Article I read were h clips for inspectors and hard water. I like the use of h clips to stiffen up those panels. By using h clips you maybe be able to use different materials and thickness. Hard water is found everywhere making sure you have your water tested could help you determine if you have hard water. Hard water will effect cleaning of clothing, and yourself.
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Reading and writing assignment
Mastering roof inspections: Asphalt Composition, part 1
Asphalt shingles and composition shingles are terms that describe the same kind of shingle. Composite shingles are made up of a “mat”, usually fiberglass, asphalt and minerals. The fiberglass mat is impregnated with asphalt and then granules. This forms a durable, waterproof and flexible “shingle”. The thickness of the mat effects the shingle tear strength.
Mastering roof inspections: Asphalt Composition, part 2
Organic shingles are a type of shingle that is made from cellulose. Cellulose used for shingles came from wood chips, recycled cardboard, rags and paper. Manufacturers have not made organic shingles since about 2008. As organic shingles approach the end of their useful life, they begin to split and delaminate. This is caused by the increased rate at which water is absorbed by the organic mat thru the moisture cycling.
This photo shows some sagging in the roof. This should be called out and recommend that a roofing engineer inspect this. There are number of things that could cause this. The sheathing used could be too thin, depending on the age of the home, this roof sheathing might have been allowed at the time. Another possibility could be that there isn’t proper ventilation and it is causing issues with the sheathing, especially since this is a south facing portion of the roof which gets warmer than other facing areas.
Chinese Drywall is defective drywall that was used in the Southeast area of the US. These panels were constructed with fly ash that is harmful to many metals and copper. They can cause erosion. To correct the problem the homeowner would have to spend tens of thousands of dollars and insurance companies wont pay for the issue. 2004-2007 were the mostly used years because of the housing boom and hurricane Katrina. It is not deadly but can present symptoms like; sore throat, sneezing, red running eyes, and respiratory issues.
Collar Ties vs Rafter Ties. Collar ties are usually found in the up one third of the rafter. They are attached to opposing rafters to help prevent rafter spread. The minimum diameter is 1x4 wood. Rafter ties are typically found in the lower one third of the rafters. The minimum for the rafter tie is 2x4. 2012 code does not require collar ties but you will see them used frequently.
Here is an image take from an approximately 12 year old roof. This is considered a blister in the shingle, as we can see the fibers of the fiberglass mat showing through. After noticing this blister, I examined the roof carefully for more signs of this type of deterioration, and found that it was only occurring in a few places rather than a widespread issue. According to the “Inspecting Asphalt Shingle Roofs” course, this is not considered an issue likely to leak, due to the fact there is another shingle underneath, however the roof may need to be replaced earlier than expected, and should be monitored. Better Attic ventilation may prolong the life of the roof.
The two articles I read for this course were "Mastering Roof Inspections part I and II. Part one discusses the different integral parts of a fiberglass composition shingle, and the benefits over the old style of organic composition shingles, most of which, is the fiberglass shingle’s ability to hold up better in hot and humid climates.
Part II discusses the drawbacks of organic composition shingles, such as distortion. Organic shingles were made with a cellulose mat saturated with asphalt and may still be present on some homes. Distortion occurs when organic shingles, close to the end of their life, become dry, due to loss of volatile compounds, and become absorbent. The edges of organic shingles absorb water at a higher rate and dry faster than the rest of the shingle, causing distortion of shingles. When the asphalt greatly deteriorates, delamination occurs.
Inspecting Asphalt Shingle Roofs
Inspection and Writing Assignment
The attached pictures are of the north side of the roof. The roof is a 4:12 slope with gable end(s). The substrate / deck of roof is 15/32 with “H” clips attached. The shingles are architectural and per label of partial bundle stored on the property, they are rated as a “30-Year” shingle.
The shingles are attached with 6, 3/8" nails per shingle strip with no visual over or under-driven nails. The shingles overlap the drip-edge (aluminum) by approximately 1.5 inches. From walking the roof and from entrance of attic, no visual signs of water intrusion or unusual “weathering” of the sheathing nor shingles were noted.
Recommend keeping trees trimmed back and away from the roof and gutters to assist in prolonged life of gutter, drainage and roof system.
Inspecting Asphalt Shingle Roofs
Reading and Writing Assignment
Assignment 1:
Home Repair Rip-Offs
by Nick Gromicko
This article is a great must read, especially for people who are not aware of construction practices. It is the “few” people posing as contractors who give honest, licensed contractors a bad reputation.
Home inspectors are often the first people to uncover fraudulent practices.
Many posing as contractors will demand much, if not all, of the money up-front. Others will demand money for materials - Each of which may never show up again. For those who do show up, their work becomes much more costly to the homeowner. Their so called “repairs” cause more damage than good.
Ripping off consumers can happen especially after natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms, floods, etc.
The rip off con-artists also like to target the elderly and those who are much easier to “scam”.
Homeowners can help protect themselves from fraud through a variety of available methods.
The homeowner can contact a reputable home inspector or contractor to verify that the work actually needs to be done.
The homeowner should never pay a large down-payment up-front - prior to completion of the work.
The homeowner can contact their local jurisdiction (City, County, etc) to verify that the individual and/or company is licensed, insured, etc.
Assignment 2:
Kickout Flashing
by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
Per the article, kickoff flashing and it’s purposes are defined as follows; “Kickout flashing, also known as diverter flashing, is a special type of flashing that diverts rainwater away from the cladding and into the gutter. When installed properly, they provide excellent protection against the penetration of water into the building envelope.”
Missing (or improperly installed) kickout flashing results in water accumulation and potentially severe damage to exterior walls and beyond.
