Fire damage input

I suppose you could use a magic wand. Swish, done!! :roll_eyes:

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You guys have my attention. I’ll have to get someone in there to assess the amount of work needed to correct the damaged roof structure.

This may not be what I thought it was.

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Another thought - You mentioned it is a metal roof. In one of the pictures I see what might be wood shake shingles… I would also investigate that as well. I would not think wood shakes that were on when the fire occurred would have survived. If those are wood shakes, it might be another clue to work done since the fire. While allowed by some manufacturers I don’t think I would install over wood shakes.

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I see what you mean. Those do look like wood shakes in the pics. We don’t really have wood shakes on any roofs that I have seen around here, but I’m going to look into it further.

The plan is to submit a FOIL request to the fire department, contact the previous owner and codes office for any info and bring an structural engineer in to evaluate.

At that point, I should have enough info to make a decision.

I’ve included a pic of the roof. This is a four unit apartment building and they have connected two houses.

Interesting, and to me, another RED flag!
Q: Why would they re-roof with metal on an apartment bldg (not common in any area I’ve worked)??
A: WEIGHT. Metal is a hell of a lot lighter than asphalt shingles. Could it be that it was determined the structure wasn’t strong enough to handle the weight?

Not expecting a reply. Just voicing my thoughts in lieu of my being there to investigate it in person.

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In addition to checking Fire Dept records, I’d look over ALL building permits for the home. You may find an odd electrical or HVAC permit that could give you a clue to the date and extent of any damage. I inspected an old house here that had similar charring in the attic, but no one knew of any fires, including the fire dept. I was able to find a notation of electrical work done that had “fire damage” in the comments of the permit, so I could at least verify I was right about the source of damage.

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Neighbors can be a great attributed source, too.

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Here is a free graphic related to charred wood:

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Thanks for the additional suggestions and info. I have been able to determine through contact with a long time neighbor that the fire occurred more than 35 years ago. He wasn’t aware of a fire as he’s been there forever.

I’m waiting on permit and fire dept info. I will also be going back with a contractor on Saturday to traverse the attic and evaluate what can be seen. There is a local structural engineer, who I’ve worked with in the past, and is willing to come out as well, but he’s booked for a bit.

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Josh, you or your engineer should bring a rasp to peel off the charred layer and Pyrolysis layer (see graphic above) to determine how much good wood remains. If more than 10% of the cross section is damaged I personally write it off and recommend replacement. Your engineer may have a different tolerance for the cut off point.

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Thanks again, Randy. :slight_smile:

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I hadn’t thought of that. We’ll bring one for sure. Thanks!