Roofing & Exterior
The Leak Behind the Window — Found and Fixed for Good
Honest repair for leaking, rotting window and door openings: we find where the water actually gets in, fix the flashing and framing that failed, and tell you straight when the opening can be repaired versus when the unit has to come out.
Free inspection & photo report · Fixed, line-item bids· Written workmanship warranty
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- 1,500+ projects completed
- Licensed & bonded in WA, OR & ID
- Written workmanship warranty
Signs to watch
Is this you?
A stain or soft spot below a window or door
Discoloration on the drywall, a swollen sill, or a soft spot in the trim under a window is water that's already been getting in for a while. Like a roof leak, it rarely shows up where it entered — finding the true source is the actual work.
Wood you can push a screwdriver into
Punky, spongy frame, sill, or trim around an opening means rot has taken hold. Paint hides it until you press on it — and by then the water has usually reached the framing behind the siding, not just the visible wood.
Water intrusion after wind-driven rain
A window that only leaks in a hard, sideways PNW rain is a flashing-and-integration problem — the water is getting behind the siding above or beside the unit, not through the glass. That's a repair-the-opening job, not a new-window job.
Peeling paint, musty smell, or bubbling around the trim
Blistering finish, a musty note, or bubbling drywall around an opening are interior symptoms of moisture living in the wall. We treat those as a signal to open it up and find the source, not to repaint over it.
Your options
Fix the opening, not just what shows
We trace the leak to its real entry point, then repair what failed: rotted sills, jambs, and trim replaced in rot-resistant material; failed or missing flashing corrected and integrated with the siding and water-resistive barrier the way it should have been; framing repaired where rot has reached it; and the exterior tied back in so it sheds water for good. Every job comes with photos of what we found behind the wall. Structural rot — framing, headers, sills that carry load — gets assessed in person before we quote, because you can't put an honest number on what you can't yet see, and we won't guess on the parts that hold the wall up. When the fix is repairing the opening around a sound unit, that's what we do; when the unit itself has failed, we'll show you why in pictures and let you decide.
The method
How we do it
- 01
Find the real source, in person
We inspect the opening inside and out, look for where water is actually entering — flashing, siding integration, the sill, the unit itself — and probe for hidden rot. Photos of everything, and an honest read on how far it's traveled.
- 02
Scope and quote
We tell you whether it's a repair-the-opening job or a replace-the-unit job, and quote it straight. If we expect to find more rot once the siding is off, we say so up front rather than surprise you mid-job.
- 03
Repair, re-flash, and reintegrate
Rotted material out, framing repaired, flashing corrected and lapped into the water-resistive barrier, siding and trim tied back in, and the whole assembly sealed to shed water. Before/after photos for your records.
Straight numbers
What opening repairs actually cost
Cost tracks how far the water traveled. Replacing soft trim and correcting flashing on a sound opening sits at the low end; rebuilding a rotted sill, repairing framing behind the siding, and reintegrating the exterior runs higher — access, the extent of the rot, and siding type all move the number. We quote straight, and because hidden rot is exactly that, we'll flag the range honestly and stop to show you before spending more if we open a wall and find worse than expected.
Where we do this work
Window & Door Leak, Rot & Opening Repair: straight answers
Do I need a whole new window, or can you fix the leak?
Often the window itself is fine and the leak is in the flashing, the siding integration, or a rotted sill around it — that's a repair-the-opening job, and it's the more common case. We open it up and find where water actually enters before recommending anything. We'll only call for a new unit when the unit itself has failed, and we'll show you the evidence, not just assert it.
How do I know if the rot is just cosmetic or structural?
You often can't from the outside — that's exactly why we assess it in person. Soft trim is cosmetic; a sill or framing member you can push a tool into may be carrying load and reaching into the wall. We probe the wood, check the framing where we can, and won't put a number on structural rot until we've actually seen how far it goes. Guessing on the parts that hold the wall up isn't a service we offer.
The window only leaks in a hard sideways rain — why?
Because that's when wind pushes water up and behind the siding and flashing above and beside the opening. In a straight-down rain the water sheds normally; in a driving PNW storm it finds any gap in how the exterior was integrated. That points at flashing and siding detailing, not the glass — and it's fixed by correcting the water path around the opening, not by swapping the unit.
Can you match my siding and trim when you're done?
Usually close enough that it reads as one wall. We source the common PNW siding and trim profiles, and new material weathers in over a season or two. A perfectly seamless match on aged siding isn't always possible and we'll be straight about that up front — but the priority is a repair that sheds water for good, with the exterior tied back in cleanly.
Get the window & door leak, rot & opening repair conversation started.
Free 20-minute inspection. Photo report you keep either way. Zero pressure.