[srj]

I just had a home inspection on a colonial with a gambrel roof. I have three concerns regarding the roof and I'm interested to see if anyone has experience with them. I've included a picture of the front of the house for reference.

1. No soffit vents, only two gable vents and a ridge vent. Will I likely run into issues with a house this size (attic space is approx 900 sq. ft.). My concern is the lack of ventilation and the potential cost to fix it.

2. They used vinyl siding on the front of the house, where you would traditionally have shingles. The inspector said that there was a vapor barrier, so I'm slightly less concerned with this.

3. There are two cracked rafters in the roof. One is rather minor, the other looked a bit worse, but they attempted to fix it with only a 2x4 on one side. From my research, it should be done on both sides with a 2x6 (same as rafters) with 4' on either side of the crack (essentially 8+').

Am I asking for nightmares with this type of roof? I'm in the northeast US and we do get a fair amount of snow, rain, etc. I'm really starting to wonder if I'd be better off walking away and going with something with a more simple gable roof. Thoughts?

 

[SeniorSitizen]

How many years has the structure stood there with the present ventilation?

 

[srj]

The house was built in 1978 and the roof is 10 years old. I'm unsure of the age of the gable and ridge vents. It is very possible that they have been there since it was built. 37 years without significant issues would seem to lend itself to the fact that I shouldn't expect issues if I were to use common sense. That being said, there seems to be an enormous amount of conflicting information about this roof type.

 

[craig11152]

I'm really starting to wonder if I'd be better off walking away and going with something with a more simple gable roof. Thoughts?

In my nearly 30 years of residential roofing 3 things make me nervous...
1 cape cods
2. cathedral ceilings
3. gambrels

all of them have potential ventilation/condensation issues and rarely are they an easy fix. :vs_no_no_no:

 

[Windows on Wash]

Yep. Usually vented terribly.

Nothing that some deck venting can't usually fix though.

 

[Bud9051]

Poorly vented at best since the gable vents are almost as high as the ridge. Unknown what they did with the steep wall in terms of insulation and or a void space.

The inspector said that there was a vapor barrier, so I'm slightly less concerned with this. Did he say where, inside under the drywall or out under the siding? Inspectors brought in by the real estate agent will rarely find problems. If they do, they don't get called next time. Hire your own with no connection to the listing or selling agency.

Although time is a plus, you have no idea what went on during that time. Much could have been repaired and covered with a fresh coat of paint.

A family of two adults may not generate the moisture of a family of 5.

Having siding where shingles would normally be makes me more nervous than gambrels already do.

Bud

 

[concretemasonry]

Definitely hire your own inspector instead of anyone a realtor or contractor suggests. _ you want him to look out for you and no one else. Usually, they charge more and they owe no favors to anyone they work for and they usually cannot drop everything just for a quick inspection. He will cost more and be very strong and knowledgeable than a typical inspector.

Gambrels all seem to be different in many ways and not all the same. Based upon the age it has survived a few years without problems, but you never know what the last owners thoughtlessly did and has not shown up yet.

A good, well maintained gambrel can be real bonus since it offers unique architectural roof lines and efficiency.

Put the question directly to the inspector and look him in the eye when he squirms and sweats while answering.

I did inspections for while and got tired of dealing with low level inspectors that just took a class and did not really know much. When I did inspections, I did not put down that I was a registered engineer, because people expected detailed structural and moisture information and I got tired of dealing with the retired carpenters with bad backs that knew little about the life of existing homes (HVAC, electrical, structural, windows, roofing, etc.).

Dick

 

[srj]

The inspector was one that I researched and had many great reviews. He was ASHI certified, not that it guarantees that you are automatically great, but it doesn't sound like someone brand new can get that.

He noted in the inspection report: "Observed a ridge vent has been installed. However, there are no soffit vents present which means the ridge vent can not work properly as intended. Recommend qualified contractor review and correct to prevent possible mold issues."

He also noted rafter spread as well. Also, the second floor bathroom has no ventilation, so that might cause issues in the future because there isn't really anywhere to put it.