Home inspectors should make sure that kickoff flashing is correctly installed where needed. While sometimes water intrusion can be noted visually on the exterior wall, the inspector should never solely rely on visual identification.
There are several areas where kickoff flashing should be noted…
- Any place where the roof and exterior wall intersect.
- Any area where the wall continues past the lower-roof edge and the gutter.
- Where the gutters terminate at the side of a chimney.
The bottom and seam(s) of the flashing must be watertight.
The angle of the kickout flashing should never be less than 110 degrees.
Check for places where the homeowner may have attempted to conceal or remove the flashing. Check areas where the homeowner may have attempted to fabricate the kickout flashing in an unacceptable manner and/or standard.
I chose to inspect an asphalt shingle roof. It is a standard three tab shingle roof that was installed over the old roof covering (two layers are allowed in my area). There are valley flashing and drip edges present.
The following defects are observed:
1-visible signs of damage / deterioration/ curling/ missing shingles/sagging shingles.
2- wind damage
3- Cracking shingles
The attached pictures are from the south slope of a house. Inspection looking for wind, hail, mechanical damage intentional or unintentional was done.
We found 3 tab shingles installed as roof covering, the substrate material is OSB and it is in great condition. No sign of leakage or extreme moisture was found on the roof sheathing.
While walking on this particular slope no sign of debris accumulation was found, there was no branches on top of the roof or tree branches spotted close to the slope.
We didn’t find any sign of hail damage.
There was also no mechanical damage found.
We did find some shingles that were loosen by wind but nothing major. The probable cause was a combination of factors like:
Adhesive strip not fully bonded, heat and wind.
The shingles were hand sealed using caulking gun with roof cement.
Flashing Part 1
Flashing is sheet metal design no prevent water to penetrate the roof system. They prevent water intrusion on the parts of the roof system that are more likely to leak.
When inspecting flashing you have to look for corrosion. Severe corrosion on flashings can lead to leaks.
Different metals corrode more easily than others. Galvanized steel is the most common material for flashings. Sixteen gauge copper is also used for flashing and it has a 70 years lifespan. In addition, lead flashings are used on tile roofs since it comforts well to tile profile. Aluminum is also used but not common.
Flashing Part 2
There are different kind of flashings used in different parts of the roofing system, such as:
Head wall flashing. This kind of flashing is install where the roof meets a wall on the top and it is usually bend to a 120 degrees. Its proper installation includes a counter flashing which helps to avoid the intrusion of water thru the wall. The head wall flashing should be laying on top of the roofing covering material.
Side wall flashing. This kind of flashings are inhaled where the roof meets a wall on the side. The installation is based on the kind of the roofing material used.
A pan flashing should be installed when tile is used as roof covering and a step flashing should be used when shingles or shakes are installed as roof covering.
There are more kinds of flashings and in all of theses types we will always be looking for proper installation and condition of the flashings.
I did an inspection of a asphalt shingle roof at a friends home.
The overall condition of the shingles are good. The metal flashing is in place over rough cedar fascia. The flashings around the roof penetrations is correctly installed and appears to be in satisfactory condition.
There are some areas of concern: on the north side, west side of the hip covering the entry there is a cracked shingle and a little bit below there is a shingle that is starting to lift.
On the south side the fascia at the corner where the roof deck meets the flat deck is rotted.
On the west side there appears to be a section of shingles that is bulging up. I was not able to gain access to the attic to investigate the cause.
I advised the home owner that repairs should be made by a qualified roofing contractor.
I inspected the drip edge and a small portion of the asphalt shingles from a ladder at the eave. The picture I took shows a couple of notable items. First, the shingles do not extend over the edge of the drip edge flashing. Secondly, the shingles are worn and possibly starting to buckle.
The article I read was Mastering Roof Inspections: Asphalt Composition Shingles Part 33. It covered definitions of ductility, fillers, and polymers. It also went into the transition point from temperature and what the effects are due to the different components or ingredients of the shingle being affected by this temperature point.
Photo shows a cracked masonry cap on a brick chimney. The flue should be at least four inches above the cement crown, which it does. The crown itself should slope to allow rain runoff. This crown does slope. The crown should extend a minimum of 2" beyond the chimney on all sides, but does not. The crown here ends at the edge of the chimney brick. There is also no caulk between the cement crown and the flue. There should be caulking at that location. The cracks in the crown will allow water penetration into the chimney structure.
Hantavirus Danger in Homes
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a potentially deadly disease which is spread by the feces, urine and saliva of certain species of rodents. Those identified so far are: deer mouse, cotton rat, rice rat and white-footed mouse.
Crawlspaces and other areas populated by rodents could pose a serious danger to the home inspector who is unaware of or unprepared for this threat.
The virus enters the human body through inhalation of airborne particles, touching the particle and then touching the nose or mouth, eating food contaminated with the virus or a bite from an infected rodent.
There is no known cure for Hantavirus and 30 to 40 percent of those who contract the disease die from it. Inspectors should wear protective clothing, gloves and a full-face respirator when entering suspect areas.
How to Determine the Age of a Building
The changing trends in building materials, components and style over the years may enable you to estimate the approximate age of home. Electrical wiring type and material used in homes has changed several times since it was first used. Electrical receptacles have also undergone several iterations.
Home siding has undergone several transitions including plywood, waferboard and oriented strand board. Popularity of architectural styles also evolved over the years. These and other clues are available to assist you in estimating the age of a home.
Last year inspected a home roof system. The roof appeared in very good condition as the home was less than five years old. Unfortunately, there was a section on the West side of the home whereby several shingles appeared damaged. Closer review indicated shingle blisters with exposed fiberglass. Client was concerned it may have been hail damage.
Wesley Wilson
Delta Home Inspections, LLC
