shake roof question

[jodil]

Hi,

I read everything on this forum in regards to shake roofs, and know alot more now. However, I'd like you alls opinion about this one. This roof is only 4 years old. It has ALOT of moss (large pieces of moss growing underneath top layer has popped off some shakes), there are several shakes in various areas that have already been replaced, and I could see felt in various areas.

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The realtor asked me when she showed up if the roof is "serviceable?" I told her any roof is "serviceable." (just a matter of how much service one is willing to pay for?)

Anyways, is it typical for such a newer roof to have so much moss? (There is a huge oak tree in the front that completely blocks the front from any sunlight.)

What is your opinion of the roof in general?

Thank you!

[hausdok]

Hi Jodi,

That's hard to say. If I had to rely on the first photo, I'd say there's no way that cover is only 4 years old and it's rotting. However, it doesn't look nearly as bad in the second photo; although it's still hard to say, since it's too far away and it's not a very good angle.

Was the cover over a solid deck or skip sheathing?

Were there felts interwoven into the shakes that you could see from the attic side?

Is it possible that only one slope was redone and the other is older and rotten?

Are these certa shakes with any kind of warranty?

If you're going to take photos and ask folks to try and gauge wear, the best thing to do is to take some establishing shots that show the perimeter of the house and then the entire roof and then smaller areas, moving from the general toward the spefic, taking several shots as you move in. You also need to take shots from several angles and even straight on so that we can get a better view of the shakes.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

Those are the thinnest shakes I've ever seen. Are you sure they aren't shingles?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[jodil]

I dont know if this photo is any better at showing you what you need to know.

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The attic was partially finished off (inside of attic had blanket insulation covering everything) which was just installed.

According to the home owner (and the Realtor whom has sold and listed this house several times over the last 10 years) it was completley redone four years ago. I didnt think to ask him if it was under warranty.

The front side (as seen in the above pic) has the most moss (due to the huge tree in front) but appears in better condition even with the moss than the back side.

I worry about it, since the seller is a "handyman" and has done a crappy job at other repairs (cutting a doorway through the foundation to make a storage room where the cistern used to be with nothing re-enforcing the opening.)

thank you

[Jim Katen]

I might believe that that roof is four years old if it were covered by an oak.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Hi,

From that angle, they look like wood shingles where the maintenance has been neglected. A proper HVLP cleaning and oiling will probably bring it back but if it's over solid decking it's never going to be able to breath properly and I doubt that it will last nearly as long as the roofer said it would. By the way, the reason that I suspect solid decking is the drip edge at the eaves. With shakes applied over skip, there is normally an inch or two of overhang before that first piece of skip and no reason to use a drip unless you're trying to protect the edge of an OSB or plywood deck.

That moss is quite literally eating those shakes, by the way.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[jodil]

Ahhha~Your'e so smart Mike! I would never of noticed that.

[jodil]

Since there is most likely OSB or a solid form of decking underneath, combined with no ventilation in the attic and blanket insulation installed on the back side of the decking, would you say that all of these factors are contributing to this premature deterioration?

[hausdok]

Yep,

Unless it's in a very dry climate, a shake roof or cedar shingle roof really needs to be installed over skip, battens, or some type of cedar breather material.

Go here and download the full roof manual.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by hausdok

Yep,

Unless it's in a very dry climate, a shake roof or cedar shingle roof really needs to be installed over skip, battens, or some type of cedar breather material.

For recent installations, I disagree. Whether or not the shakes/shingles are installed over battens, they all seem to last just as long -- about 10 years.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Jim,

I love ya, Bro, but recent shake roofs up here are lasting about 13 to 16 years in the shade - even when neglected - and about 16 to 20 years in sunny areas. Shingle roofs here are lasting close to 40 years when properly cared for; about half that when neglected. The ones that look the worst when not cupped and curled are neglected shakes; the ones that look the worse when cupped or curled are usually shakes and are nearly always installed over solid decks.

One shake roof I inspected here was 45 years old, was the original, and had never had more than routine cleaning and maintenance. Of course, the owner, who was the original, told me that the stuff he dipped the shakes in back in 1957 had been outlawed by the EPA long ago. No dead vegetation or 3-headed squirrels running around his house though.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Brandon Whitmore]

That roof looks like shingles to me. Didn't know felt paper was supposed to be used on a shingle roof-- if the roof can't breathe it would rot out the shingles faster (or like Jim said.. they are the thinnest shakes I have ever seen). I am a fan of skip sheathing instead of a solid decking as well (for shake or shingle)

[hausdok]

Yep,

Exactly right, no felt between layers on a shingle roof; if you re-read my post near the top, you'll see I was referring to shakes. Felt isn't needed under a shingle roof.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Brandon Whitmore]

Mike,

Jodi's first post stated she could see felt in several areas already-- that is why I posted that.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by hausdok

Jim,

I love ya, Bro, but recent shake roofs up here are lasting about 13 to 16 years in the shade - even when neglected - and about 16 to 20 years in sunny areas. Shingle roofs here are lasting close to 40 years when properly cared for; about half that when neglected. The ones that look the worst when not cupped and curled are neglected shakes; the ones that look the worse when cupped or curled are usually shakes and are nearly always installed over solid decks.

One shake roof I inspected here was 45 years old, was the original, and had never had more than routine cleaning and maintenance. Of course, the owner, who was the original, told me that the stuff he dipped the shakes in back in 1957 had been outlawed by the EPA long ago. No dead vegetation or 3-headed squirrels running around his house though.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Well, it was a feeble attempt at humor. The shakes & shingles down here behave about the same as yours up there. I've got that nasty flu thing and my rapier wit isn't as razor sharp as usual.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Oh,

Well, you should know better by know. I'm not the sharpest tack stuck in the bulletin board and most humor just goes over my head; kind of like the Pisa water heater post the other day. [:-dopey]

OT - OF!!!

M.

[drcr]

Good advice there.

I would add that those wood shingles may be white cedar instead of red cedar. In which case they will deteriorate much faster in those conditions. You might be able to tell by cutting a sliver off one of the shingles.