Upon inspection of a flat roof leak, I discovered improper materials used on the flat portion, along with an ancient three-tab shingle roof. I found some leaks and issues with the shingle roof and the plumbing vent boots. Several areas in the soffit have rotted, and some areas of the facia board. The house has no soffit vents, gable vents, or ridge vents, so there is no way to move super-heated air out of the attic. This can speed up the aging process of your roof.
Old shingle roof with bad flat roof portion and rotten soffits
Table of contents
- Improper materials metal on flat roof
- Old three tab shingle roof with issues
- Chimney and chimney flashing issues
- Brittle shingles
- No drip edge causes problems!
- Bad plumbing vent boots cause leaks
- Bad wall flashing
- 1Improper materials metal on flat roof
In this photo, you can see that someone put corrugated screw-down metal on the flat portion of this porch roof. This is an incorrect material and should have a commercial membrane.
Go To Pin - 2Old three tab shingle roof with issues
Here you can see that the granules are gone from the shingles, and the asphalt is exposed. We have exposed nails and moss, and algae buildup. These shingles are very brittle and well past their life expectancy.
Go To Pin - 3Chimney and chimney flashing issues
Here, you can see that the chimney flashing is in poor condition. It appears to have not been installed correctly with the previous roofing job, and the cap is insufficient.
Go To Pin - 4Brittle shingles
Here, you can see that the shingles are brittle and beginning to break off at the edges.
Go To Pin - 5No drip edge causes problems!
In this photo, you can see no drip edge installed on the roof when it was replaced. Over time, this has caused leaking and rot around the eaves and Gables and probably causing rot at the soffits.
Go To Pin - 6Bad plumbing vent boots cause leaks
The vent boots are cracked and indeed leaking.
Go To Pin - 7Bad wall flashing
In this photo, you can see that the wall flashing is beginning to pull away from the house and likely causing some leaks.
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