Roofers Facing Unexpected Structural Issues
15 posts across 4 communities in the last 60 days; 73% from r/Roofing.
“This is a kit cabin at a clients property, it is solid wood assembled “Lincoln log” style. I’m not sure if it came with a roof or what but either way the lack of overhang on this side is a problem. The 2 corners of the structure in this photo do let water leach thru during rainy…”
“I'm trying to find out what the best solution for this chimney is. We will be replacing the SA asphalt on my 1:12 roof soon. This is on a new house I just bought, and this chimney has been a problem the entire life of the home. It is currently leaking pretty good all the way…”
“I am going to reroof and get new insulation. The current insulation in my attic is apparently at a R15 equivalent and is going to be replaced with R39. There are soffit vents and ridgecap vents in the shingles along the ridge, but there is also an electric fan in the roof. I…”
Multiple roofing professionals are encountering unusual or concerning conditions during roof inspections and repairs, including uneven roofs, moss growth, and potential structural problems. Homeowners are seeking advice on whether these issues warrant immediate attention or costly replacements.
SOURCES (34)
“It strikes me that if i wanted to thicken a (badly diy) cathedral roof conversion to make room for thicker batting and soffit/gable vent it would be easier to remove shingles and sheathing (which is going to happen anyway) and add 2x4 above each rafter…”
“This is a kit cabin at a clients property, it is solid wood assembled “Lincoln log” style. I’m not sure if it came with a roof or what but either way the lack of overhang on this side is a problem. The 2 corners of the structure in this photo do let water leach thru during rainy winters. As you can see the drip edge of the metal roof basically funnels water behind the wood batten that covers the end grain here. Maybe more of an [ r/construction ]( r/construction ) question but I’m wondering what”
“Two roofers came and want to do ridge vents on a new roof. One said hidden intake ventilation because my roof doesn't have soffits and the other suggested breathable deck armor. Would a ridge vent with or without intake do anything if the ceiling is filled with insulation? submitted by /u/Tabuchi [link] [comments]”
“I'm trying to find out what the best solution for this chimney is. We will be replacing the SA asphalt on my 1:12 roof soon. This is on a new house I just bought, and this chimney has been a problem the entire life of the home. It is currently leaking pretty good all the way around. This chimney is about 32x60 inches. As you can see in the pictures, the roof line on the left side of the chimney slopes up and the right side slopes down. I am trying to find a good counter flashing detail to ma”
“There’s some structural work that needs don’t buy i ran out of time this year. Until then, is there anyway to better insulate the underside of this area which is my mud room? I’ll be installing a baseboard heater in the mud room but as of now it gets down to whatever the outside temp is in there. I’m in WNY so could be -15° any given day. Foam board? submitted by /u/_aphoney [link] [comments]”
“I've just had my shared chimney stack, which is on a party wall, reduced to it ends just under the roof. They have just felted and battened over the top of it. I am confused if this was correct/how this should be done, as roofers I've asked largely say to just batten and tile over it, without mention of capping it off first. Should it have been capped off with concrete or something before felt and battens were put over? Also not sure how it should be vented now, as it's got to be sea”
“Apparently the norm is to take attic fans out and just replace with a ridge vent. Assuming a ridge vent is an opening at the top of the roof that allows air to escape, I do believe they did this. Should I be bothered? Do I need to insist that the attic fan be reinstalled? Or will the ridge vent be satisfactory? Originally my house had an attic fan and a house fan. But the electrician recommended it was only worth repairing one and advised for the attic fan. That and the house fan would need to b”
“Hi all, I am in the process of getting a new roof (being installed next week) and the roofing company has told me they intend to install 4 O'hagin vents along the primary ridge of my roof. I am under the impression these would interact with my current gable vents and potentially 'short circuit' the cooling of my attic. My question is whether it makes sense to potentially cover my gable vents to have the cooling higher on my roof, or for an area like mine (socal) if the gable vents ar”
lol it’s good to note! Absolutely. The house is super old. I’m in Northern PA, so very old house. Wood floors and creaky steps. We knew the outside needed work down for…
“I am going to reroof and get new insulation. The current insulation in my attic is apparently at a R15 equivalent and is going to be replaced with R39. There are soffit vents and ridgecap vents in the shingles along the ridge, but there is also an electric fan in the roof. I keep reading that those fans can sometimes be bad, and I don't quite understand why. The fan is on a thermostat and it is in the roof (up near the ridge) so if it gets too hot, why is it bad to pull the heat out? Anyways”
