The Roof, The Roof

[Shirley]

Well, it helps to triple bid.
One of the roofers said our roof is actually in good shape and the issue is with the shitty flashing around the chimney ( and that's where the leak is ) and that he was stunned they recommended a total replace.

Third opinion Friday.
Who knows whom to trust.

When a surgeon tells you you don't need surgery, you can probably trust them.

[pdub]

Have had some monsoon like rains and the leak, albeit very minor, is back around the chimney.
Call our guy who did the flashing who gave us a signed receipt with a lifetime warranty.
He died last year.

Should his business, which has been taken over by his son, honor the contract or not?

[KUTradition]

yes

[pdub]

They are not.
But it's tough to fight against that considering the circumstances.

[TDub]

Have had some monsoon like rains and the leak, albeit very minor, is back around the chimney.
Call our guy who did the flashing who gave us a signed receipt with a lifetime warranty.
He died last year.

Should his business, which has been taken over by his son, honor the contract or not?

Yes.

But, who the fuck gives a lifetime warranty on roof flashing? That's an impossible guarantee, materials shift, move, shingles degrade, paint scratches, oxidation occurs, chimneys move, caulk and bear shit, blackjack fails. I mean, lifetime? thats just crazy.


I'm sure he will honor it, show up, look at it and say, well the flashing didn't fail, the flashing is still in good shape, the failure was caused by xyz which isn't covered in the warranty.


Is the failure on the flat 90 flashing on the top and bottom of the chimney or in the step flashing going up either side? or can you tell at this point?

[pdub]

"I'm sure he will honor it, show up, look at it and say, well the flashing didn't fail, the flashing is still in good shape, the failure was caused by xyz which isn't covered in the warranty."

Yes.
This is what i'm thinking.
And I agree lifetime probably too much but it's been just over 2 years - so a 3-5 year warranty seems reasonable.

And we're not completely sure it is the flashing but we had 2 out of 3 roof peeps say the problem was the flashing when we had this originally fixed. The flashing was fixed and we didn't have any issues until the last couple weeks. The leak is in the same exact spot.

[TDub]

My opinion is that for most things...Lifetime guarantees are a gimmick and never meant to be fulfilled. Its really a pretty impossible thing to guarantee with no real ability to back up.

[pdub]

Sure.
But we didn't hire this guy because of his lifetime warranty. We had no idea about the lifetime warranty until he gave us the receipt and contract.

It would be ideal if it was an issue with the flashing, they'd fix it, and give us a significant discount.

[TDub]

"I'm sure he will honor it, show up, look at it and say, well the flashing didn't fail, the flashing is still in good shape, the failure was caused by xyz which isn't covered in the warranty."

Yes.
This is what i'm thinking.
And I agree lifetime probably too much but it's been just over 2 years - so a 3-5 year warranty seems reasonable.

And we're not completely sure it is the flashing but we had 2 out of 3 roof peeps say the problem was the flashing when we had this originally fixed. The flashing was fixed and we didn't have any issues until the last couple weeks. The leak is in the same exact spot.

Qas the roofing replaced at the same time or did they just replace the flashing and try to tuck the flashing under the existing shingles?

Step flashing is an overlapping process that really can't be done properly without accompanying shingle replacement. You can make do and give yourself a stopgap temporary fix with flashing and bear shit....but that isn't the long term correction.

[pdub]

The roofing was not replaced at the same time.
Two out of three roof inspectors said we were in the latter third of our roof's life but still had 5-6 more years.
We're budgeting for a roof replace in 2024, a year or two before what they estimated.

Roof is 17 years old. Hoping it holds til around 20.

[TDub]

So maybe you limp through the next couple years with temp fixes and wait to do anything majorly corrective woth the flashing until the roof is replaced. It can't be done properly without partial replacement around the chimney.

[TDub]

I should say...there are people and contractors that will tell you they can. What I'm saying is in my experience I dont believe that to be true and if I were giving a quote on the work I wouldn't take the job without partial roof replacement because I don't belive thats a solution I would feel good about leaving for the customer.

