New roof done, need your opinion

[jermyzy]

Hey guys, just had a new roof installed (cedar --> asphalt conversion) at my house, and just noticed a couple of things, hopefully I can get your opinions on it. Along the edges of the roof, I noticed that there is exposed wood under the shingles. Is this normal and do I have to worry about the wood rotting?

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Also, does the flashing around the chimney look okay, or is it supposed to be sealed off completely?

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Thanks for your help!

[John Dirks Jr]

Im no roofing expert but that work doesnt impress me at all. The chimney flashing looks incomplete at best. There is lack of flashing all together in the areas of exposed wood. It even looks like there are gaps big enough for critters to crawl right in. The plywood should not be sticking up above the rake board like that.

Very poor workmanship in my opinion.

[chicago]

From using shingles on what appears to be less than a 2-12 to cracked underlayment with no drip edge and nails through aluminum foil for step flashing (sorry thats what it looks like.

Here check out this cool video.

http://dreamroofs.com/en/04/p_04_02.aspx

When you are done watching ,cancel the check. (Of course this is not legal advise and only satire (cough- cough.)

John check out the video yourself as I just found the thing.

[jermyzy]

So essentially, as I expected, my roof is not "water-proof" at all. I am gathering photo evidence and will be calling the roofing contractor soon. So with regards to the exposed wood problem, what is normally done to seal the roof and to ensure it is water-proof? Should drip edges be installed at all edges?

Chicago --> Is the cracked underlayment in the third picture? Regarding the chimney flashing, are they supposed to use some sort of sheet metal? And also, what is the concern with using nails in the flashing?

UPDATE: I just consulted my house inspector who inspected my house in November prior to my purchasing of the house. He told me that it is quite common to expose the plywood sheathing, but is not good practice. I checked my roofing contract and there is mention of drip edges. Can I hire another company to install drip edges and thus rectify the problem of exposed wood, or will extensive work be required to solve this problem?

[John Dirks Jr]

When Bob says cracked underlayment I think he is refering to the third picture. You can see where the plywood is bowed. On the bottom side you can see the material de-laminating and cracking.

A problem I see with the plywood sticking up in second picture is it is causing the shingles to loose their downward pitch. In that area, water is likely to spill back up under the tabs of the upper shingle and leak through to the decking underneath.

If the plywood were flush with the rakes and not sticking up like it is then drip edge would help protect it.

Thanks for the video link Bob. Ill be sure and watch it.

[chicago]

Just from the few pictures "I see so much that is just not right" I would say call another roofer in to inspect it and ask what needs to be done to correct the problems.

The roof is not made to be waterproof but to shed water.

Flashing needs to be done correctly as this is the place where water will most likely gain entry.Not being there and seeing more detail ,such as why the underlayment appears to be sticking out so far in the first picture I cannot begin to guess what is going on.

The bottom picture shows no flashing and it will be leaking soon.The step flashing is not even really attached to the brick so nails are the least of your worries.

Were these professional Roofers?

[jermyzy]

Thanks for the help guys! I will be contacting a local roofing inspection company tomorrow and hope to get this all resolved with the roofing contractor. I had received quotes from a large roofing company and the current roofing contractor. Price difference was ~$3000, I did a quick search with the Better Business Bureau (they are members) and there were no complaints against the roofing contractor so I went with them .

Just one more quick question, any idea what this white tab on my roof is? There are two of them, one on each side of my house...

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[hausdok]

That roofer's version of a kickout flashing. He's using them to prevent the water from overshooting the ends of the gutters.

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[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by jermyzy

Thanks for the help guys! I will be contacting a local roofing inspection company tomorrow and hope to get this all resolved with the roofing contractor. I had received quotes from a large roofing company and the current roofing contractor. Price difference was ~$3000, I did a quick search with the Better Business Bureau (they are members) and there were no complaints against the roofing contractor so I went with them .

As a general rule, you always want to avoid the low bidder.

Just one more quick question, any idea what this white tab on my roof is? There are two of them, one on each side of my house...

It's a diverter flashing. Since the gutter doesn't extend past the edge of the roof, the roofer put these there to divert water into the gutter. Otherwise, you'd have a stream of water flowing off the end of that barge rafter.

In general, your roofing job looks hamfisted. I can't tell you much more because your pictures are unclear. Try to take wider establishing shots so that we can get a perspective on what it is that the close-ups are showing.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[msteger]

Like the others responded above, from the pictures posted, in my opinion, this installation was low quality.