Good Roofing Materials - Lousy Installation
Here is another low bid re-roof project where the homeowner got the short end of the stick. Of course, they thought they were getting a smoking hot deal. This 1st picture is of a roof on the weather side dormer on the front of a home valued at over $900,000. It was recently completed in the Alameda District of Portland, Oregon. The weather side of a home in Portland means it faces southwest. All of our serious wet weather comes from that direction. This is not a wall to cut corners on!
We had reroofed a neighbor to this home and also got a chance to make a presentation on this project. We ended up not getting the chance to serve them. They did get a short educational presentation made by the one and only Tony St. Pierre. They chose to use another well-known roofing company in Portland, known for being one of the cheapest Roofing Contractors in town. The contractor decided that it would be too much effort to flash this front dormer sidewall.
Instead, they decided to shove the high-end shingles (Camelot by GAF/ELK…top quality) under the siding trim board without any flashings! (GAF/ELK, the manufacturer, would “pass a brick” if they saw this type and kind of installation.)
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.
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.”
There’s moss on my tile roof. Is that a problem in Portland?
In Portland over the last 25 years, homeowners have repeatedly told us that they want their roofs to look good, work right, and last longer. Using that as our premise, here is the problem with moss buildup on your tile roof…
Of course, the first issue is appearance. Compare a moss-ridden tile roof to a clean, well-maintained tile roof….you make the call. Most of the reasons for a tile roof are for the beauty and longevity with no hassles to the homeowner. Let’s face it, the appearance of your home says a lot about you, and since your roof makes up 1/3 to 1/2 of your home’s appearance, having a good looking, well working roof is a top priority in Portland, Oregon. The only time function takes over 1st place is when a client is concerned about a leak.
All roofs are designed and engineered to traffic water vertically (down the roof). When moss is allowed to grow and tree debris is allowed to accumulate the growth and debris diverts the water horizontally.
Leaks caused by high winds, or a puncture from a falling tree limb is just another day in your roof’s life in Portland. But 95% of all other leak calls that seem to develop out of nowhere are generally caused by the buildup of moss and/or tree debris.
Another leak issue with tile roofs is that as moss and debris sloughs off, it falls into the valleys (drain areas that carry a lot of water off your roof). Unfortunately, most tile roofs installed in the Portland area used a closed valley system because some people think it looks better than an open valley. After fixing hundreds of tile roofs and their valley failures, I think that the problems caused by using a closed valley far outweigh how it looks. As the moss matures, it dies and falls into the valleys and other flashings. As the decaying matter builds up under the closed valleys of your tile roof, a lot of water is fed into the attic and ceilings of your home. This is when you call us and say, “I don’t know what happened it just started leaking.”
The best advice I can give you to extend the life of your roof, is to maintain your roof no matter its type or age, and you will receive in return a roof that will keep you as dry as possible and will do it for a long time.
Do you have a roof question? Leave it in the comments and we’ll include it in a future blog post.
How Does the Portland Rain Find Its Way Into Your House?
Earlier this week we talked about a few of the things you should do if the rains are getting into your house. Let’s dig a little deeper!
A 10-year storm creates over 3 inches of rain in a 24-hour period of time. The storm that Portland experienced on December 2nd and 3rd had 3.85 inches of rain in a 24-hour period of time.
It’s not a thrill to notice water coming down an interior wall or finding it dripping into a light fixture or off a beam. It’s frustrating (even scary) to look up and see a dark stain on the sheet rock ceiling or worse yet a bulging, ever growing area that looks ready to explode at any minute.
What is a homeowner to do?
Here are some steps you can take to take to minimize the damage and save you some heartache, money, and a mess.
- Protect the floor from getting wet. Have yourself a 10×10 tarp in the garage that you can grab quickly and put it under the wet zone. You never know what coming, it’s like a flash flood, you should expect the worse and appreciate the best. After you have put the tarp down then put a bucket or a large pan to directly catch the water.
- You should grab a flashlight and a large bowl or pan and head for the attic. Some homes have two-attic accesses or more. It depends on style and size of the home. Smaller homes usually have just one garage access. When you go into your attic make sure you only stand on the wood rafters and not the sheet rock that makes up your ceiling. A narrow 4 ft by 2 ft piece of plywood can help you traverse your rafters. Either way what you’re looking for is where the water is coming from. Sometimes you will find that a leak is uphill from the actual drip. Put a drip catch in place and give us a call so we can come out to find where the hole is in the roof. It’s a good idea to watch the leak for a few minutes so you can describe the size of the leak. In very severe storms, we try and get to the biggest volume leaks first which of course are creating the most damage.
What if I have a open beam or vaulted ceiling with no attic access? And what about a skylight leaking?
- Tarp the floor
- Set out a water basin and give us a call.
What if I have a bulge in my sheet rock, what do I do?
