Roof Leak Clues: The Single Nail in the Key Way
In 1995, an unknown roofer placed a solitary nail right in the middle of this roof’s drain area. From the ground, it looks like just a bunch of roofing up there, and as long as it’s not leaking you feel pretty good about everything. But that nail was in a key way. That’s the roofing term for the space between the cedar shakes. It’s a very important part of a cedar roof…in getting water off your roof and into the drains. When it rains, your shake roof traffics all the water through these areas. So, when the idiot disguised as a roofer nailed that single nail into a key way 12 years ago, he set a very expensive series of events into motion. It’s almost unbelievable what this nail did.
Snakebit! How an expensive Portland roof was ruined on the day it was installed…SIX years ago!
Almost looks like snakebite doesn’t it? This picture shows the staple holes from beneath a cedar shake. The felt underlayment material should not be rotted away. It’s one of many such holes we found on a 6-year-old roof in West Linn, Oregon. The homeowner called us because this roof was leaking in at least 20 places! When we took the roof apart, we found what you’re seeing in the picture. When you’ve seen as many roofs as we have, solving this mystery was a piece of cake.
We asked the homeowner if he knew who roofed his home. He confirmed that it was a local roofing contractor, still in business in Portland. This should have been a super roof! It was installed with ¾ inch, 50-year CCA, treated cedar shakes. Other than routine maintenance, this roof should have outlived the homeowner! We advised the homeowner to contact the roofing contractor to get his roof replaced under a workmanship warranty.
Do You Want Gutters that WORK?
“My gutters are driving me nuts! I hate my gutters.”
Great working, good-looking gutters are possible with a planned fit system. The right size gutters and downspouts will work harmoniously to get all the water off your roof and into the drains.
Portland homeowners living about and beneath Oregon’s famous evergreen trees claim they have an added stress of constantly plugged gutters and drains. Others, not under trees or near trees, say that it’s the green Oregon gutter slime that builds up and blocks the downspouts causing their gutter grief. Most don’t know what to think because their gutters look normal but the water just keeps coming off the roof and traveling everywhere except flowing freely down the gutters and downspouts (spilling onto your siding, windows, walkways, and entries). Of course, then there are those gutters that look old and worn out, and you know it’s time to replace them.
I would like to help you with your gutter frustration, so I offer a short history lesson and an explanation.
“My gutters only bother me when it’s raining, and unfortunately, it rains in Portland, Oregon eight months out of the year!”
As a general rule, new home gutters are installed by the lowest bid in town. The production builder hires companies to put up a generic type gutter that may or may not fit the house style or roof size and because it was all part of the purchase of the home, it was considered good enough. It’s only after living there a few seasons that you become knowledgeable and frustrated. I have observed this frustration for 25 years and I believe I have found a solution. Allow me to explain.
“When do I know it’s time to replace my gutters?”
Roof Life of Oregon looks at each gutter project as a chance to bring a smile to your life. A truce between you and your gutter frustration! We take the job of getting Oregon’s rainwater off your roof and into your drains very seriously. We are passionate about gutters, sized to fit your home and roof (the type, style and size). We use attachment screws that will hold your gutters on long term (a lifetime as a matter of fact!) How about no more plugged downspouts? We even look at the amount of drain area of the roof and size the downspouts accordingly. If your home is near trees and you need gutter debris protection, we only use the best on the market. Rainflow, a 20-year product that will keep things flowing.
The homeowners of Portland find many reasons for requesting the replacement of their gutters. It really only takes one good gutter problem to cause you to look for relief. We get started by looking at your particular problem and then customizing a solution for you with a lifetime product and workmanship warranty.
The only place to find this service is at Roof Life of Oregon. We will present a solution to your gutter crises in writing so you can begin to smile again. Call Roof Life of Oregon today or request a free estimate!
How Roof Maintenance can Save Your Residential Community Thousands in Replacement Costs
Here’s a case study to show how communities can save thousands of dollars by simply maintaining their roofs.
