I received a call to investigate a “mystery” regarding a leaking residential roof. It was a mystery because it was still leaking and other roofers could not explain why. Plus, a 5-year-old roof should not be leaking!
A trip into the attic for the roof inspection made it obvious that a prior roofer had taken some shortcuts, and lacked experience.
Current roofing standards require the decking on top of a roof to be 4’ x 8’ plywood or OSB strand board. On older roofs, the decking is 1“ x 6“ or 1“ x 8“ planks.
The original roofer used the wrong size planks when installing the roof which led to gaps in the planks. Therefore, you see nails in the gaps where there should be wood. Multiple nail heads were visible with rust at the bottoms indicating a widespread problem. Mystery solved but the tale of these trusses is far from over.
Using the correct roof decking materials would have prevented this problem from occurring. Instead, this 5-year-old roof will have to be redone!
Choose your roofing contractor wisely. Don’t just pick the lowest bid. Education, Experience, Reputation and a Good Warranty are important factors to consider when hiring a roofer. The lowest bid could become the most costly in the end.
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