Roof and Attic

Photographs of findings in the roof and attic during home inspections.

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another soffit vent
attic vent
First,
your attic needs air flowing through it to prevent problems with
moisture and heat. Here are two types of soffit vents and one gable
vent. Gable end vents act both as an intake and an egress for air;
they also happen to be a great access point for birds, bats, and
rodents. Looking for chew marks on the soffit vent on the left for
evidence of rodents.

attic vent 2

The
air has to have a means to escape, so vents like these are installed.
These two types do not use any power, which I like since they save on energy, and they are easier to repair. The one on the left relies on
wind to propel the fins to help create air flow. The most common
problems that I have seen with them is either rust causing it not to
turn or damage to the unit which dents it preventing rotation. Still
since it is placed near the top of the roof, the hot air will continue to rise through it. The picture on the right is a ridge vent. You can see that there is a thick shadow line under the
shingles at the top of the roof (the ridge). A plastic piece with
many vent holes is placed over a gap of the sheathing for the roof.
The hot air rises through it.

tree brushing up against a roof
trash in gutter
The
most common problem on the roof has to do with debris. In the photo
on the right, the tree branches are rubbing against the shingles
causing damage, but the leaves help keep moisture and insects on
those shingles to help further damage. I have found so many different things in gutters that I have stopped wondering how they get there.
This gutter was so full that it no longer functioned. Having a way to
move water away from the building is important, so clean gutter are
vital.

damage behind the gutter
If
you do not clean them, this can happen. Water spilled down the back
of the gutter, causing the wood of the fascia to rot out.

pipe not properly attached
Here
is the vent pipe for a water heater. You can see this by the fact
that it sits higher from the roof, and has its own spark arrester.
Most other tubes coming through the roof are from vents for the
plumbing system, and they can sit lower to the home. In the case of
this vent, the foundation work on the home lifted the pipes, so now
it is not sitting properly on the roof.

exposed nails in shingles
flashing under window
The
next most common problem on a roof has to do with nails. On the left,
the homeowner resolved a leak by nailing into the shingles. On the
right, nail heads holding flashing in place are starting to rust.
When these nails rust, they allow water to seep into the building.
The solution is to caulk the heads with roofing caulk.

exposed bolts in shingles
This
was on the roof of the house next door to the one that I was on, and
this may be hard to see in the picture, but this is a common problem
with dish installations. Bolts are used to hold the support frame on
to the roof, and they are not caulked. These can also leak water into the home like nails. On another home I saw the cable running down the roof to the interior, and its nails should have been caulked too.

attic structure
attic structure 2
Going
into the attic, you will want to check for insulation. The homeowner
discovered that there was no insulation in much of the attic (just
around the entrance), so he put these batts of insulation up there.
If you notice, they have a plastic sheathing which makes them easier
to work with. On the left, you can see some white/grey staining on
one of the beams. This is where you can see past leaks, but if the
sheathing does not have a stain, then you are probably looking at an
older stain that has been repaired. On the right, you can see some
cables coming down from the ridge holding the duct work for the air
conditioning system. Ducts should not rest on the insulation, and
they should allow air to flow freely to the vents in the rooms.

crack in stud
Not all cracks are severe, but they do indicate that this stud has been under a great deal of stress. Other studs were put in place near this one to relieve it.

a bent stud under weight
From the same house as the previous photo, the weight of the roof caused this stud to bend.

improper bracing
The homeowner created his own bracing methods in this house to deal with the roof. This brace will not suffice.

Here a contractor added a large beam to the attic structure over the attic entrance. I used my gymnastic skills to enter this space. I am not sure about the thinking behind this addition. The attic had space for extra rooms, but there also appeared to be a problem with the support for the roof. My concern is was this the proper way to deal with this situation. When faced with the need of new roof support and adding several rooms in an attic, you may want to consult with a structural engineer. The weight from the new framing can cause other issues in the home.

This is a picture from the same home as above. The darker brown wood is the original framing. You are looking up at the framing under the roof. Rafters run under this sheathing then there is a brace attaching the rafters from the rear and front roof. The lighter brown beams running right to left in the photo have been added to provide more support to the rafters. Again, this may be too much. On interior and exterior walls of the home, I noticed cracks happening near these supports.

This is a roof truss. We often see framing for an attic which involves joists, rafter, and purlins. A roof truss is engineered to distribute the weight along its length to the wall framing. A roof truss can create more space below. What is the problem with this truss? It has been sitting out in the rain and sun long that it is quite weathered. The integrity of the truss may be compromised.