized cap can start a slow failure that looks like a leak.
We match new metal to what is there where we can, a habit that carries over from our commercial roof repair work, and we form it to the profile of the original, so a repaired parapet cap reads like the rest of the building. On roofs that use standing seam metal, the edge and eave trim are part of the panel system, and they follow the panel manufacturer's profile and clip details. Where the membrane meets the metal, the termination bar and counterflashing detail tie the two together.
Parapets and Historic Fronts
The historic brick-facade storefronts of Old Pasadena, the theater in the Playhouse District and the civic blocks are buildings where the roof edge shows from the street. A failed cap is visible there, and water that gets behind a cap can loosen mortar and crack stucco. On a Spanish Colonial Revival building such as the Pasadena Playhouse, the edge has to be correct in profile as well as watertight, so we fabricate metal to match the original wherever the original can be seen.
For campus buildings around Caltech, where Mediterranean-style work from the 1917 master plan sits beside newer laboratories, the same care applies to counterflashing set into the wall. We cut a new reglet or reseat the existing one, set the flashing, and tool the joint clean. Often, a modest repair now, scheduled with the rest of the roof's preventive maintenance, prevents the larger flashing failure repair that follows when water has been entering the wall for several years.
Commercial Roofing Questions
My coping joints leak even though they were recently sealed. Why?
Sealant over a joint that has already moved will crack again within a season. The lasting repair is to take off the cap, replace the failed splice plate or cleat, reform the metal where it has warped, and then seal the joint as a finish. We show you the old joint when we open it, so you can see what failed.
Do I need gutter guards in a fire zone?
In Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones the state wildland-urban interface rules call for gutter debris protection and ember-resistant vents, as well as a Class A roof covering. Fire hazard zones are mapped generally along the Arroyo Seco, west and north of the 210 and in upper Hastings Ranch. We check the map and the permit rules for your address before drawing the scope.
Can a damaged cap be repaired in sections?
A section can be replaced when the cap on either side is sound and the profile can be matched. The new piece is lapped and hemmed into the old, and the join is set with a splice plate. If the cap is warped along its length or the cleat is failing throughout, section repairs will not hold, and we recommend replacing the entire run.
How long will new metal edging last?
Service life follows the metal, the finish and the exposure. A coated steel cap in a sheltered spot lasts differently from aluminum on a windy corner. We set out the choices with their trade-offs and recommend the one that suits the building, without making promises about years.
Will new edge metal change how my building looks?
It should not, unless you want it to. We copy the profile, height and color of the original wherever possible, and we mock up a corner detail for approval on historic or street-facing facades. Owners usually notice only that the stains have stopped.