“Hi all! I could use some help/guidance here... I bought a super shitty house. Real shitty. But now I'm stuck with it, and am trying to make the most of it. I have no attic access. One room upstairs is vaulted, the rest is small dead space. I'm having a humidity issue that is causing an HVAC duct up there to sweat. Yes, it has been very hot and humid. But I started thinking...I don't have any roof vents. I have a ridge vent, but no soffit vents, and that's it. I'm having the r”
“Just had my dormer roof replaced, they replace old 2x4 rafters and rotted ridge board, as well as the joists to give me more head room, from my research shouldn’t they have added a ridge beam not just a ridge board since I only have collar ties. Room is about 20 feet across at a 5/12 pitch. 2x8 rafters and 2x10 ridge board. submitted by /u/Fit_Jackfruit8350 [link] [comments]”
“Recently had some flat roof work done on my Victorian terrace in the UK. The roofer recommended adding a few slate vents lower down on the pitched roof to improve eaves ventilation and prevent loft damp. Sounded sensible, so I went ahead. The slaters replaced a few slates with vented ones evenly spaced towards the bottom of the pitched roof. To do this, they removed an existing slate in each space and cut through the existing non-breathable underlay membrane, thereafter replacing the old slate w”
“Hi, all, Not sure I have ever felt as vulnerable as I feel trying to figure out what roof to get and who to get it from. I sure hope someone can help. Just bought a mid-Century house in Maryland. Has no attic, exposed beams in living areas below. Slope (according to two estimators) is 2.12. You can't really see the roof much from the street. Current roof has two layers and is squishy and bubbled in places. It is quite old. First estimator said we could do shingles, but it wouldn't be bes”
“Hi guys, We recently enclosed our veranda and joined it to the indoor area. The roof was built with a metal frame, OSB sheathing, a black membrane for drainage, and roof tiles. The new extension roof was positioned beneath the existing building roof. During winter, water entered the structure,we believe this happened because the slope was insufficient. We have now removed everything, installed an asphalt membrane directly on the OSB, and raised the new roof to improve the slope. We plan to leave”
“I recently bought a house and it needs a new roof. I have had 6 different roofers come out (a bit excessive I know) and I am getting conflicting information on the best ventilation system. I live in western NY (you know where that Allen guy is popular), so snow and inclement weather are considerations. The house has no soffits, 5 box vents, and the gable vents are blocked. It’s a straightforward roof, one ridge. Here are the 5 options I’ve been given: Very expensive estimate, they suggested keep”
“So, I began a project of remodeling my home in upstate NY. Its a 1930's cape cod, and has a 2nd floor living area (bedrooms, if you will). Recently had a new roof put on where they removed the old box vents and installed a ridge vent. The soffits on both sides are not vented, and the knee walls look to have blown in on the floors and fiberglass bats between studs. If I have no incoming air from the soffits, what is the best way to insulate under the decking of the living space to keep the te”
“Hi everyone. I read through many posts in this forum and didn't find an answer to my question, which is: we installed a new roof last year that included a ridge vent. The back side of the house has soffit vents, the front side not. I haven't found a contractor who will install soffit vents in a two-story house, and I'm now longer able to do that myself. I had discussed at the time of the new roof of installing an edge vent along the front and decided against it. Now we're putting”
“Ongoing conservatory roof conversion and I have noticed 2 incorrectly cut and installed tiles from looking from a room above. Personally I think this looks scruffy. You can't see these from below due to window placement and these being behind them. Planning to mention it when the installers return but wondered if this is picky.. these aren't areas which will be covered by flashing. Rest of the project looks great so am suprised to find these issues. Thanks in advance! submitted by”
“I'm getting a new roof and it looks like my original roof had too much exhaust. House is 12 years old with original roof. Haven't noticed any issues in attic due to moisture, etc. I have about 88 feet of ridge venting and about 116 feet of standard Hardie soffit vents. According to my calculations, I have about 580 sq. in. of intake (yellow lines) and 1584 sq. in. exhaust (red lines). My attic space is about 2000-2200 square feet. It is mostly open, but some small sections as soon in pho”
