Here we are looking at a roof with several problems. A whole bunch of grey interlocking asphalt shingles were blown off in a severe windstorm. Probably due to the fact that they were put on over top of a older layer of shingles that you can clearly see are now rotting. The nail penetration may not have been enough to keep the shingles fastened securely or they may have just been installed poorly. In an attempt to keep water from leaking into the home a different type of asphalt shingle was used and was installed poorly leaving open spaces where water could still penetrate the building. An attempt made by the homeowner no doubt. The proper matching shingles should have been used and installed. The drip edge flashing is in good condition, aside from that the roof is in dire need of repair by a certified roofer.
I read articles on ice dams and the use of thermal imaging to find the heat loss responsible for the ice dam formation. I have ice dams to deal with in/on the townhome we are about to purchase and am trying to assess the situation as be I can, before we go through with the purchase. We have several issues: trees that shade the roof, poor insulation in the roof (vaulted ceiling, with no attic) and no eaves on most of the front of the house. One fix would be to install steel roofing as recommended in one of the articles. Heat tape, which was not recommended, but I had put up in the fall, did not do a darn thing to eliminate the ice damming. It did however create some neat caverns in the ice dams. Although I will likely be terrified by the results of a thermal imaging inspection, I think getting one done is in my best interest. Eventually, I will be able to do that myself, but not quite yet. I am looking forward to the day I build my own home, that way I know it is done right.
Cheers,
Jason
This image is of the ice dam on my roof. All of my neighbors’ roofs are free of snow at this time, however I have some aspens and a pine tree that shade the roof much of the day. This is a townhome, with and HOA and technically the HOA is responsible for exteriors, so this creates a bit of a snafu for me in this situation. We are primarily buying this place as a short term residence, then an income property. Rental inventory is always low in this area, so keeping it rented will not be a problem. Keeping the place maintained could however, become a problem. I plan to join the board and push for metal roofing for the next re-roof. The siding will need to be redone eventually as well, so I will be advocating for insulation work, as well as some new windows. I will replace the windows and doors at some point. Getting to the root of the icedam problem would likely entail re-insulating the roof joist bay and exterior wall connection. I’ve got a lot to think about…. I tried using heat tape and it does not work, just gets too cold. I would like to have a metal roof with radiant heating underneath that I could turn on, and have the ice and snow just slide off. Maybe in the next house…
For the reading two articles assignment i read Chimney inspections and cool roofs
I read Chimney inspections because i live in a part of the country that can have very cold winters and almost every house house you see around here has a chimney. I will surely be inspecting many chimneys and wanted to know things to look out for, things such as old crumbling mortar, proper strapping or fastening to the structure, mechanical damage from falling branches or rubbing tree limbs. Poor footings causing the chimney to lean or separate from the building are also important things to look out for. We don’t get earthquakes around here but we do get extremely high winds which could also be very damaging to chimneys. Following precautions such as adding plywood to the top of the ceiling joists or underside roof trusses or not parking close to chimneys or locating children’s playrooms away from the chimney stack in your home are all excellent practices to follow.
I read cool roofs because i recently saw a cool roof installed on a building that i built. This was the first time I had ever heard of or saw such a system. the type used was a single ply roll of basically white pool liner with a 4" layer of foam and then a 5/8" layer of densdeck underneath. The seams were welded together basically like a linoleum floor would be. I found the application very neat and very clean compared to other roofing methods. Now I know there are three types of cool roof products being the single ply roll, like i saw, coatings and also asphalt shingles. For hot climates that have air conditioners to cool the buildings this seems like a great roofing application as it can help to lower the energy consumption by keeping the building cooler without constantly running the A/C.
I’ve had a look at my neighbor’s roof with my ladder form the eaves. That’s a 10 years-old contruction made by a contractor and, surprisingly, there’s no ice and water shield membrane, which is mandatory up there to prevent damages caused by ice dams.
I read the articles “Roofing Underlayment Types” and “Kickout Flashing”. It’s interesting to learn about the development of new composites for the underlayment. Concerning the kickout flashing, it’s still amazing to see how often one should be present and is not, the junction of the roof/wall simply being cobbered with caulking, especially if you consider the importance of damages that it can cause.
For the Reading & Writing portion of the Roofing course, I chose to read “IR Cameras: Inspecting Roofs” and “Inspecting Roof Panel Sheathing.” The IR Cameras article discusses the rise of the use of IR for inspecting roofs. The article explains that using the cameras is a non-invasive, time-saving method, which eliminates the need to perform a grid-style search, which is difficult and extremely time consuming. I learned a great deal about the value of purchasing an IR camera to perform a more specialized, expeditious roof inspection.
The second article deals with inspecting the sheathing itself, and covers the materials that are commonly used beneath the actual roofing material. It gives a very helpful breakdown of the typical thickness of the material, and of course, the important reminder that the plywood sheets ought to be installed perpendicular to the rafters and with the proper fasteners. Also, the tip that fasteners should be flush and not poking out or even over-driven. Both can actually cause damage to the material and reduce its life-expectancy.
Both great reads that I have bookmarked for later use.
Article Assignment
There’s a difference between Active and Passive attic ventilation. Many new homes have passive ventilation, which is low maintenance and does not require much upkeep, but must be configured correctly, base on the design of attic. Active ventilation is normally some type of ventilation, which is electrically power and many time activated by thermostat. Where as Passive ventilation is vents on the ridges and vent under the eaves of house that work together to create air flow from natural air. When inspecting, its always a good idea to check the condition of attic, and follow other attic inspection techniques to confirm proper ventilation.
