Roof Problems
Written by Bill E. Laney, Murr-Laney, Inc.
Of the many parts of a building, I dare say the roof (considering its function when performing well) may be the most abused, neglected, taken for granted, out-of-sight, out-of-mind aspect of the building. If it is a steep, dominant part of the structure that can be seen, it is easy to see damage. What about the hidden parts? This consists of most low pitch or flat roofs, crickets, flashing and large built-in gutters. The hidden areas require more than a casual glance to see problems.
On a maintenance call, you may find: a BUR curb corner is opened up, a term bar has a spot of sealant pulled loose; a piece of broken slate; a nail being drawn out of the sheathing pushing the shingles up; a metal roof with a cracked flashing boot; a puncture in a single ply membrane from a tree limb; or other minor problems. All this can be considered as routine problems that happen in the aging of the roof - even well maintained roofs.
On the other hand, when you find six-foot trees growing out of the chimney, vegetation growing on the wall and out of the roof, leaves already converted to compost, gutters rusted through or hanging off the fascia - and maybe the fascia with it, built-up roof flashing with the cant strip showing or falling off the wall; construction debris remaining on the roof; roof drains in standing water, missing shingles, coping and fascia blown off, slate missing and sheathing exposed - there are but a few signs of roof neglect and abuse.
The old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is not a valid gauge for determining roof repairs. All buildings have a roof of some type. The condition of a roof is determined, as a rule, by how the owner or manager views it. If it is viewed as an unpleasant item that I have to put up with, I think we will see the second circumstances above. The cheapest "roofer" will be paid to fix only "that leak". If the roof is viewed as the most important part of the building, maintenance will be budgeted to have a professional roofing contractor who understands all aspects of the customer's particular roof system. He analyzes the origin of unusual leaks before he starts the repairs.
Roof leaks are not created equal. Parts are subtle in nature. But a small amount of water in the wrong place can be devastating by the time it is found. Others are larger, easier to find. Roof leaks indicate a break down in a roof system. No system that I have seen thus far is immune to it.
Now that we know the roof is leaking, what is the solution and when called what do we do about it? "Fix it."
We will discuss detection and repairs in our future publications. As always, I ask you to share good solutions to problems that you have solved, send them to Bill E. Lany at Murr-Laney, Inc. or Carla Blanton at the CRSMCA office.
"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it." Robert A. Heinleine (1907-1988) Novelist.