Today I want to talk about some “small” roof defects that can lead to major issues down the road… and it’s not far down the road if left undetected!
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Roof defects come in various shapes and sizes, just like anything. As an inspector it’s important to me to make sure my clients have the knowledge that they need to move forward with their real estate transaction or know what kind of repairs need to be performed at the end of a Home Maintenance Inspection.

Missing Shingles

In the photo to the right you can see that there is a piece of the shingle that has broken off and slid down the roof. This is most likely due to storm damage, as we’ve had quite a few recently in SE Virginia, but I cant be sure so I didn’t report on what the damage came from.
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You might be thinking that even though there is part of a shingle missing, there is another piece of shingle under it so it’s not a big deal, right? Wrong.
This one little missing shingle can allow water to get down to your roof sheathing, and it can do so in such small amounts that you would not even know it until much later.

I say much later because the wood underneath(that’s visible in the attic) would soak up the water, in the attic where(lets face it) not that many people go but once or twice a year.

Much later is when this little problem turns into a major problem and thousands of dollars in repair costs. It could go from replacing applicable damaged shingles to replacing wood sheathing and a large section(or all) of the roof shingles.

Roof Inspection

In the photo below, you can see the two exposed nails here right on the ridge, there is also a crack in the top shingle that is not visible in this photo. If I had not walked that roof, I would probable have missed the crack and might have seen the exposed nails… but maybe not. That’s why I walk the roof unless its unsafe, so that I can find small defects, potentially saving my clients thousand of dollars in repair costs!
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Don’t gamble with your hard earned money, have your home inspected and make the necessary repairs!