inspector’s report.
When you’re ready, the opinion of an accred-
also, if you like a house, check out the neighborhood, and talk to neighbors to
ited house inspector can be invaluable. Typically,
see what they are like. ask about traffic, schools, shopping, city services, and crime.
house inspections take two to three hours and
This will help you imagine what living there will be like.
yield a detailed field report that can run 20 pages
or more. A report also may recommend addi-
tional inspections, if warranted, by structural
The Roof
engineers, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-
conditioning) specialists, and the like.
Because water is usually a house’s main enemy,
spend time examining the roof—the first line of
geTTINg ReadY To INSpeCT
defense against rain, snow, and ice. Few home-
owners would allow a prospective buyer on a
Before conducting any inspections, get a tetanus
sloped roof, whether fearing roof damage or a
shot. After all, you’ll be poking around basements fall. Even if you’re sure-footed and could obtain
and attics where sharp nails or wood splinters
permission, it’s probably wiser to stay on the
could break the skin and cause infections. Dress
ground. Use your binoculars to take a closer look,
the part by wearing old clothes. Wear sneakers or unless, of course, you’ll be inspecting a flat roof.
crepe-soled shoes if you’ll be on ladders or roofs;
if you’re crawling around the basement, wear
RooF CHeCKpoINTS
heavy-soled boots. Carry a pad of graph paper
and a pencil, a flashlight, a pocketknife, a spirit
Sight along the ridge to see if it’s straight. If
level, and binoculars.
the ridge sags in the middle, suspect too many
You’re less likely to be distracted if you con-
layers of roofing or undersize rafters. If the roof
duct your inspection alone. You’re after facts, not sags between rafters, the roof sheathing may
the opinions of an owner or real estate agent
be too thin and should be replaced during the
who’s eager to sell. If you’re working with a part-
next reroofing.
ner, discuss your intentions with him or her
Next, look for flashing at the bases of chim-
beforehand; you may want to divvy up the
neys and plumbing vents. These objects can
inspection tasks. Likewise, if your real estate
dam water and allow it to leak through the roof.
agent will be present, make it clear that time is
If flashing is absent, rusty, or otherwise deterio-
tight and you need to focus.
rated, there’s a good chance of water damage.
Begin outside, scrutinizing the house method-
The valleys between roof sections should be
ically from top to bottom. As you see flaws and
flashed because they carry a lot of water. Thus,
suspect areas, record them on a sketch of the
where roof planes converge, you should see
building. Then go inside and repeat the process,
either metal flashing down the valley (an open
as suggested in this chapter. Finally, as you
valley) or interwoven shingles (a closed valley).
inspect, look for patterns in what you observe:
Drip-edge is specialized flashing that should
If there’s water damage at the top of an interior
protrude from beneath the lowest courses of
wall or near a window, look outside for worn
roofing. It allows water to drip clear of the roof.
roofing, missing flashing, and the like. Water will Older homes lacking drip-edges often suffer
be the cause of many, if not most, problems.
water damage because water soaks backward
Reading a House
9
zzzzzz eaves Flashing
Two’s the Limit
If there are two or more layers of roofing, strip
Shingles
the roof to the sheathing before reroofing. The
best place to count layers is along the edges.
Waterproof membrane
But, as you count, keep in mind that roofers
or building paper
often double the shingles along the edges to
stiffen the shingle overhang so water drips
freely off its edge.
Sheathing
Drip-edge
Fascia
Soffit vent
Gutter
under sheathing onto the tops of walls (see
Wood SHINgLeS aNd SHaKeS
“Eaves Flashing” at right).
Shingle wear will almost always be greater on a
Wherever roofs adjoin walls or dormer walls,
south-facing roof because that side gets the most
look for roof-to-wall and step flashings, as shown sun. If shingle ends are cupping and splitting,
in “Flashing a Shed Roof That Abuts a House
plan to reroof soon.
Wall” on p. 89. At brick chimneys, consider
Mossy shingles or shakes are common in wet
whether saddle and step flashings are properly
climates and on shady roof sections. Although
counterflashed, as shown in “Chimney Flashing”
moss-covered shingles can be relatively sound,
on p. 88.
moss retains water and will induce rot.
If the house is in a fire-risk area, insurers may
aSpHaLT SHINgLeS
refuse to give a policy on a wood-shingle or
If the granular surface of asphalt shingles is worn wood-shake roof. In this case, replace it with
and if shingles are cupped and dog-eared, it’s
noncombustible roofing.
time for a new roof. Ditto if gutters contain a sig-
nificant amount of gravel washed off the surface
SLaTe SHINgLeS
of the shingles.