An addition was completed on my house and a metal room was installed. Once the installer “completed” the job it was immediately evident it was not done at the first rain. Once the installer returned it was discovered the flashing was not sealed properly which led to a obvious leak that would have caused leaking behind the newly installed sheetrock. From the picture you can see there was a small leak as well as no h clamp installed.
After reading the article on H-clips several things were learned. H clips are required by IRC, but of course not every county requires compliance wit the IRC. H clips are used as structural supported for sheathing edges during the course of construction. This support allows stiffness when walking from once panel to another. It should not be noted as a defect unless the inspector knows the area required them at the time the house was built.
Attached I inspected a hip roof with architectural shingles.Roof was checked and only has 1 layer of shingles. It uses a ridge vent for ventilation. The roof is in fairly good shape with no exposed nails or shingles cracking. All drip edge is in place with no visible rusting. Fascia and soffits intact with no visible rotting. The gutter system is fairly clean indicating proper draining. Note shingle aggregate is starting to build up in front gutters. Gutter have ample down spouts all directing water away from slab. exposed flashing was inspected and is in good shape where porch rood connects to roof of home.
In this attic photo you can see evidence of water intrusion, missing/displaced insulation. This area is around a boxed out skylight on the roof. Additionally, you can see the water stains on the frame member and the exposed drywall.
I enjoyed this article very much as it offered a different view than what I was familiar with. It makes sense not to feel guilty or at fault, as the article states you were just doing your job. During that non invasive inspection if an item breaks it was clearly a defect waiting to happen. The article is correct in identifying that the client should be happy and that the seller ow has an opportunity to correct a issue with the home.
The first article I read was “Unvented Roof Assemblies.” There are some proponents of this method that argue that not venting the roof and conditioning it like other living spaces will save energy, make the living space more comfortable, and lower the amount of particulates in the air that may leak down from an unconditioned attic space. In order for this to be possible the attic area must have a very sound air and moisture barrier in place. However, there is still not a lot of research on this method and in some areas it is not permitted by code. Some worry that not venting will trap moisture and potentially hazardous gases in the living space. This method may also shorten the roof life, especially when asphalt shingles are in place, and lead to ice dams.
The second article I read was “ Roofing Underlayment Types.” There are three basic types of underlayment: asphalt-saturated felt, rubberized asphalt and non-bitumen synthetic. Asphalt saturated felt is currently the most common type used although this may change in the future with the changes in the oil refining market. It comes in two types 15-pound felt and 30-pound felt. Obviously the 30-pound felt is much thicker and provides greater protection. Roofs with lesser slope require a greater amount of overlap in the layers of the felt. For all underlayment types if is important the proper fasteners are used for the weather (wind) conditions that exist in the area. Rubberized asphalt and non-bitumen synthetics can also be great alternatives, though may cost more, but can sometimes be easier to install and more durable.
This is a 2010 mobile home roof inspection in this photo shows a shingle roof with moss and tree
debris. I suggest the roof is to be clean. In the future could cause problems due to moss growing and dampness from a tree hanging over the roof.
Roof Inspection
For this section I did a complete roof inspection. I’ve included several pictures which I hope will help illustrate some aspects of what I found.
1-Covering material is asphalt shingles of architectural design.
2-No exposed fasteners
3-Sheathing is ¾” plywood oriented perpendicular to roof members
4-Slope is fairly standard 4-12 and underlayment (as near as I can tell) is correct at one layer
5-Ice barrier is in place, intact, and effective
6-Drip edge is correctly installed
7-Offset pattern is evident
8-Valley flashings are of the closed variety but not interwoven (acceptable)
9-Nail penetration is evident and acceptable
10-Flashing
-step and counter flashing is evident and correctly installed (counter flashing embedded in mortar joints) and cricket installed at chimney
-all penetrations correctly flashed
ADDENDUM: Also checked all gutters and down spouts which are correctly installed and divert water away from foundation
As you can see the exhaust vent through roof is installed properly. The flashing is running the correct way and diverting the water run off properly. In this particular case the installation of vent was estetically right and mechanically properly installed!
French Drains
French drains can be a very effective way to control drainage issues around residential structures, especially when the home is located at the downside of a strong slope. Swales have been used effectively for the same purpose, but french drains have some advantages. Swales can only divert surface water which, if you are dealing with a high volume, can be problematic. French drains have the capacity to handle a larger load in that they actually allow the water to absorb into the surface and then divert it away from the structure. There are some disadvantages to french drains such as perforations in the pipe becoming clogged with sediment and debris which can only be alleviated by excavation and cleaning.
Bidets
(Posterior Hygiene)
So. Let’s talk about Bidets. Yes, we all know what they are, what they’re for, and how to pronounce the word. No one knows who invented the thing, but some postulate that it was a short, fat Frenchman with a big hat. To which I counter; “Then they would call it a Napolean”. Regardless, there are at least three things one should not confuse a bidet with.
1-Toilet
2- Baby wash station
3- Drinking fountain
All reasons for these distinctions should be self evident.
Roof, Gabel (lower, first floor), Hip (second level/floor), architectural shingles. Overframe/“Cricket” adjoining at valley. Overframe/“Cricket” at valley double-ply rolled roof covering “torched down”, flashing non-exposed. Visibly appears to be in good condition. Public records note roof was permitted and completed 10/2010.
Gutters attached at fascia show some signs of mildew, no noted standing water or debris. Primary downspout (super-gutter) at bottom of overframe/“cricket” show leak / mildew (signs of water protrusion) at attachment to fascia. Recommend contractor check for proper sealant and / or repair. 