Unprofessional Roofing 101, and how this home inspector could tell. It took him about 5 minutes.
The house information said, "New roof!"
And from the street it looked great, roof and gutters.
But a home inspection is to try to take a close look at things.
So this home inspector did look closely.
Even from the street the plumbing penetration on the left of the above photo looked fried.
And having a closer look it was!
This collar is probably original to the house, from the 80s.
It has been reused. So had the other one.
A professional roofer would have put on new collars.
See the roof tar? This home inspector thought that there had probably been repairs inside because of previous leaking. He was right.
Looking at the left side of the roof the shingles were not only poorly cut but did not extend over the edge by 1", as is proper installation procedure.
A professional roofer would not have done this.
Properly-overhanging shingles are the way to go.
This home inspector knows that too.
The right side was the same!
But interestingly MORE information was evident on the right side.
Three distinct layers of shingles could be seen!
That should never be done. Three layers is too many. Even two can be problematic.
A professional roofer would not have done this third layer. And this home inspector knows that too.
There were a couple of other indicators outside, which lead to some more investigation inside.
One thing to look at was the front bedroom under that plumbing penetration in the photo above.
Yes, the drywall had been replaced and the insulation was missing.
From the attic serious leaking could be seen.
It was a mess. There was also rotting along the entire lower edge of the roof front and back from shingles not overhanging far enough into the gutter. And active leaking at the ridge vent and furnace chimney. These were further proof of an unprofessional roof installation. All in all this was a very damaged roof, and needed some real professional evaluation and care.
My recommendation: these were not the only problems in this house, but the roof certainly was a major one! The purpose of a home inspection is to evaluate a house as completely as possible, IN JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS, and try to give the buyer(s) an idea as to what they are buying. The home inspector observes and reports. This home inspector is always on the side of his client. Sometimes a home inspector's findings do not facilitate a particular sale, but that is not his objective. The objective is to collect information, no matter what it is. And that is what this home inspector tries to do.
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 
Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.
Office (703) 330-6388 Cell (703) 585-7560
It doesn't take much to see that a new roof is needed badly. A DIY who had no idea!
Home inspectors serve a very good purpose!!!
This home inspector is always on the side of his client. Sometimes a home inspector's findings do not facilitate a particular sale, but that is not his objective. The objective is to collect information, no matter what it is. And that is what this home inspector tries to do.
That is a new roof, William! The seller might come back, "Another new roof?" Well, how about a good new roof.
Thanks Sham. You quote me well, as always!
Can you say...DIY Best not if you are clueless !
Good morning Jay. Wow, a new roof is definitely called for! The buyer should run, not walk away. The seller has a problem! Enjoy your day!
Good morning Jay. I always learn from you and am frequently scared by what you find. That said if I were buying you would be my go to guy.
wowzer! WHO PUTS 3 SETS OF SHINGLES ON A HOME - unless they are idiots - thanks for sharing with us
3 layers.... wow, they must have used lag bolts to hold those top layer of shingles down... lol, that's a lot of weight up there!
S&D - I think it was DIY, and there were a few other such things in the house!
I didn't show any information about the underside, Wayne, and it was a mess too.
Shiela - so next time you look at a roof you should ask yourself, "WWJD?" Of course, the J there is Jay... not the other one.
Lise - let me take a shot here -- um, someone desperate to hide a crunchy set of shingles knowing any buyer would want the roof replaced?
Fred - from the inside it looked like 10D nails! And behold, not surprisingly, they weren't galvanized. And already rusting and that roof is not very old!
Thanks for the education, Jay. An amateur can paint a room, put up wallpaper, but I want my roof done by the professional.
You're welcome, Lottie. And I agree with you!
And where is the drip edge? This is a sad story at all levels. Good thing they brought you in for a through evaluation.
Like I said, Stephen, there were many things to mention. But you got the message!
Oh boy, what a mess! Roofers can be such con artists--taking the money and not doing a proper job. Is the homeowner going up to the roof to inspect the job when complete? Do they even know what to look for? Thanks for including the detailed photos!
Thanks Mary. While I have seen roofers pull some odd stuff, I expect this was not the work of a roofer. And I could have included many more photos!
Hi Jay- I think that of all of the different professions here, we have the opportunity to learn the most from our home inspectors! And yes, your job is not to facilitate the sale. It is let the buyers know, in the time frame given, what they are buying from a home inspectors eyes.
After Hurricane Matthew, a friend said that roofers were out in hoards telling these 55+ homeowners that they needed shingles replaced, etc. They counted on the owners just taking them at their word.
Thanks Kathy. I think home insoectors have a lot to share. Unfortunately we aren't read that much. I know there has been frustration which has caused fewer home inspector posts. But I hope the kinds of things contained in this post are heard!
As to the storm chasers, they are rife and very good. And one line is that it won't cost you anything! They will handle it all! My neighbors who did not listen to me after our tornado found out their home insurance rates went up dramatically. Mine did not! The insurance companies know who the storm chaser companies are and assume the job is not a good one.
Hi Jay
Roof issues can cause a homeowner, or buyer, a lot of grief, and it's an expensive matter to deal with. I recently sold a home that had a roof that needed to be replaced...not just repaired. Fortunately we were able, after several evaluations/estimates, to work out an arrangement that was amicable for both parties. But it was expensive because of the size of the roof, the gables, and the slope.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff. Yes, I get it! We had a tornado last year which shredded my roof, which was finally replaced 4 months later (!). Going round and round with the insurance company was what caused the delay.
In this case, I think the homeowner caused more issues with his "fix" than not doing anything at all.
Well done Jay! Attending every home inspection I knew exactly what you were referring. In AZ we can have layers, but 3 is uncalled for! Adding another layer and improperly placed is a recipe for leaks - apparently!
Jan - two layers is not unusual. Three is not permited! In this case this third layer was to hide a very old, crumpled second layer!
Dear Jay,
Not a fan of doing the same job twice, so I like to do things right the first time. In my experience, people notice the faked job faster than you can put away your inappropriate tools.
Dorte - so many jobs seem to want to be done quickly, and there isn't time to do it right. But there's time to come back later?
Thank you very much, Jay, for sharing your experience and your photographs.
Thanks for stopping by, Roy, and for the reblog!
I just came by from a reblog - that roof was a mess. Good thing that buyer hired the right inspector!
An oldie but a goodie, Kat. I thought so too!
thanks for this post - I have learned several things I didn't know - I will look at the edges of the roof from now on!
Thanks Lise. I try to put out instructional stuff!
I'm shocked, shoked!, you didn't see this first time around!
I think I feel a re-blog coming on...soooo many people don't realize roofs can be an obstacle to financing and insurance.
S&D - sometimes from the street a new roof can look great! That is the idea. But looking closer often we find they are not so great.