This picture shows a vent installed on a shingle roof. This vent has been properly installed with proper flashing that will prevent water intrusion. Adequate ventilation may help with preserving energy while saving money, it may also help in preventing moisture accumulation in the house.
I have read this article about a garage inspection. It reminds me about the need to call out some major defects or improper alterations in a garage inspection. For example it reminded me that trusses cannot be altered in any way without the approval of a structural engineer.
I read a few of the mastering roofing inspections articles and found there to be some very helpful and useful information. One of the main characteristics of a asphalt shingle is the adhesive strip. Higher quality shingles will have the adhesive strip installed on the back of the shingle where as a lower quality 20 year shingle will have it installed on the front. The importance of bonding the adhesive strip to the shingles is second to none and will be what holds the shingles in place and will help them not to fail in wind and adverse conditions.
This is a picture showing a roof with multiple layers of shingles. This method of installation of the later layer of shingles will void any manufacture warranties and will reduce the life span of the installed shingles. This is not the recommended installation technique and should be avoided.
Head wall flashing with a steep slope should have 120 pan flashing installed for proper water shed at time of installation. If you encounter a roof with 90 pan flashing installed, it may appear properly sealed and hard to notice at the time of installation, but it can be obvious over time as the incorrect angle of this flashing starts to lift up and open access for water intrusion into the area around the siding.
Wood Burning Stoves: This is an interesting article about a subject not too familiar here in sunny Florida, but important to know since so many people are looking for green alternatives for energy. I was not aware of the seriously dangerous and hazardous airborne particulates that these little stoves can produce if not maintained properly, or if just used improperly. I will be using this information moving forward to help homeowners down the road.
This roof has missing granules. Where damage happened to this particular roof. Since the over all age of the roof looks to be near 20 years, instead of replacing damaged shingles, I would suggest replacing the whole roof. Home owner should contact a roofing profesional.
My little essay is about shingle splitting, and the differences between cracking and splitting. and how to identify the different causes of splitting. How cracking goes through the entire shingle, and cracking is limited to just the surface of the single.
The vent pipe in the picutre needs to be resealed. The vent pipe purpose is to allow liquid to properly flow through the home’s drainage or plumbing system. Every home should have at least one plumbing vent that is above the roof.
The first thing that got my attention in the article was “the best way to preserve your roof is to stay off it”. The article basically discussed the type of roofs (flat and pitch) and the different roofing materials available. I learned that tile, metal and slate roofing materials are the more expensive, also that slate and tile are heavier and if considering either material, the homeowner needs to make sure that the roof framing can support them.
In the attached picture you can see the age of this roof showing. The edges and corners are starting to lift, there is very little remaining granules and the fiberglass mat is showing across the entire surface. This shingle roof is at the end of its life and will need further inspection by a certified roofing contractor.
Proper fasteners are critical to an asphalt shingle roofs life span. If attention isn’t paid to the proper depth, angle, placement and type of fastener the manufacturer may not warranty the product and may lead to a shorter life. The identification is sometimes not possible but where an inspector is able to find proper or improper fastener installation could be very valuable to the prospective buyer and the current owner.
The picture I chose shows asphalt 3-tab shingles that seem to be in decent condition, maybe early half-life. This section of the roof has experienced blistering. Blistering is caused by moisture trapped in the shingles and poorly ventilated roofs, which would be roofs with no ridge vents or gable vents.
The article I chose was called mastering roof inspections: accessing the roof part 1. It explained the dangers of getting on a roof and the precautions to make it a safer experience for you. You should never walk on a wet roof is a big thing, and also never walk on an two story asphalt roof with a pitch of 6&12.
As you can see in this picture, the shingles seem to be in good condition. There are no shingles missing and nothing seems to be in bad condition. There’s no damage or spots on the shingle. All of the rain is still in tact as well.
This article is about cisterns and their use. Cisterns are tanks that store water for a variety of purposes. The water I. These tanks can be used for irrigation, fire suppression, and drinking. This article tells you the uses, and how to maintain the tanks as well.
Inspecting for hail damage is a key point in roof inspections. It is especially so since there can be issues with homeowners claiming hail damage for insurance reasons and creating the damage themselves. This practice is usually done in an effort to collect insurance on a roof and potentially have it replaced. In inspecting for real hail damage, an inspector needs to look for patterns of damage. Since hail damage is completely random, there should not be recognizable patterns in any damage you happen to find. In the diagram supplied by the link above, you can clearly see damage in arcs along the roof. This is not typical of random hail damage and therefore is suspect that it is intentional damage.
As you can see in this image, this roof has multiple layers of shingles installed on it. Usually, as designated by building codes, the maximum allowable asphalt shingle layers on a roof it limited to two. More layers than recommended can trap moisture and potentially cause premature failure of the shingles. Since the upper shingles are not on a solid, flat layer (decking) they are also more susceptible to hail damage.
The roof was covered with 3-tab fiberglass asphalt shingles. Composition shingles are composed of a fiberglass mat embedded in asphalt and covered with ceramic-coated mineral granules. The random pattern of the damage to the asphalt shingles is positive evidence of hail damage.
Racking is widely perceived as always being an improper installation. This is often true, but not always. Some manufacturers list racking as an acceptable method of installation for certain types of their shingles, but they also mention that its not the preferred method.