Roofing issues on a home inspection

As home inspectors an important part of the inspection process is the roof inspection, we walk on every roof that is safe and accessible. We often find substandard repairs, issues with flashing and gutters, and roofs that are in need of replacement. In the picture above this roof will need to be replaced in the near future.

This is a picture of a previous repair to a torch down roof, you can see that the flashing was improperly installed so they tried to fix it with a large patch. There are many issues in this one picture that are susceptible to leakage from rain water. As home inspectors we are not licensed roofers but at North Bay Inspection we have inspected thousands of roofs so we can confidently recommend a roofer when we see roofing or flashing issues that are improper and should be addressed.

Another common finding on homes is flashing issues, here you can see that the top side of the flashing is caulked or sealed. This flashing is commonly referred to a roof to wall flashing. The top edge of the flashing should be installed behind the exterior wall material and then properly counter flashed. We often find this on older homes or when non qualified roofers install or work on roofs.

Without proper flashing details we often find that it leads to exterior moisture damage. As you can see in the following picture the sheathing under the roof covering is moisture damaged and will need to be replaced.