Flashing Details

The flashing details on your roof are one of the most common failure points. Poor flashing details leave paths for water to penetrate below your roof surface and enter your home. The most common flashing details that fail are around chimneys, dormers, & pipes. These locations are the most common places where a roof leaks and should be one of the first places a good roofer will check if you are having issues with a newer roof.

Insufficient Insulation

Another common issue with roofs that can cause failures is having insufficient roof insulation. Many older homes and even new homes don’t use sufficient roof insulation and this can cause excess heat from inside your home to transfer through your ceiling and into your roof surface. When this happens during the winter, it causes snow to melt over your living area and then freeze on your roofs eave. Over a winter this causes ice dams.

Once an ice dam has formed and begins to grow, it accelerates your roofs wear and will begin to penetrate the surface and let water in behind your roof surface.

Roof Deck Deterioration

Roof deck deterioration is a common problem on older homes. Plywood is installed over your roofs rafters to provide a nailing surfaces and structural support to your roof. When an older home’s roof deck, especially a home that has had leaking issues in the past, begins to deteriorate it poses serious structural issues. A roof deck that has deteriorated has will typically sag and can be seen from street level.