Property: Village at Forest Heights, Portland Oregon
Size of roof on property: 885 squares on a pitch of 8/12.
Current replacement value: $693,000
Degradation schedule if left unmaintained is 15% during the first 5 years, 25% in the second 5 years, 35% in the 3rd 5 years and then between the 15th and 20th year the roof will need to be replaced. If you use simple math you can see what unmaintained degradation costs.
If the roof is treated every 5 years with a environmentally gentle but effective wood preservative treatment (we don’t use harsh chemicals, and we don’t recommend pressure-washing for roof maintenance) the degradation is held to 15% every 5 years. If repairs are made on the roof every 5 years prior to treatment, the repairs will blend in for a uniform appearance.
There are 200 shakes in each square of roofing. The Village has 885 squares.
That’s 177,000 shakes on the property. 15% degradation would mean replacing an average of 2,655 shakes every 5 years.
We replaced 4,706 shakes in 2007 as a 10-12 year old roof with no previous maintenance. This is a very good roof for new construction. (Quality of shakes in new construction varies, but is seldom this good.)
Let’s forecast the expenses to properly maintain this roof……
Treatment in 2012 will be $35,400 (at current prices, unadjusted for inflation)
Repairs will be an average of 2,655 shakes for $18,585.
Total maintenance expense in 2012 is estimated to be $53,985. And remember, the value of your shake roof is increasing as it ages, due to replacement costs. In 2007, shake prices went up $100 a square. On this property alone, that’s an increase in value of $88,500.
Because of proper maintenance, this 17-year-old roof is at 30% of its expected service life while un-maintained cedar roofs of the same age are being totally replaced all over Portland.
How old is your cedar roof? Ready to talk about maintaining it?
Why do my Skylights Leak?
I have been asked this question a lot over the last 25 years. It used to be only the finest of homes or remodeled homes had skylights. Because of that, there used to be a market for skylight installation specialists. Then in the beginning of the 90s it seemed like every house built had skylights. That trend continues today. Where have all the specialists gone?
You, as a homeowner, know that in a manufacturer’s product line, there are different levels of quality. A product may carry the same name, but with vast differences in grade and performance. All skylights are not the same. For example; a production type home builder would choose the least expensive. The quality of the components used in the skylight construction follow the cost. Basically, cheap skylights, cheap components!
If the leak is not from a poor install (pan metal, sidewall flashing, low nails, top edge screws, etc.) then it’s going to be from a worn out window seal. When the seals go out, your skylight will leak like a broken dam!
The only solution for bad seals is to replace the skylight top. When you have Roof Life of Oregon replace the skylight top, we always weather strip the new top to save you money in heating and cooling loss. The skylight represents the highest point in your home so all the heat is pulled to that point. The simple installation of that weather strip stops you from heating the great outdoors.
The solution to a bad install is to re-flash the curb into the roof correctly with top pan metal, side step flashings and bottom pan metal. Sometimes the problem can be solved by caulking the weather side of the flashing, stopping the wind driven rain.
Remember it is best to have a certified roof maintenance expert from Roof Life of Oregon look at your roof every 5 years. Catching these issues is your best and safest choice. The worst time to find out about your leaking skylights is during a storm!
The Day I Moved Mrs. Helen Geiger into her Living Room
It was just a “leak in my ceiling” call. At her door, Helen began to tell me of her concern that her roof was not working right. As I came to the door, I had noticed an unusually large amount of tree debris had been building up on her roof. She took me to a room near the front of her home that looked as if someone was currently using it as a sleeping room.
I was concerned that anyone would sleep here because less than 6 feet from the bed was an immense area of black, moldy, smelly drywall. I asked if anyone was sleeping in this room. It turns out that this was her temporary bedroom. Helen had lost her husband 2 years prior and couldn’t bring herself to sleep in the master bedroom yet. I ask her how long has the wall been like that? She told me at least a couple months, but from my experience, the mold had been there a lot longer than that.
Mold doesn’t just “happen” in your walls. It means that water is getting in or moisture is being trapped.
