Roof material is architectural shingles. Roof appears serviceable. Gutters missing.
I read the article on roof photos. Very interesting. Most people will never get a chance to be where you are. Takes lots of pics! They will love you for it. A pic is worth a thousand words.
Attached is a picture with 3-tab asphalt shingles. Shingles are in good condition, 1 layer (relatively new) with proper overhang. Gutters are in good condition with proper slope. Gutter cleaning is needed (from trees nearby)
I read the article titled: “Doing Damage during an inspection: its your job.” I had thought about the odds of me breaking something (especially in the beginning) however I never thought of it the way you stated it. Its our job to find the issues and potential items that may be faulty and better us than the client
Hello,
My name is Terri Smith.
Inspecting the roof is the first thing that many home inspectors perform. I have learned that although getting on the roof is not required by the standards, many home inspectors like to go beyond what the standards require.
Even if one does not get on the roof to do the inspection, there are several things that can be observed from ground level. For example, the condition and type of roof tiles can be observed and written into the report. Flashing around areas of penetration can also be observed as well as roof valley flashing.
Water drainage is another aspect of roof inspection that can be performed from ground level. If a roof has a gutter system, it can be observed in terms of whether the gutter is properly placed at the edge of the roof so that it does in fact collect the water run-off. If the gutter is filled with leaves or vegetation, this can also be observed from ground level. Of course a camera with an extension arm on it can also be used from the ground level.
There are many other aspects that are not covered but I find very interesting and educational.
T. Smith
I took an image of the inside of a chimney. This particular chimney does not have a chimney cap. Birds sometimes enter into the chimney. This would be something that I would report in the home inspection.
T. Smith
The surface of the roof was in good shape, however from inside the attic there were water stains and the sheathing was damp when checked with a moisture meter. Further investigation required from a roofing specialist.
Researched flashing’s on roofs where the roof runs into the siding.
where at the top of the roof apron flashing is used and along the run of the roof a step flashing should be used.
One layer of composite shingles. Underlayment present to end of drip edge. Drip edge overlaps into gutters. Gutters present and in good condition. Not sagging and appear to be sloped properly. No excessive build up in the gutter.
The bat infestation is an undesirable condition. The primary danger to humans is rabies. A bat may be infected with rabies if it is in an unusual place, such as a bedroom or in the lawn. Healthy bats do not rest on the ground. A healthy bat is not approachable. Healthy bats are scared of humans and will flee long before they can be approached. Bats are not active during the day. A healthy bat is able to fly.
One aspect of the roofing inspection is to view from inside the attic. These pictures show that the roof system is roof trusses and is fully insulated. The house is only three years old and is in very good condition. Picture #3 shows one of the H-clips used. These were located between each truss. Also in picture #4 we can see a roof penetration for a plumbing vent.
This is a view from inside the attic. The roof had been framed with Engineered Trusses. Overall, the roof sheathing appeared in very good condition with no indication of leaks observed.
Note the three observations:
- Good nail penetration through the roof sheathing
- Proper installation of H-Clips
- Adequate opening at the Ridge Vent to allow for ventilation
I read the article on manufactured fireplaces. These are very common these days and can be either wood burning, natural gas logs, or propane logs. The inspector should look for combustion air intake vents as required by Code and make sure clearances have been met. If the manufacturers instructions are available they have an entire section on clearances. If not, the codes inspection office can provide clearance requirements for hearths, mantles, etc.
I read the article about Asphalt Shingle Composition. Asphalt Shingles come in two types: Three Tab and Architectural. They can be expected to provide reliable service life between 20 to 30 years when installed properly. The typical asphalt shingle consists of three layers, a fiberglass mat sandwiched between two layers of asphalt. The mat provides reinforcement that gives shingles strength to resist splitting, tearing and pulling over the heads of the roofing fasteners.
In the attached pic you will find the roof appears to be in very good condition and is relatively new. It is recommended that the nails holding end cap tiles be reset as many are not set all the way in and some are even missing. Tiles all appear to be in good condition and no sagging of roof is visible.
The roof has nail pops which will make the shingles easy to be blown off. The gutter is pulling loose from the house and needs cleaning. The roof covering was getting close to the end of service life.
working on roof inspection course
After going over all the different roofing configurations and types of roofing materials I feel like my head is going to explode. Realizing how much engineering goes into each and every roof is quiet amazing that there aren’t more problems with roofs in high snow country. I also learned a lot about the progression of roof technology and the materials that are used now versus many years ago.
This is an image of an attached garage roof. It is the corner where the eave and the rake edges meet. The drip edge on the eave is over top of the underlayment but does not look like it would redirect the water into the gutter completely. It is raised a bit too high and will drip water between the gutter and the wall.
On the rake edge, it is over top of the underlayment as well when it should be below. But it is also installed at a weird angle and is actually lifting the edge of the shingles. Most of the rake edge was installed this way around the home.
Bump keys have been around for 50 years but with the internet are now much more widely known about. A bump key is a manufacturer specific key cut with maximum grooves for each pin in a lock. When the key is inserted and bumped, the pins jump slightly and the key is able to slide in a bit more and eventually open the lock.
There are two companies that make locks designed to defeat bump keys and they are typically quite expensive. Some locksmiths can replace the original lock pins with mushroom pins which make “bumping” harder but still not impossible.