I, am admittedly not a roofing contractor either...so I don't roetend to be all knowing with roofing and roof flashing....but I have done a number of roofs through the years.

[TDub]

The roofing was not replaced at the same time.
Two out of three roof inspectors said we were in the latter third of our roof's life but still had 5-6 more years.
We're budgeting for a roof replace in 2024, a year or two before what they estimated.

Roof is 17 years old. Hoping it holds til around 20.

shingles or metal?

what are you thinking for the new roof?

[pdub]

The shingled part is 17 years old.
The rolled roof part, where the flashing is, is I think 10-12, maybe less, bc it was likely redone when the new peeps moved in, so yea, want to replace it all at once, so that definitely could be the issue, despite what the roofers said ( that it was the flashing ).

All three roofers recommended replacing it all at once, which we will.
We will do a rubber roof where the pitch is minimal as also recommended. And then do shingles in the more pitched parts of the house.

[pdub]

Rolled asphalt roof has to be towards the end though.
We're holding on for hopefully one more winter after this one and get it replaced, with rubber, in Spring 24. Pitch on that part of our roof is pretty minimal, though it's definitely not flat. 5 to 10 degrees?
The shingled part might wait though depending on the estimate as I think we could get more than 19 years out of them.

[ousdahl]

Have had some monsoon like rains and the leak, albeit very minor, is back around the chimney.
Call our guy who did the flashing who gave us a signed receipt with a lifetime warranty.
He died last year.

Should his business, which has been taken over by his son, honor the contract or not?

Yes.

But, who the fuck gives a lifetime warranty on roof flashing? That's an impossible guarantee, materials shift, move, shingles degrade, paint scratches, oxidation occurs, chimneys move, caulk and bear shit, blackjack fails. I mean, lifetime? thats just crazy.


I'm sure he will honor it, show up, look at it and say, well the flashing didn't fail, the flashing is still in good shape, the failure was caused by xyz which isn't covered in the warranty.


Is the failure on the flat 90 flashing on the top and bottom of the chimney or in the step flashing going up either side? or can you tell at this point?

we all know a bear shits in the woods

but now we got a bear shitting on the roof too?!

[TDub]

Rolled asphalt roof has to be towards the end though.
We're holding on for hopefully one more winter after this one and get it replaced, with rubber, in Spring 24. Pitch on that part of our roof is pretty minimal, though it's definitely not flat. 5 to 10 degrees?
The shingled part might wait though depending on the estimate as I think we could get more than 19 years out of them.

ah rolled asphalt roof...yea. Gotta go. You pretty much can't even get that stuff anymore. Really can't even get the standard 3 tab roofing anymore either. Its all architectural shingles.

5-10%....so like a 1/12 pitch? Thats about as flat as a residential roof gets. Typically you only ever see it that flat on porches, car ports, some add ons etc, but typically outdoor spaces. A slope that slight puts a lot of pressure on the roofing to do its job. Lot of moisture sitting there with no motivation to move and any sag in the structure can create areas where water wants to wick back up under the covering. Flashing and drip edge are extra critical in those scenarios. I'd probably still go shingles or metal though. I dont love the rubber roofing, though if done correctly it should be just as good as any other option.

[pdub]

All three recommended rubber because of the low pitch. I’d rather shingles but I guess it’s not the way to go with the slight pitch of this part of the house.

[TDub]

yea, I can see that. Rubber/EPDM is fantastic. Perhaps I misrepresented that. The issue I have with it is I feel like its more likely to be installed incorrectly than others because its less common...and when installed incorrectly is more susceptible to things like ice dams and small leaks that are very difficult to find origins.

Its also super damn slippery if you ever have to go up there in the winter and it's more likely to get damaged by branches and debris (if thats an issue....it can be for me is why I mention it).

[TDub]

All of which, is long winded way to say make sure the contractor has a warranty on the rubber which includes both material and labor for both the repair and the discovery (finding the leak), and make sure the warranty includes repairs beyond the roofing in case something goes unnoticed and ends up in the ceiling joists or drywall below etc.