81
This is a common mistake, which will lead to premature roof wear. What the installer should have done, was to install an A to B transition elbow, and continued down the roof with a section of down spout. Then used an A elbow to have the water dump directly into the lower gutter.
It should end up similar to this
Allowing the high volume of water to flow ...
67
Absolutely not safe.
Those trusses were engineered with a heavy (critical) dependency on the bottom chords, which are in tension. Removal has left them extremely vulnerable to collapse due to spreading, especially under snow loads, but also under just the load of the roof itself. The roof system is basically a hinge now.
To get a good mental image, ...
31
That is a balloon bird repellent device. It is designed to mimic the appearance of an owl to scare away smaller birds and prevent them from building nests in the eaves, or to prevent them from flying into windows. See https://www.amazon.com/Balloon-Bird-Repellent-Effective-Solution/dp/B01DAFTNEU
31
With no bracing above, you might want to check the out side walls - they are probably already spreading. Once they start moving the stabilization and repair can cost many thousands if the roof stays in place, tens of thousands if it comes down.
There are ways to mitigate the damage done, but it needs to be done now before the walls spread, the rafters ...
30
Is it supposed to be like that?
There needs to be air circulation in unheated space to prevent condensation causing rot.
It's freezing up there
That is good. It means your loft insulation is working.
I'm more concerned about animals entering the house.
I found fixing wire-mesh externally to any small gaps at the top of the walls keeps unwelcome ...
25
Most likely an abandoned fireplace chimney, if evidence supports the theory that the bathroom under that area has been added recently. Otherwise they may have re routed a bathroom exhaust fan into it. Take the cage off and look down it with a flashlight.
25
It's called a "Widow's Walk". The name stems from the fact that it was a prominent feature in homes near the sea, where wives of seafarers would (presumably) go to stare out at the ocean, hoping to see their husbands returning, but often finding out that they were widows.
24
Assuming a shingle roof. When to replace:
It is leaking and can't be easily repaired.
It looks bad. You don't like the looks, or the city is threatening to fine you for code violations.
You want a better roof. Better hurricane resistance in my case.
An unbiased expert says it should be replaced.
The climate affects the expected life--heat is hard on ...
20
It turns out people have consumed rainwater for millions of years. So there's some precedent.
This is very well covered online, so grab a search engine and get reading. Here's a summary of concerns.
In the US, it may be illegal (look up "water rights") but for individual home use, that is usually ignored.
You'll get a lot of water from your roof really ...
19
No. Layers of shingles on top of each other shorten the life of the roof due to the newest layer sitting on an uneven lower surfaces.
The best life will come from removing all the old layers down to roof boards or sheathing and then laying down the new roof on a well repaired flat surface.
Multiple layers of shingles happen because folks want to avoid ...
18
The triangle is an extremely stable form of architecture precisely because it has three sides. You remove one side, and you have one of the least stable forms of architecture on account that two members connected at a point can be affected by torque, which is by definition a force multiplier. If you want to play around with it to get a sense, try gluing two ...
17
A
If you choose B you will dimple the steel, ruining the look while creating a penetration point for water because expansion and contraction of the metal due to heating and cooling will create an open access point for water to enter, and a big opening behind it to receive it.
A, however, will give you a tight seal against the wood, wood-steel-screw in a ...
17
I guess you mean a galvanized or otherwise coated steel. Life depends on weather, specifically rain. In a desert it will last forever. If the current coating is repaired at any damage spots, it will last almost forever. "Repair" could be anything from dabbing on roofing tar to sandblasting and coating with a zinc-rich epoxy (typically used to protect ...
16
Sounds like you need a chimney cap
These come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They keep out most rain and snow and, most importantly, animals.
You should attach any cap with stainless screws and lead anchors. Sealant is not a big issue, since there is no need for air or water tight joints. While sealant might hold in most conditions, strong winds could ...
16
Yes
The granules (they're typically ceramic) act as UV protection and fire retardant. It's normal to lose these over time, but the shingle in your bottom picture looks to be missing as much as half its granules. Additionally, the larger the hail stone, the more likely it damaged the shingles themselves (1" hail stones are serious).
Most homeowners ...
15
As I mentioned in a comment to Jay's post, rainwater collecting may be illegal, dependent on your State. Western states, which get less rain, generally employ the doctrine of "prior appropriation"; an entity can claim the rights to water that will enter a waterway even if it hasn't arrived there yet. This means that by collecting rainwater into a cistern, ...