Helen was still mourning the loss of her husband of 52 years. He had taken care of all the maintenance of their home and she was at a loss for what to do. All I could think was, “I have to get her out of this room”. She was not ready to move back into the master bedroom as it held too many memories. So, with her permission, I moved the entire bedroom suite to the living room of the house, and counseled her to stay out of the other room completely and leave the door shut until we could clean up the problem. I shared with her that the kind of mold and mildew in that room causes a lot of health issues for others and I knew that an 8o-year-old didn’t need the exposure.
Helen’s roof needed to be replaced. Tree debris left on the roof through too many of Oregon’s winter-spring combinations had caused irreversible damage. The felt paper under the shakes had rotted from the retained moisture caused by the debris. The next step was to get that rotted sheetrock out of the room and dry the interior wall out, re-insulate, sheet rock, and paint.
We served her, and in the end, I came back over and moved her bedroom set back into her newly finished bedroom. Helen smiled, gave me a hug and said, “Thank you Patrick.”
Why can’t I use laundry soap on my roof to control moss and fungus growth?
Not too long ago, laundry detergent was the moss control of choice for the do it yourselfers in Portland. The EPA just about has a fit when your environmentally concerned neighbor calls in a report. 7 days later, you get that letter in the mail telling you to never do that again and it goes on to tell all the damage that the phosphates in the laundry detergent cause downstream from your roof!
Nowadays, it is a double edged sword for home owners. The EPA got the phosphates out of the soap, but allowed different types of degreasers to be added in, as the new cleaning agents. The problem with using the new laundry soap now is the degreasers eat away the asphalt that holds your composition roof together! This of course will void any warranty from the manufacturer.
Seems like quite a pickle, doesn’t it?
That’s where Roof Life of Oregon comes in. We have an exclusive product that self cleans moss and fungus off any roof in Portland. It is a 100% environmentally safe product, with a zero negative impact on the roofing material so you can maintain your warranty. Every three years we apply a coating and it will keep your roof moss free. Your roof will look good and it will allow Portland’s rainwater to travel directly down the roof and into your gutters. As you know, horizontal water-flow on a roof designed for vertical will cause premature leaks and roof failure.
If you need help maintaining your cedar, tile, or composition roof, call Roof life today @ 503-925-0125.
Top Quality Cedar Shakes, direct from Canada to Portland
It may have gone unnoticed by most, but this morning another super sized load of freshly milled and preserved shakes rolled into Portland from Canada. These were not your run of the mill cedar shakes, the kind you can buy anywhere. These are not the kind of shakes the builders used on your home that end up needing constant attention and care. At Roof Life of Oregon, we think a custom ordered shake is the best way to start a re-roofing project. You get the best wood designed just for you.
These shakes are milled for you per the request of Patrick D. Morin at Roof Life of Oregon. All of them are 100% clear vertical grain and edge trimmed, all of the highest caliber. Then they are pressure treated and put through a “fixing process” that sets the preservative and gives you one of the lowest maintenance roofs in Portland.
The tree that provided the raw material took 100-200 years to grow, and then 50 years to harvest. Loggers bring the cedar down when harvesting spruce, hemlock, and fir - species of lumber mostly used in the building of homes. When these big giants are found as “downed” or “dead”, they are cut into mill/usable sizes. Only then, can you have a chance to purchase what is truly considered the best roofing material in the industry. If the loggers didn’t bring the dead fall down, the cedar would just rot in the woods. That would be a shame!
Just look at all the good that happens when you choose to use cedar roofing. You increase your insulation by 50%. It’s gorgeous and makes your home and buildings look better; a renewable resource with vast reserves. Cedar’s carbon footprint is the smallest of all roofing material. It’s affordable and if put together with the right components, it will last 30-50 years. (The right components include decades of experience plus Feltex underlayment, stainless steel fasteners, lead pipe flashings, and correct ventilation)
Let us know if we can help you with your new roof. Call Roof Life of Oregon at 503-925-0125.