The Roof, The Roof

[pdub]

The Roof is not on fire. It's leaking ( minor leaks around chimney ).

Just bought a house. Inspector didn't make notes of possible damage to the roof.
Had our first roofer come out to take a look - he said the area has been patched multiple times and he recommends a total replacement to a rubber roof ( since the roof is only very slightly pitched ).

I'm pretty confident our home insurance won't cover normal wear and tear.
Are we just fucked for using an inspector who ( while he went on the roof to inspect ) didn't catch this?

[TDub]

Most home inspectors are fairly worthless and their contract language essentially ensures that no responsibility falls back onto them. The licensing process to get certified as a home inspector is pretty cheesy.

How long have you had the house? I dont know that you have a lot of avenues for recouping the cost of a new roof. Rubber roofs on residential properties are pretty rare. If it was a standard roof you could do the work yourwelf and save a lot of money. Rubber can be trickier. Is it a built up roof with the insulation and cricketing built into the roofing system or just a TPO membrane or single ply asphalt mop down system?

[pdub]

9 months.
Yea, our inspector was recommended but apparently didn't do his job very well.

[TDub]

Check your contract paperwork. Sometimes included woth the purchase of the home is a 1 year warranty (depends on the realtor) if it is yiu can call them, it is likely they might cover part of the expense. It generally applies to major house systems, hvac, plumbing, roofing. I hate those warranties but they have a value for some homeowners. The drawback is you are required to use their specific list of corrupt contractors. And its a pain in the ass to get the work approved.

[jhawks99]

I hate inspectors. The first time we used one he was recommended by the real estate agent. Who I think was actually the seller's agent but he never disclosed that. We were young and inexperienced.

If you can get a roofer to say that it was storm damage you might be able to get the insurance co to pay for it.

[Deleted User 295]

Ah the joys of homeownership.

Probably out of luck getting someone else to pay for it, but don't compound mistakes by trying to save money by going cheaper this time around. Find a reputable roofer and have it fixed correctly the first time. A roof is nothing to play around about.

[Deleted User 295]

As far as storm damage goes, even if you get a roofer to say it was storm damage, you'll also have to have the insurance inspector agree....and even then they try to cover as little as possible. Especially if you haven't had some serious storms recently. Regular wear and tear won't be enough for them to cover it.

[TDub]

Illy is correct. A failure to properly repair your roof would be a mistake. Dont be shortsighted on this repair. It is obviously a key component to the functionality of your house and the systems contained within. Ive seen people skimp on roof repairs only to result in thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars in repairs to other systems that could've been prevented.

[pdub]

Oh, no, we fully understand that if the recco is a roof replacement, we will absolutely do it.
And it's looking like that.
It's a big investment that would have had to be done at some point as the roof is around 17-18 years old ( and we'll have three roofers or so come out and give estimates/reccos ).

It's more of, we just bought a house and are upset that our inspector didn't notice this so that we could have helped mitigate the cost at close. We were told by him and our agent that we should have another 5-10 years with this roof.

And I guess rubber based roofs are more common in Maine than tar/shingle without very significant pitch.

[TDub]

Yea i understand the frustration. Inspectors are shit. My current house i wasnt able to do the inspection myself as i was working out of state during the purchase. 6 months after we bought it i did some digging and found a rotted section in the bathroom which required a complete redo of the joists in a 10x10 area, and the HVAC system is shit and ive got to replace it all at a cost of 10-12k.

[pdub]

That's in the ballpark of our first estimate.
Looks like we'll be running ads on kcrim soon enough.

[jhawks99]

Surveys here we come.

[TDub]

Roofs usually run 12-25 around here depending on material, pitch, and the amount of repair to the subsheathing that is required. Pay special attention to the flashing and sealant at your eaves and around penetrations, if sone wrong thwy can compromise the whole system and they are often done fast and shoddily by residential contractors

[Soklous]

Roofs usually run 12-25 around here depending on material, pitch, and the amount of repair to the subsheathing that is required.

12-25 bucks.

[TDub]

Hey that shit works. I hear you can make a boat out of it.

No, but really, it works pretty well. Ive used it many many times as a temporary water stop before and during rain events. It is only to be used as a temporary stop gap however

[Deleted User 295]

Oh, no, we fully understand that if the recco is a roof replacement, we will absolutely do it.
And it's looking like that.
It's a big investment that would have had to be done at some point as the roof is around 17-18 years old ( and we'll have three roofers or so come out and give estimates/reccos ).

It's more of, we just bought a house and are upset that our inspector didn't notice this so that we could have helped mitigate the cost at close. We were told by him and our agent that we should have another 5-10 years with this roof.

And I guess rubber based roofs are more common in Maine than tar/shingle without very significant pitch.

To an extent it's impossible for an inspector to catch everything (or predict how quick things will happen in the future)...especially considering it sounds like the roof is older and each party (inspector and buyer) knew that...if it wasn't faulty and causing these issues from Day 1 then it's not really on the inspector imo (at least not in the sense of them being financially responsible....but it does poorly reflect on their quality of work). Sounds like a case of bad luck and bad timing. Chimney is a notorious place where leaks occur in older homes/roofs. It's crazy how much damage water can do, and how quickly it can do it once it breaks thru.


I use the same inspection company for all property purchases. I don't like when a home inspector is chosen by someone else because if they suck you won't know until it's too late.

[TDub]

Oh, no, we fully understand that if the recco is a roof replacement, we will absolutely do it.
And it's looking like that.
It's a big investment that would have had to be done at some point as the roof is around 17-18 years old ( and we'll have three roofers or so come out and give estimates/reccos ).

It's more of, we just bought a house and are upset that our inspector didn't notice this so that we could have helped mitigate the cost at close. We were told by him and our agent that we should have another 5-10 years with this roof.

And I guess rubber based roofs are more common in Maine than tar/shingle without very significant pitch.

Chimney is a notorious place where leaks occur in older homes/roofs. It's crazy how much damage water can do, and how quickly it can do it once it breaks thru.

Hence the importanceof proper sequencing and installation of flashing and sealant.

[ousdahl]

I thought this thread was gonna be about the bloodhound gang.

[PhDhawk]

Ardvark's favorite band

[pdub]

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.