While a professional home inspector will provide the most thorough and accurate home inspection, there are a number of things that homeowners can look for themselves as part of regular maintenance inspections.
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I’ve long since ignored the manufacturer's claims about cedar roof lifespans because I’ve been a first person witness to what actually occurs here in Minnesota over the arc of time.
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Asphalt roofing shingles dominate our market, yet another kind of roof has been slowly gaining steam over the past several years - metal.
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When it comes to these roofing product lines, it matters very little which one of these three you choose; picking the contractor is WAY more important.
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Starting in 2010 I began conducting fairly long-term experiment by installing zinc strips on a moss-covered garage roof, and showed before and after photos after the zinc had 16 months to work its magic. Here's a follow-up photo.
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While all of the recent snow fall has caused major problems with roof leaks from ice dams, I've also started hearing from a lot of homeowners who are concerned about how much snow their roof can hold. The concern is that with all of this snow, some roofs might collapse under the weight.
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Back when I first started doing home inspections, I was under the impression that roof ventilation was the cure-all for everything. I would look at a lot of problems and instantly point to insufficient roof ventilation as the cause, and recommend more roof ventilation as the cure.
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A common way of re-insulating old one-and-one-half story homes in Minnesota is to have closed-cell (2 lb) spray foam applied directly to the roof sheathing, eliminating any ventilation. This type of spray foamed roof is commonly referred to as a 'hot roof'.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed roofs with shingles popping up all over the place? A common reason for this is the use of nails that are too short. When there are popped nails all over the roof, it might be the sign of a defective roof installation; specifically, short nails.
Read MoreThe manufacturers of asphalt shingles give specific instructions on how to fasten shingles, and they're all pretty much the same. Unfortunately, following those instructions seems to be a difficult thing to do for a lot of roofers in Minnesota. The two most common nailing defects that I find with shingles are overdriven nails and improperly located nails.
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