Defective ridge caps?

[Brian Handy]

I am writing up that the ridge caps are in poor condition and recommending a further inspection by a qualified, licensed roofer. What I am interested in knowing is if this is defective material and if it is who manufactured these ridge caps?

[Steven C. Waskewicz]

Wow, I guess so.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by bhandy

I am writing up that the ridge caps are in poor condition and recommending a further inspection by a qualified, licensed roofer. What I am interested in knowing is if this is defective material and if it is who manufactured these ridge caps?

Why are you recommending "a further inspection" by someone instead of recommending that the roof be repaired or replaced by a qualified contractor?

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by jbushart

Why are you recommending "a further inspection" by someone instead of recommending that the roof be repaired or replaced by a qualified contractor?

Exactly. Are you not qualified enough to see that they are bad and need replacing? If you want a second opinion, you just got your second, third and fourth.

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Go easy on him guys, we all started out new at some point, and if you were with ASHI at the time, they probably treated you in a manner that made you feel bad. I know that's how they treated me. The guy's only got 8 posts. Think about how your comments make people feel and be considerate, please.

Brian, since the field shingles seem to be OK it looks like they bought pre-manufactured cap shingles separately, maybe deciding to use a contrasting color for aesthetic reasons. Anyway, the cap shingles are obviously not from the same batch of shingles as the field shingles... installers sometimes cut the cap shingles from the same shingles they use for the rest of the roof.

Obviously, they got a bad batch of cap shingles. What you see in those cap shingles is delamination of the asphalt layer where it meets the mat.It's more common with organic but not impossible with fiberglass shingles.

Take the Mastering Roof Inspection series of articles. It's free, It's written specifically for inspectors and it won't waste your time. Complete it and you'll find yourself with good fundamental knowledge of almost any residential roof you're likely to see.


Brian, James and Jeff are good people and knowledgeable inspectors, but the boards get a little rough and contentious sometimes. Don't take it personally. Keep posting because the boards are one of the great secrets of InterNACHI... a great source of education. You'll get responses to your questions from inspectors all over North America with a huge amount of experience.
If they didn't have you to abuse, they'd abuse each other... or me... so we all three thank you for joining!

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by kshepard

Go easy on him guys, we all started out new at some point, and if you were with ASHI at the time, they probably treated you in a manner that made you feel bad. I know that's how they treated me. The guy's only got 8 posts. Think about how your comments make people feel and be considerate, please.

You're right.

Brian, I apologize for challenging your question as I did. The mistake is one that is so common (and, frankly, irritating to see repeated, constantly) that it invites an impatient response. Still, there was certainly a better way to put it.

You will learn, if you haven't already, that people will quickly grow tired of paying you money to simply have you recommend other inspectors to whom they will also have to pay additional money. It will begin by their asking themselves why they bothered to hire you ... and then it will evolve, as they speak to others, into questioning why they should bother to hire a home inspector.

When it's broke ... recommend that it be repaired or replaced. Do not recommend that someone else look at the broken thing and tell them to have it repaired or replaced.

Again, I apologize if I offended you. Good luck.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by kshepard

Brian, James and Jeff are good people and knowledgeable inspectors, but the boards get a little rough and contentious sometimes. Don't take it personally. Keep posting because the boards are one of the great secrets of InterNACHI... a great source of education. You'll get responses to your questions from inspectors all over North America with a huge amount of experience.
If they didn't have you to abuse, they'd abuse each other... or me... so we all three thank you for joining!

Steven... I guess you're a no good dumbass! JK

Brian, as Kenton stated, we can be hard on each other at times, but that is because we are passionate for the industry. Sometimes we forget who is on the other side of the computer screen, as we are all brothers/sisters here. You must also remember that for the most part, this MB is the only totally 'free speach' MB in the industry. That brings out the best, and worst, of us at times. Don't take it personally, take much with a grain of salt, and read through even the harshest of threads for that one grain of useful knowledge. It get's tough sometimes, but that one grain could be the game changer!

Jeff