Do not attempt to walk on slate roofs. Even when
If the roofing is lumpy and uneven, there are
dry, they’re slippery. Slate also is brittle and
probably two or more layers of shingles that
breaks easily.
weren’t well installed. They’ll need to be stripped
Off-color areas may indicate replacement
to the sheathing before reroofing.
shingles in an area damaged by a falling tree
Do you see odd-colored shingles? If so, they
limb. Later, when you are in the attic, check for
are probably patches over old leaks. Or if the
water stains on supporting lumber.
roof is relatively new and shingles are worn in
If you see rust-colored streaks or cockeyed
only one area, perhaps one bundle of shingles
slates, the installer may have used nails that weren’t
was defective.
galvanized, which by now have rusted through.
A roof less than five years old with a large
Although it’s possible to remove and renail slate,
number of loose or missing shingles indicates
the job requires a costly specialist. However, if
that the installer’s power nailer was set too deep
many nails have rusted through, the roof is danger-
and drove the nails through the shingles. In this
ous, and the slate should be removed.
case, th
at roofing needs to be replaced.
10
Chapter 1
RooF TILeS
down new gravel, lock the door to the roof, and
consider yourself lucky.
Stay off tile roofs. Even when the slope isn’t steep,
Most leaks occur at turn-ups, where the flat
your weight could damage the tiles. Inspect them roof joins walls, parapets, and other vertical sur-
from an extension ladder or with binoculars.
faces. If the turn-up surfaces are cracked, split,
Look for odd-colored tiles from earlier
sagging, or unpainted, water may have gotten in
repairs. Obviously cracked or broken tiles can be
and done damage. A large amount of tar at the
replaced, but the job is costly. Under the roof,
base of walls may indicate inadequate flashing
check for water stains.
and frequent repairs.
Look closely at the ridge. Sagging ridge and
Cracking or blistering around downspout out-
rafters suggest too much weight on the framing.
lets and internal drains indicates inadequate
It’s a big expense to remove the tiles, bolster or
maintenance. Are there wire baskets in the open-
replace sagging rafters, replace sheathing, and
ings? Are openings free of debris? If you have
then replace tiles.
doubts, flush the outlets with a hose to see how
well they drain.
meTaL RooFINg
Is the flashing around plumbing vents sound?
Stay off metal roofs. They are slippery, whether
This is not a major repair, but it can indicate
wet or dry.
general neglect.
Even though a rusty roof may not look great, it
could be watertight with a lot of years left in it.
CHImNeYS
Roofs with superficial rust can be sanded and
Although the homeowner probably won’t let you
repainted. Check for evidence of leaks in the attic.
on the roof, chimneys need closer inspection
Roofing panels should be nailed at the high
than binoculars allow. Even if the chimney looks
point of metal folds. If you see many nails in the
good through binoculars, make the purchase
roofing channels themselves—where the water
agreement contingent on a professional chimney
runs—the installation was inept, and you’ll need
inspection. Here’s what a pro will look for:
a new roof.
Are mortar joints solid or crumbly?
Repointing mortar isn’t a big job unless it’s
BuILT-up RooFINg
badly eroded—in which case, the chimney may
On older built-up roofs, there were alternating
be unsound and may need to be rebuilt or
layers of heavy building paper and hot tar, cov-
removed.
ered with light-colored gravel to reflect sunlight
Is there a sloping mortar chimney cap or
and protect the surface from ultraviolet (UV)
crown at the top of the chimney to shed water?
damage. More recently, modified bitumin (MB)
A mortar cap is easy enough to repair, but a
has largely replaced hot tar and paper. MB roofs
cracked or missing cap suggests a lack of
typically have cap membranes “torched on”
general maintenance and possible water and
(heated with a propane flame) to fuse them to
ice damage inside the chimney. Concrete-
fiberglass-reinforced interplies, or base coats.
based caps in snow country should overhang
Blisters in built-up roofs are usually caused by bricks by at least 1 in. (see “Overhanging
trapped water. Individual blisters can be patched
Chimney Crown” on p. 227).
with three-course patches (see chapter 5), but if
If there is a prefabricated metal or
This old brick chimney has four
blisters are widespread, it’s time to reroof.
concrete cap elevated above the chimney top
strikes against it: crumbling mortar,
Foot traffic can abrade and puncture flat
to keep precipitation out, it, too, must be
failed base flashing, no flue lining,
roofs. If you find no evidence of water damage
crack-free and well attached. Elevated caps
and a wind-buffeted TV antenna that
below, you can spot-patch abused areas, lay
stresses mortar joints.
may interfere with fireplace draft, so look for
smoke marks above the fireplace opening.
