Hi. I am not sure if this is the right place for this question. If so, my apologies. I am taking the roof inspection training course, and am on the essay portion of the course. I was looking for clarification on a possible defect condition. I observed headwall flashing where the lower portion of the flashing is nailed down into the asphalt shingles below, leaving exposed nail heads in the flashing. Is this a defect? Thank you very much.
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At a minimum, I would recommend the nail heads be sealed. But after a while that will become a maintenance item. I would be more concerned about the use of shingles on what appears to be a relatively flat or very low slope roof.
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I agree with Richard.
And, welcome to our forum, Travis!…Enjoy participating. 
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Thank you, Richard! Yes indeed, it is a very low slope. Tomorrow I will calculate the slope. I appreciate your feedback!
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Thank you for the welcome, Larry!
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That is the largest residential headwall flashing I have seen. And, the siding does not not come down very far, makes me curious about how far up under the 1st course of siding it goes.
These angled fasteners are an issue in my book, especially with no sealant.
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It could be tucked under the 2nd course. Anything is possible Brian.
@tlong11 Yes those exposed fasteners are an issue and should be called out. They may not be leaking today, but in time they will. Recommend they be sealed, using a proper sealant for the application.
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I’m leaning towards that. In fact, I think it is a repair over old existing, but that’s just a hunch.
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1st course was probably junk so it just got covered to hide it…
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If they were sealed with a neoprene washer under them, I generally will not call them out if they sit flat. As others have stated, those are not sealed and the angle is just lazy work from install.
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Most likely shot in with a nail gun by the looks?
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100% agree with that consistency. If hand banged in, they would be at all angles and would maybe have washers used…Just laziness.
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Thank you everyone for your input. I appreciate it!
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This is a new roof install on my home. I believe there are too many nails, and this will become a maintenance issue long before the roof needs replacing. The contractor that installed it was rude and arrogant saying it has a lifetime warranty and that his guys went above and beyond a great job with all the nails. I want the roofer to redo the area with new underlayment, shingles and flashing. Thoughts?
Ain’t gonna happen.
Do you think the job is done correctly?
Can’t tell from that photo, but I’ve seen worse that wasn’t an issue for many, many years.
IMO, at most you can expect is the contractor applying sealant and perhaps a row of shingles over the flashing.
Thank you for taking the time to review. I’ve always heard less nails is better.this is the third roof in 30 years and the first time any nails have been put in that flashing. I think I understand why they did it. Possible damage to the flashing bending it up to put new shingles down. Hindsight, I wish I had done the siding at the same time and new flashing put in. Again thank you for your quick response. Feel free to reply if you have any more advise or suggestions.
I’m not a big fan of reusing flashing because it becomes perforated and beat to hell. That being said, the flashing looks properly tucked and sealed which is 90 percent of the battle. It sheds water that streaks down the sidewall and will likely be ok. Keep an eye on it.
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