I am doing my essay on the proper maintenance of a roof. One way to properly maintain your roof is by clearing away any vegetation within close proximity of your roof. Leave and branches over time can lead to moisture intrusion and also unwanted insects and animals can travel their way inside the roofs cavity. I suggest trimming braches that are touching or close to the roof. Another way of maintaining your roof is by going on the roof but of course taking safety precautions and looking for any possible moisture intrusions such as a leak or missing shingles. Finally as much as we try to maintain our roofs over time the shingles can crack and wear off, and in this case only minor repair or a major repair of the roof system is inevitable.
The photo of a slate tile roof below was taken at a recent inspection I completed. The photo was taken from the top of a ladder placed at the eave. I was unable to walk the roof for safety and to avoid damaging the slate. So, I inspected the roof from multiple vantage points around the home. I explained to the buyer that the roof appeared to be in good shape and that with proper maintenance, the roof could last a VERY long time.
I recently read the library article about ice dams. I learned that the easiest way to avoid the is to properly insulate and ventilate the attic space below. Ice dams form as a result of higher attic temperatures near the ridge and lower temperatures near the eaves. To avoid these conditions, it is best to seal any gaps between the conditioned living spaces and the attic.
This photo is of a high end home that has a well installed metal roof. The drip edge flashing and rake flashing are all prefinished to match the color of the standing seam metal roof. The house did not have gutters so I was concerned about water from the roof collecting too close to the foundation. I would suggest the Owner monitor the basement walls for sign of water or moisture migration. It would be best for a catch system to be installed to hard pipe the run off around the structure to daylight.
I studies the article “Inspecting underlayments on roofs”, as I have encountered an ongoing debate in my area about the advantages of 2 layers of 15# felt versus a single layer of 30# felt. I know most economy installations just use on layer of 15# felt but as a design architect I have found that roofing materials, especially fiberglass composition shingles, seem to last much longer with the thicker underlayment. Though this course never really addressed the differences in two layers of 15# versus 30# asphalt impregnated roofing felt, I felt the course overall did an adequate job of illustrating how it should be installed and where. IF anyone out there has an opinion on two layers of 15# versus a single layer of 30#, I would welcome their comments.
How to perform a roof Inspection
A good inspector checks all flashings to make sure they are tight and will not permit water or insects to penetrate the attic space. In the process of a recent inspection I came across a set of chimney flashings that had not been properly reattached after the new roof had been installed. From the outside it was obvious that the flashings were incorrect, but it became the most obvious when I began inspecting the attic space around the chimney. When my flashlight was off daylight came streaming in around the chimney from the improperly installed flashings. Recommended to the client that this be checked out and corrected by a roofing contractor.
Deck Receptacles
During an inspection its important to know what to look for when inspecting the exterior of the home. This includes the age and type of exterior electrical receptacles. Its important to check for any damage and to note the type of weather proof covers as well as for the presence of GFCI outlets. These can help reduce electrical shock to the homeowners.
The downspout on this guttering system appears to be in good condition. It is 2X3 manufactured out of galvanized steel with the straps secured to the masonry at each connection joint. It is connected to the homes foundation drain. The gutter is secured properly to the fascia and shows no signs of leakage.
I chose to read about roofing flashing.
I learned that flashing is an integral part of the entire roofing system to prevent leakage. Flashing should be install at any area of the roof where either the roof changes pitch, be it a concave or convex transition, or should two roof planes meet and create a valley. The type of valley should be named and checked to ensure it was install correctly, whether it is an open or closed system. Drip edge flashing must also be install at both the eave and rake edges of the roof. This should be install beneath the underlayment at the eaves, but ontop of the underlayment at the rakes.
Almost finished the course
I studied the article, IR Cameras : Inspecting Roofs.
Moisture intrusion and wet insulation are the main causes of premature roof failures. Thermal imaging with an IR camera makes apparent temperature differences viewable and is excellent at finding moisture.
Using an IR camera as part of your inspection is fast and accurate, non-invasive and allows you to visually document problems for the homeowner.
IR camera roof inspections by a certified IR inspector will benefit the client prior to purchasing the home or as a preventative inspection once a year.
I took this photo outside of a family members house. The photo shows improper installation of drip edge and lack of shingles extending out and allowing the precipitation to kick out away from the drip edge. Instead the condensation has been curling under the drip edge and behind the fascia board causing decomposition of the fascia board and the soffit underneath.
I chose to research roof underlayment materials and practices. I learned the different type of felt materials and the 2 strength types 15 and 30 pound felt. I learned that 30 pound felt is stronger and will have a longer lifetime and is more durable than 15 pd felt. I also learned that there is slope limitations and felt courses should overlap a minimum of 19 inches. So there is a double layer of underlayment across the entire roof.
I took a picture of an asphalt shingle roof section. You will notice where part of a shingle has broken off exposing the nail heads. Water was then allowed to penetrate the roof causing the sheathing to rot over time. It looks to me as if someone then stepped onto that area causing the sheathing to collapse and leave a shoe size indentation. A roofer will need to be called.
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This is an image of a rough sawn beam that acts as a header and projects past the end of the building. It is wrapped in flashing but the flashing is loose especially around the bottom from when the painters came through. Now that outward bend acts like a water catch and the bottom half of the beam is mostly rotted away.
Inspection and writing portion:
A single layer of three-tab shingles was installed on this home, along with a tar-paper underlayment. It was noted that there was no drip edge present. A drip edge protects the underlying fascia by directing water away from it’s face. A common practice in this area was to instead leave the shingle overhanging the roof edge at the eaves. I recommend monitoring the eaves, fascia, and shingle edges where they overhang the eaves for any sign of degradation, and correcting such as needed.
I researched the roofing materials article and have come to the conclusion that metal roofs are the way to go. Even the most picky of homeowners should be able to find a style that fits there aesthetic. I saw a metal seamed roof in the bighorn mountains that was pressed to look like wood shingles and panted to add to the effect of looking like wood. The durability of metal roofs make them cost effective for sure.
For the research and writing portion:
I began reading the Mastering Roof Inspections series of articles. Since this is crucial component and is prone to wind and hail damage in my area, I want to be even more familiar with and conversant on this system. I find there are several details that I missed despite installing dozens of composition roofs.
In particular, working in warmer climates I was not familiar with organic shingles and their manufacturing, so that was informative. Also, the visual of the fiberglass mat was good too: I learned that this makes up less than 2% percent of the shingle’s weight.
In all, several components come together and need to be precisely manufactured into the roofing material so that it performs as intended.
This roof is from a project house that I worked on just recently. This small section of roof has a lot going on. It is a double gable roof section with a greater than 12:12 slope.
The chimney in has flashing similar to front wall flashing and a secondary cap flashing over the top.
The roofing is dimensional asphalt type. The valley material is painted steel standard w type.
The epdm material is sloped outward to the lower edge goes well up beneath the dimensional shingles for proper water shed. Term bar attaches to the crown moulding which is installed over the fascia board.
Diverter edge is under the shingles and over the top of the underlayment.
The watershed is all in place. The main weak point that I see is where the two pieces of term bar come together at the lower edge. This is at the location of a seam in the crown moulding . This critical juncture is sealed shut. The wall beneath is stucco.
Just did some reading on underlayments and their qualities. Most good roofers that live in my area use the rubberized asphalt at the edge for the edge for at 3 feet and sometimes even higher. Also recommended if installing skylites.