15
I would suggest actively saving/setting aside money specifically to replace it, perhaps in 4 years if it appears to be in good shape now. 25 years is a pretty typical rated life, and your costs for replacement go up a great deal if small leaks you don't notice inside the house cause the roof decking to rot before you replace the roof.
14
Your plan is exactly right, except that you don't need such heavy-duty hardware to do the jacking/winching. Even a pair of motorcycle ratchet straps or a come-along is going to do the job, especially if you jack up the ridge board. I think it'll all move easier than you anticipate. Just make sure you have solid connections to the walls so you don't have any ...
14
As a R.R.C. and roofer for over 25 years, this doesn't surprise me. Anyone with a pickup truck and a ladder calls himself a roofer.
This is wrong, if they eliminated vents they should have replaced the sheathing. An opening up to 4"x4" can be covered with metal, but anything bigger requires re-sheathing to eliminate a fall hazard. Also the nail pattern ...
13
This is caused by:
poor roof design
poor gutter installation
Since it's not cheap to fix the roof, the solution is to fix the gutters. You simply need larger and/or repositioned gutters. The catch is if you also have heavy snow loads. In that case, you also need strong, well-installed gutters. :)
In this case, since it's really only one spot, I'd probably ...
12
I wouldn't worry too much about it. The plywood is not typically supporting a load of more than the paper and asphalt shingles that were placed, even more so if you have a considerable pitch on your roof to where it would be difficult or impossible for a person to walk on. It basically serves so that you have something to nail the shingles down securely.
...
12
I would give your business to one of the "is good and stays dry" roofers who are not blatantly trying to fleece you.
Now, the other two may be working from the assumption that if you bothered to call a roofer, you have leaks. But they strike me a lying scammers if they are selling you new plywood with no idea if the roof deck is rotten or solid.
Plywood ...
12
As pictured - very bad idea.
It may work IF the roof is re-engineered to carry a lot more of the stress across the top and bottom of the cutout. That means a much beefier horizontal beam on all four sides of his hole AND a rework of the roof by re-trussing the entire structure.
Some examples:
This one is a Scissor Truss, and also wears the more ...
11
Plywood absorbs water and is not a sealing material, period. You can use it as base for ruberoid roof, but not as the layer exposed to the rain.
When exposed to rain, wind and sun plywood will cycle through absorbing water and drying out and this will wear out the most outer layer in no time so that it cracks and the damage then proceeds to the next layer ...
11
The best way is to go around the roof, not through it. As soon as you have a hole, you are providing a path for water. You can seal it, but it's always going to be a weak spot. Additionally, if you ever need to redo the roof, it will be a pain to deal with the wires that are now in the way.
Better to come out of wall, then go up to the roof. You still ...
11
You have either, too flat of a pitch in your roof or installed your roof tiles incorrectly. Just accept it and move on.
It's going to have to be redone. You would be wisest to tear it all out, then get someone who knows how to do it correctly in to do it. If you half-ass it now, it will just come back later, usually after causing structural damage for years....
answered Mar 24 '16 at 14:08
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10
What you show in the picture is known as a One-way Breather Vent (there are also two-way). Its intended purpose is to provide pressure equalization throughout the roof system and also provides ventilation for the insulation system.
In some buildings that do not have a vapor barrier (even some that do), pressure changes inside the building can be forced ...
10
As much as you probably don't want to hear this, I am quite sure you are stuck with the job as it is. The time to decide if the sheathing needed to be replaced or over sheathed was when the roof was stripped clean.
My first observation is that you said you had 3/8" plywood. 3/8" would be the absolute minimum size, 1/2" or 5/8" T&G would have been ...
10
"Shingles torn" "Nails showing"
You very probably have leaks you have not yet noticed. If you re-roof now, you might not rot out the roof deck and need to replace it as well. If you wait until you have leaks you notice, you may find that you're rotted out the roof deck and be looking at a far larger bill.
However - don't hire ANY contractor that drives by, ...
10
The ceramic granules are the protective layer of the shingle. They're not merely aesthetic. They offer UV, impact, and corrosion protection, and the shingle is vulnerable when they're removed.
The roof probably will not leak now, or in a few weeks, or a few months, but eventually the shingles will deteriorate badly enough that water gets through above the ...
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