Would you guys advise taking this sort of thing on, or run away? craig11152's comments have me thinking that I should be running, fast. The price is okay, but the inspection exposed a fair amount of work to be done. I think the inspectors like to stick to facts and are not going to tell you flat out not to buy a house in front of agents.

I think having to pay $5,000-10,000 to fix ventilation would break this deal.

 

[jimn]

Venting is probably fixable. I am sure a decent carpenter/roofer could fix the bathroom . I have a cape and yes venting can be tough. When I had my roofer replace my roof a couple of years ago, he installed soffit vents behind the gutters. It's working out really well. In New England ridge vents don't work real well when covered in snow. However the siding on the roof also makes me nervous. Siding is designed to be used on a vertical surface not on one which is gently sloped. For that reason alone, I would be looking t other houses. On top of that maybe it's just because I am not used to it, I think the siding up there is kind of ugly. If you replace that siding where there should be roof you will definitely be over 10k

 

[srj]

I'm estimating the front sided part of the house is 13'x33' or 429 sq. ft. From what I've looked at for architectural shingles at Lowes they seem to sell 33 sq ft bundles for $30ish. That would be about $400 in shingles. The rest of the roof is 10 year old architectural shingle. I would think that this fix would be fairly inexpensive given the small area. If it was $10k, then the whole roof would cost me $30-40k. That sounds a bit crazy. Is there something I'm missing.

 

[craig11152]

Siding is designed to be used on a vertical surface not on one which is gently sloped.

and that is part of the problem with gambrel roofs. Because the lower face that doesn't work well for siding ain't so hot for shingles either. They need to be VERY carefully nailed. 6 nails per shingle all 100% of them in the proper nailing zone. I would almost insist on hand nailing. And shingles never seal well at that pitch because they lack the the force of gravity helping the sealing process. All the work of gravity at that pitch is to pull the shingles to the ground.

 

[PatChap]

Yeah, mansards/gambrels are very slow and require high levels of precision.
The shingles wouldnt be a huge expense, but a proper installation would be expensive.
Hand sealing is required, which is time consuming.

I could easily see an experienced 4 man team spending a long day there.
I would do it off pump jacks or scaffolding to make it more comfortable for the guys, as comfortable guys tend to put out better work.

 

[srj]

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm strongly considering walking away from this house. These are just some of the other concerns after the inspection:

- Next door neighbor is there for a while and gone for a while, his house is in very rough shape, yard not taken care of, etc. This could impact resale.
- One bathroom needs to be entirely renovated, the other still needs some work.
- Kitchen needs new counter tops, floor, and dishwasher
- Brick front steps need to be replaced
- Back sliding door needs to be replaced
- 9 windows upstairs need to be replaced (broken gaskets, etc)
- Steel bulkhead is rotted out
- Hot water tank needs to be installed for adequate hot water supply
- And about 15 smaller items need to be addressed that will likely cost $2k+

All of that and now concerns with roof ventilation, high cost of replacement due to the type of roof, etc. The price isn't right to warrant all of these either.

 

[Bud9051]

Ouch, and as often happens, your list is only what you can see. Once you start you find the really bad stuff.

Look for a house where the current owners are old folks wanting to retire to something different, but they have kept the current home in great shape. I'm working on one just like that and I'm shocked at all of the changes he did RIGHT. None will be perfect, but this is the best I've seen for an older home that has gone through several additions. He certainly didn't opt for the lowest bid on anything.

They are out there, but harder to find and as I have learned, the real estate people often direct the good ones to friends very quickly. Look for "for sale by owner" before the sales people get involved.

Bud

 

[ryansdiydad]

Keep looking.. That list is way too long... Even if you fix your own house it ain't so easy to fix your neighbors.. It's not just about resale but also enjoying where you live.. And the neighborhood you live in.

 

[jimn]

You easily have 50k of repairs there if you contract it all out. House sounds like a money pit and I have lived in neighborhoods where some people let their property rot. There was great rejoicing in the neighborhood when these houses finally were foreclosed and they were fixed up and resold to some people who are great neighbors . Go find another house.