This image shows the flashing, or lack of flashing, around a chimney that has a “new” roof installed. No evidence of backer or step flashing can be seen. There is sealant in place of the flashing.
Mastering Roof Inspections: Underlayment, Part 1
Because of the fact that most roof coverings are not water proof, there must be a layer beneath shingles that helps add more water resistance. This layer is called the underlayment. The underlayment provides a layer of separation between the roof covering and the sheathing. Underlayment on a wood roof also adds a level of fire resistance.
This roof is in good condition. It has correct slope for the type of shingles and there are no major offsets. The nails penetrate deep enough into the sheathing to securely hold the shingles down. The one major concern I did notice is that there isn’t a drip cap along the edge of the roof. This will lead to water penetration, wood root and mold. Recommend a roofer to install correct drip cap.
In this picture you see the existing chimney. What is missing? It has no flashing or step flashing on the side of the chimney. It also shows some type of sealer on the crack on the side.
Attic Area Roof Inspection
The attic is a great place to find evidence of roof leaks, especially if you’ve already seen potential problems on the roof. Wear a respirator. Look for daylight. Check around roof penetrations. Look for poor connections and improper fasteners. Check for H-clips.
Flashing
Flashing is sheet metal fabricated to a specific shape and designed to prevent water from penetrating the roof system. If enough moisture gets past the flashing, it can cause both cosmetic and structural damage. Flashing can be damaged if walk on it be careful. Check for corrosion of flashing and if you find it should be replaced.
As a Florida Lic Home Inspector I conduct a lot of Wind Mitigation inspections which entail identifying the type, condition and age of the roof. It is important when identifying how old the roof is to check with the local building jurisdiction as to if and when any Permits were issued for the installation of the roof. The absence of a Permit being issued usually means the roof was not properly installed and I find this to be the case over 80% of the time. When no Permit was issued I look DEEPER into the proper installation of the roof. I usually find that the roof was NOT installed properly and it is important to notify the Client to this fact. This course has given me additional knowledge to be more aware of the defects of roof installations. Very helpful!
Accessing a roof is dangerous and has many different variables. Keep these steps in mind to keep you safe. These steps are your tolerance for risk, the roof pitch, the exposure, the condition of the roof-covering materials and the equipment you have. Each year people are injured or killed from falling from roofs so it is very important you use correct roof safety. I found it interesting that fear creates tension in you body which interferes with your sense of balance. The more comfortable you are with walking on roofs the better the outcome and this can only be done with experience.
The photo below is from an inspection I performed last year. The house was a 1962 bi-level with a gable roof. There were two layers of asphalt shingles on the house. As you can tell from the photo the shingles were well past there service life, with pronounced granule loss and curling. As well, many of the flashings and penetrations were original to the house and were also past their service lives. I recommended a full replacement of all roofing materials including vents, flashings, fascia, gutters, and downspouts.
Home inspectors should be aware of the mechanism that causes ice dams to form over the eaves of a house. Ice dams are obvious under winter conditions however many home inspections are performed in spring, summer, and fall and so the inspector must be vigilant in spotting signs of ice damming and damage arising from ice damming.
Evidence of ice damming includes:
- Past water damage from leakage through the roof covering and into the sheathing. This damage may be possible to see when doing the attic inspection.
- Shingle damage over the eaves from ice buildup.
- Gutters that are bent and deformed from the weight of ice acting on them.
- Electrical heating elements placed over the eaves indicating that the current home owner is attempting to control ice damming.
A careful home inspector should be able to indicate to their client that the home being inspected likely experiences ice damming in winter months. This is preferable to having an agitated client call you the following winter and complain that your report did not mention that ice damming is likely to occur!
Great Post, Derek!
For this class I read an essay on Tree Dangers.
This article highlights a huge problem here in Southern California, because there are so many situations where poor landscape planning has resulted in trees being planted too close to foundations and driveways, as well as being planted in an inappropriate location for the type of tree. This has resulted in many sidewalks and driveways being uplifted by overgrown root systems as well as moisture problems, contact with roofs and cladding and crowding of utility lines. Most often, the problem is planting without forethought of the height, diameter and root system of the mature tree. Often, with a change of ownership, the new homeowner may be more receptive to the option of replacement or removal of inappropriate planting which would benefit the health of the landscape as well as the safety and protection of the home.
Once again you have a super topic. Roofs and correct gutter work as well as proper distance from the house for roof drainage are one area that I like to pay special attention to. As you can see from this picture from an inspection there are a number of issues here. A disconnected downspout, which is a problem. Then the sofit is about to come down. The facia is unprotected, and a large opening there water and pest are able to get behind the siding.
Thanks for reeducating me on all parts of the roof and there function. With any area of the inspection more information and ideas are always welcome.These classes are kinda like a extra set of eyes. I will be sure to use any part of the class to improve my inspections.
This roof has 3 tab asphalt shingles. There is a drip edge. The valley is a closed-cut valley. The shingles appear to be original to the house, which is 15 years old. The attic is vented with soffit and ridge vents.
While inspecting this chimney we noticed it was missing a cricket. It was recommended to have one installed on all chimneys over 30".
BBQ Safety essay:
After reading this article i never knew you couldn’t have more than two propane tanks on site. I have more, but are away from my grill.
Although of course some are traditionalist and love the charcoal way, but I have gotten pretty good with the gas one. There are also more accidents with the gas grills, but so long as you take care of your grill and check all the devices to assure there are no leaks or damage you should be just fine. Also the alcohol too close, seems should be a bigger cause of accidents than anything else…errr maybe one is because of the other???
In the attached image you’ll see a edge view of shingles on a detached garage roof, As you can see from the picture it at first may look like there are multiple layers. Actually these are Architectural shingles so they are multi layered by design. If possible you should try and get a good view of the edge of the roof like this, it gives you a good look as to how the roof was installed and truly how many layers.
In the library there is a pretty good article about digital cameras and their benefits. It covered different features which are pretty unique to digital cameras. One thing I believe is worth mentioning is you can take multiple shots at different angles of a problem or condition, and you can view it right away. So if by chance you missed the shot you can do it again. A bad time to find out you don’t have a picture of something is when your home writing the report.
I inspected the roof from the ground. It is a concrete tile roof that appears to be 10 years old. The roof does not have any rain gutters to help prevent moisture intrusion into the crawlspace. We recommend that you keep a 1 foot perimeter of the residence as dry as possible to avoid excessive settlement. The roof was in serviceable condition at the time of inspection. We inspected the tile, flashings and gutter systems of the roof. The roof also has a chimney that has a functional skylight that appeared to be installed properly and the flashings were in acceptable condition at the time of inspection.
Here are the ten different types of roof styles.
First is a mansard roof,which is made up of four slopes.
Next is a gambrel roof style, which is similar to the mansard
core differences are that the gambrel has vertical gable ends and the roof hangs over the façade of the home as a mansard doesn’t Also there are the Saltbox,Pyramid,Hip,Bonnet,Flat, and Cross Gabled Roofs.