Is chimney flashing at the roof intact?
FLat
Tired flashing can be replaced when it’s time
Roofs aren’t FLat to reroof, but missing or degraded flashing
Flat roof is a misnomer: Even relatively flat roofs
may mean water damage and rotted framing
need some slope to shed water. (After all, a
in the attic.
cubic yard of water weighs 1,684 lb.) Still, water
To be safe, chimneys must have an intact
tends to pool on low-slope roofs, so roofing
liner (usually flue tile in older houses). If the
membranes must be intact to keep water out.
flue is only brick and mortar instead of flue tile
or if there’s creosote running down the outside
of the chimney, the chimney is unsafe. Any
Reading a House
11
cracks in a flue—or no flue at all—can allow
superheated gases to escape and ignite the
Chimney Fires adjacent framing.
If the flue tile is badly cracked or if you spot
shiny black creosote flakes on the roof, there’s
House Exterior
been a chimney fire. Chances are the chimney
After inspecting the roof, examine the gutters and
wasn’t cleaned regularly, and combustible creo-
eaves. The overhanging eaves are actually a tran-
sote compounds built up inside the chimney. If
sition from roof to wall and are composed of sev-
the chimney can’t be relined—say, with a flexi-
eral building materials.
ble stainless-steel liner—it should be replaced.
It would also be wise to ask how frequently the
guTTeRS aNd doWNSpouTS
chimney was cleaned and how recently. If the
Eyeball the trim at the eaves. Is it intact or split-
owner claims that it was regularly cleaned, it’s
ting? Do you see stains or discoloration? Water
fair to ask to see inspection records.
damage along the eaves usually is caused by
Chimneys should be inspected annually,
clogged gutters or missing drip-edge flashing on
including a close inspection of the top. Better
the roof and, less often, by roof leaks.
chimney-cleaning services now lower video cam-
You’ll need to replace metal gutters that have
eras into the flue to show homeowners the cur-
rusted through or that leak widely. But this is a
moderate expense, unless you replace them with
rent situation and to make recommendations for
copper gutters. If the deteriorated gutters are
relining. More information can be found at the
wood, they will usually be nailed directly to fas-
Chi
mney Safety Institute of America’s website
cia trim or, less often, built into a cornice. By the
(www.csia.org).
time they fail, they may have allowed a lot of rot
to occur behind them. Probe to see how much.
Wood gutters are the most expensive to replace,
so consider alternatives.
Stained siding behind downspouts may have
been caused by clogs or gutter seams that rusted
through. Or if the downspouts and gutters are
new, upper downspout sections may have been
mistakenly slipped over lower ones, rather than
into them.
If rainwater gushes over the gutter, either the
downspout screen, the downspout itself, or the
ground drainpipe is clogged. Aboveground clogs
are easy to fix. Belowground clogs require either
reaming tools or digging, still only moderate
expenses. But if the drainpipe is clogged with
tree roots, you may need to replace it.
poking around
Any exterior weathering or deterioration may
signal rot behind. To find out, use a pocketknife
awl to gently probe exterior trim, siding–trim
joints, discolored siding along the base of a
house, and the trim around windows and doors.
If there’s rot, a gentle pressure on the awl will
be enough to penetrate damaged areas.
Leaking pipes and vegetation too close to the house were factors in causing this siding to rot.
12
Chapter 1
SIdINg
Tattletale
Wood siding will deteriorate if it’s not well
CraCks
maintained, especially along south-facing walls,
Diagonal cracks running out from the upper
which get the most sun. A certain amount of
corners of windows or doors may telegraph big
weathering is normal. Cracked and worn shin-
gles or clapboards can be replaced, but if the
trouble. Building loads often concentrate on a
deterioration is widespread, it makes sense to
header—a load-bearing member over a door or
re-side the whole wall.
window opening—and diagonal cracking may
If you see widespread vertical black-brown
be a sign the header is not adequately supported.
stains on siding that’s otherwise in good shape,
That is, the house’s framing or foundation may
installers likely failed to use galvanized or
be shifting. Get a structural engineer’s opinion.
corrosion-resistant nails. Fixing the problem
may mean sinking, filling, and priming the nail
Renovation 4th Edition Page 3