“We're getting our house re roofed as the current roof is tired soffits need replacing and theirs no felt etc. I'm trying to work out what looks best but most importantly what the house likely was when it was built in 1901. I've found a lot of slate and beautiful old iron stone ridge tiles in the garden but can't find a single photo of the house originally. Period correct is important to me and I've been restoring it back to how it was designed slowly. Like the porch for examp”
“Recently moved into an older house, and our first summer has revealed some ventilation issues. Currently, for intake there are two gable sides that have some holes cut out in them, and a screen over it. For exhaust, there are just two box vents. This has led to the attic being ~170f last time it was checked. We’ve had a few roofers come out to assess and give quotes. My preference is ridge vents due to the passive nature, but there are a couple of potential issues: We are planning a home extensi”
“I'm trying to learn more about the construction of the roofs on the house I bought. I've been up on my roof doing some painting work and I'm wondering if my roofs have adequate ventilation. There's no attic space anywhere in the house. Rafters on the sloped roof are 2x8s and the flat roof I believe is 2x6. The only vents I see coming through are for plumbing vents, furnace and kitchen exhaust. Looking on the eaves I don't see any vents to let air in. I live in California so h”
“I live in a very narrow Tudor house and the attic is right about the window. I’m planning to get a roofer out to add some intake vents since there’s no soffits. How would intake vents be added on a strange roof like this? I’m guessing smart vents may be the way to go since it’ll add a gap halfway up the shingles? Are there any other options? submitted by /u/TreesAreOverrated5 [link] [comments]”
“Like the title says, my house I bought 2 years ago had a brand new roof put on with ridge vents. I’ve recently noticed there aren’t any soffit vents. It’s a tri level home that has 2 separate roofs, 2 separate ridge vents. One is higher than the other. Who do I have install soffit vents if that’s what’s needed? submitted by /u/Successful_Job1975 [link] [comments]”
“I am falling further and further down a rabbit hole when it comes to attic ventilation and now I'm realizing I'm in over my head. I live in Michigan and have a split level house. I am re-shingling my roof and am to the point where I need to make the call on venting. The top roof is 38x36 with maybe 2ft of ridge. The rest is hip. The bottom roof has 20ft of ridge. There is no attic separation. Its like a small open air channel between the attics. My original plan was to put 20ft of ridge”
“Is it as simple as decking, ice shield, (possibly a 2x4 or 2x6 on the bottom edge to hold the first course,) rockwool, decking, (radiant barrier, furring if needed,) metal roof or? I've been trying to find someone in my area willing to do it but the only videos are of people like Matt Risinger building a whole ass roof on top of a roof so no one around here has tried it nor been interested. Well, one company offered to do polyiso for $25,000 🙃 Anywho, is it as 'easy' as it seems or”
“Roof was replaced in 2012. Upper Midwest. There is an area with a flat roof over one portion of the house. There is moss in a few small areas that worries me. submitted by /u/jredjolly [link] [comments]”
“Recently had a new roof installed. Our old roof had a ridge vent but also a solar powered attic vent and there are two gable vents. Yes, that is how the previous homeowners had the roof done and our upstairs bedroom stayed pretty cool with a mini split system but humid during the summer. The “attic” is only about 30” tall, roughly 15’ wide, is well insulated and basically is crawl space. Our ceiling is so close to the roof that the attic doesn’t really qualify as an attic. There are no soffits b”
“I am a first time buyer with my wife and we have seen a nice property however we noticed the cement in the gully on the house. Apparently the seller had the roof done last year which as an uneducated person on roofing matters looks like it was done by a cowboy. I beleive the roof may need repointing but please let me know if I’m wrong as it looks like it came from under the ridge titles. Many thanks submitted by /u/BertFuckingReynolds [link] [comments]”
“I have a sunroom with a gabled roof. I just installed a ridge vent this weekend. I am going to install soffit vents and rafter baffles. I want to insulate it and am wondering if I can use mineral wool unfaced insulation or if I need a vapor barrier. This will be conditioned space and I am in the Southeast USA. I would prefer mineral wool, even if that necessitates a vapor barrier. I am going to put a pine board ceiling in after this and there is no attic space. I have 2x6 rafters exposed right n”
“Looking to buy a victorian terraced house (approx 1905) in Nottingham. The roof, i beleive, was redone in about 2007 or 2008, but not sure exactly what work was done but it was definitely fully retiled. To me, the roof looks a bit uneven and theres a fair bit of moss growth near the chimney stack. Would this be concerning? I know a full rebuilt will be between £10k-£12k so would rather budget that in before i complete! I'm trying to find a roofer to carry out an inspection but can't seem”