What do you guys think of this roof repair job?

darsunt · 08-20-2009, 11:46 AM

My neighbor recently repaired the roofs of their rental houses. The roofs were in horrible condition. The fascia was gone, and the visible rafters looked like shrunken bones, they were so corroded by termites and dry rot.

During the repair, the roofers replaced most of the rafters. However they did not repair the ridge, which seemed in bad shape (one part of the ridge was distinctly curved downward, other parts looked like two 4X1s slapped together, and of course dry rot, etc).

I believe rafters rest on the top plate of the wall? They did nothing for the top plate, which was buried in stucco.

We suspect the children of the owners will be getting rid of these old houses in 5 or 6 years anyways, and the repair, expensive as it was, was just to let the houses hold out until then.

What do you guys think of this roof repair? I think it will hold out the water, and looks good. But I suspect it will start collapsing in on itself in about 5 years. I am not experienced in roofing, however.

Scuba_Dave · 08-20-2009, 01:16 PM

Hard to say without pics
The ridge generally is not a structural piece
Usually the rafters meet at the same point on the ridge
Opposing forces "cancel" out

Rafters normally rest on the top plate - birds mouth cut
What do you mean they didn't do anything for the top plate?

You get what you pay for
With some rental properties the owner just wants a cheap fix
Others see the long term benefits of a proper repair/new roof
Usually even a semi-poor roofing job can last 10-20 years as long as water can't get in (properly flashed etc)

darsunt · 08-20-2009, 08:26 PM

So it might be an okay job after all?

For the top plate, I assumed that if the visible rafters were in such horrible shape, the top plate must be suffering too. Termites, dry rot and everything else. What I mean is they didn't replace it - would have had to bust out the stucco, probably wasn't worth it.

I didn't see them do birds mouth cuts on the rafters, but I assume they must have done them. Whether there was any top plate left to cut a birds mouth for, I don't know.

My assumption was, when a house was in that bad a shape, you have to replace everything, the ridge, the top plate along the wall. Course then there might have been something wrong with the wall framing too ....

But again, I have no experience with roofing and what an adequate repair job should be.

Leftyho · 08-21-2009, 07:05 AM

Hi,

This is how rumors start. You take one fact and start adding could be's and maybe, I think's.

The less you know about something the easier it is to get a rumor going.

Sounds like a lot of sterotyping being used to get what you assume to be facts.

darsunt · 08-21-2009, 11:49 AM

That's why I'm asking other people's opinions.

Perhaps I'm sticking my nose in other's people's business. But someday I might hire this guy, and I damn well want to know what he is all about.

More info: as someone who works on our own properties, those little houses looked damn scary to me. The city won't repair the sidewalk in front, they are just waiting for someone to tear them down.

Leftyho · 08-21-2009, 12:33 PM

Hi,

Ask the contractor the scope of the work that he is doing. And why?

You will get a more factual answer to your questions.

With the information you have, to much needs to be assumed.

How do you know there are termites? That through a red flag up when you said that.

darsunt · 08-21-2009, 01:24 PM

Well, this is Southern California, and every wood structure gets termites eventually, even if well maintained. Poorly maintained properties get eaten alive.

NailedIt · 08-21-2009, 09:43 PM

Most of the roofers I know don't do any type of structural repairs beyond replacing a piece of decking here and there or a piece of fascia, etc... Most construction trades are very specialized. Besides, not every single defect need be corrected in every case. It's the budget that usually dictates what gets done.