- You really don’t want to touch the sheet rock or you could get a face full of some very nasty water.
- You should prep the floor with a tarp and get the bucket or pan ready. Then find an ice pick or a sharp pencil and put a very small hole in the center of the bulge.
- Turn the pick or pencil as you push it into the sheetrock so it will penetrate and release the pressure. By doing this you will minimize the damage and expense of the leak.
Why is my roof leaking now when it’s never leaked before? (This is my attempt to help you feel better, because everybody asks that exact same question).
- If a builder put on your roof as the home was built and you live in the greater Portland area, your roof was not engineered or installed for extreme weather conditions. Anytime, depending on the circumstances, when we get severe weather, the water will find its way in. Your only true defense is a custom-engineered and installed roof will that handle good and bad weather. (Even with a builder-installed roof, you may never have a leak it all. It depends on the direction of the storm surge and the design of your home. Some of you may never have a leak issue even though your roof is considered a standard install. That is one of those things you end up giving thanks for when the storms arrive and your home stays dry.
- Over a year’s period of time, a roof can collect enough tree debris in the drain areas of the roof, that when a moderate to heavy rain comes, water is diverted horizontally and in doing so, it finds a way into your home. This happens no matter what kind of roof you have. On tile roofs with closed valleys, silt and decaying matter builds up under the tile in the metal valleys causing a diversion. It seems like the leak comes out of nowhere.
- In high wind situations, a piece of diversion metal can be blown off the roof. If this happens in a vital area, water can find its way into your home.
- Cracked pipe flashings and air vents can also be responsible for a water intrusion. Just as Les Schwab Tire Stores try to explain to you why and how your tire blew, these flashing sometimes fail at the worst time. (Have your roof checked every five years to minimize what might fail at the wrong time).
- Your home has weather walls (the walls facing south and west) that take most of the beating as the weather storms come to Portland. These walls wear out 2-3 x’s faster than the other 2 or 3 walls. Before they fail, the siding will show signs of wear. (Cupping and curling, horizontal cracks in the paint, and the caulking is no longer in place in the mid field joints or the corners of windows and doors).
How do I get rid of my newly acquired stain in my sheet rock?
- After getting your roof leak fixed, it’s time to get rid of the stain in your sheet rock. If the water leak hasn’t caused repairable sheetrock damage and only left a stain, the fix can be simple.
- After the sheet rock has dried get a spray bottle and some bleach, cover the carpet and furniture with a sheet and lightly spray the sheetrock’ about 6-9 inches away.
- Do not try to touch the sheetrock or wipe it as that will really mess up the finish. If the stain doesn’t come out in five minutes reapply till the dark stain disappears.
Who do I call to repair my sheetrock?
- In Portland, Oswego Drywall is the only company I would use for sheetrock repair.
What about the insulation getting wet behind the sheetrock? What about harmful mold and mildew forming in my attic or walls from my roof or siding leak?
- Most small leaks caused by storms will not affect the insulation or cause mold and mildew to form in the ceilings or walls.
- Leaks left to leak again create an environment where a lot damage is a sure thing.
- You as a homeowner should have the exterior of your home, roof, siding, gutters, and windows inspected often to lessen the likely hood of undetected leaks causing very costly issues.
Was Your Roof Damaged in the Portland Storms on December 2-3?
If you’ve got a leaking roof, please call us to get on our schedule for emergency temporary repairs. We are working as fast as possible to help our customers stop the leaking and protect their assets. The sooner you call, the sooner we can get there to assess and remedy your situation.
Here are a few of the important actions you can take to help yourself and your neighbors before your damaged roof allows water to enter your home:
If a leak is coming through your ceiling, DON’T TOUCH THE DRYWALL! You’ll very likely get a big batch of nasty water in your face. Simply take an ice-pick or other small pointy tool and poke a single hole into the middle of the leaking area. You’ll allow the water to drain out with minimal damage to your drywall and save yourself a large repair bill.- After the storm, take a look around your property for roofing or siding materials which may have blown off your house or your neighbors’ houses. Look for cedar shakes, asphalt shingles, metal flashing or even pieced of siding. If they aren’t yours, try to figure out which house they came from, so you can let them know that they should have their roof or home inspected.
- Walk around your house paying close attention to your siding and windows. You’re looking for anything that seems out of place (or missing!).
- Step back far enough that you can see your roof. (grab your binoculars) Visually scan your roof, paying special attention to where water changes directions, such as along valleys, chimneys, peaks and dormers. Look for any missing shingles or loose and blowing shingles. A missing shingle may not be causing a leak…yet. But, it will open up the possibility for wind-driven rains to get inside your house in the next storm. It’s much easier to fix BEFORE it leaks.
We’ve been maintaining Portland roofs since 1983 and we’ve seen it all.
Give us a call and we’ll be there as quickly as we can.