Advanced Residential Roof Inspection Course

This thread is dedicated exclusively for those students currently enrolled in InterNACHI’s free, online Advanced Residential Roof Inspection Course.

After successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • perform an inspection of a residential roof system;
  • inspect various types of roof covering materials;
  • verify the installation of the roof covering and underlayment follows common building practices or the general recommendations of most roof covering manufacturers; and
  • confirm that the installation of the roof covering is such that water intrusion will be prevented.

And, in keeping with InterNACHI’s commitment to Continuing Education, this course is open and free to all members, and can be taken again and again, without limit.

Students are free to pose questions and comments here and join in the conversation with other students. The thread will be monitored by the course instructor.

Contact: Director of Education, Ben Gromicko ben@internachi.org

Other inspector training courses: www.nachi.org/education.

Thank you.

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On the article of 10 easy ways to save energy in your home the thing that stood out the most was that in most homes that you could save 2% of your heating bill for every degree you turn your thermostat down for an 8 hour period each day. That could add up to significant savings.

The flashings on this stone chimney are constructed of copper step flashing, counter flashing, head flashing, and apron flashing. The counter flashing is cut into the stone and sealed and the head and apron flashing are properly installed under and above the shingles. The visible parts on the flashings appear to be professionally installed.

This is a barrel tile roof built in 1911 in Florida, it is a Historic building an has been well maintained an has had any gaps sealed and mortared. There is appropriate flashing at roof changes and it is located on property that is next to salt water, so it appears that appropriate measures have been taken to preserve the roof!

I, as and inspector for over eight years and having personally done over 1500 inspections, find missing anti-tip devises one of the most common if not the most neglected item on my inspection. Studies showing that only 5% of the stoves purchased from Sears had these devises installed was no suprize to me!

Although this particular issue was not covered in detail, the solar water heating system for the pool on this property was attached directly to the shingles. No visible signs of leaking were found but the sealing of the attachment points will require regular maintenance. This type of installation is common here in Florida. Additionally, the panels of the system are laid directly on the roof and in constant contact with the shingles. This poses two potential issues. First is the wear and tear of the shingles and second is the same wear to the panel itself. Both issues could cause leaks either to the roof or the solar panel might spring a leak.

I really do not get this part of the quiz? Iam an inspector not an author and I am not sure how to attach photos to this system. I have been in the inspection and home building business for over 50 years and I look at this stuff everyday however I am not good at writing about it, I know its not much of a essay but its the best I can give you, I have to many inspections to get to. Thank you.

I have learned that a fire can badly damage roofing material as well as the frame structure and that even the concrete foundation can be weakened, so it is best that you use fire proof material before going ahead of your project.

Photography during a roof inspection is a critical part of any inspectors work. Since the areas you will inspect are not normally safely accessible to your client, the photos you take will be very helpful when producing the report. This gives the client and the insurances companies a first hand look at any issue you may find. We use telephoto lenses to get close-ups of the areas not even safely accessible to us and have recently purchased a small quad copter with photo and video capabilities to assist (it may take a while to master this tool). There are also services that can provide very detailed aerial photo, video and even infrared information for a cost. We know many of our clients are first time home buyers and are not familiar with the issues that may be found in a home. The photos you provide will bring them peace of mind through visual knowledge and help allay their apprehension when making the largest financial commitment of their lives.

Observed flashing boots that were heavily damaged at the PVC plumbing vents. The damaged vent flashing members were in need of priority repairs in order to prevent further water entry. It is recommended that a qualified roofing company evaluate and repair as necessary.

As directed by the inspection course, I chose the first asphalt shingle image available, which was a nailing diagram for standard three-tab shingles. This image helped re-fresh my knowledge on the proper fastener size (3/8") as well as the proper nailing depth needed for shingle installations. This portion of the course had to of been mandated by TREC. Good times were had.

This is an example of a roof issue I came across on Friday. The asphalt three tab shingles were in relatively good shape but a recent wind incident showed how the adhesive glue that should have held them in place at the lower edge of each shingle did not adhere. By not having that solid attachment at each layer of shingle, it allowed the wind to uplift the edges and peel it back. Once one was gone, others loosened up around it and I recommend a roofing contractor come out to assess the damage and repair the affected parts of the roof.

I looked over the article on safely accessing the roof. In this article it explained that even though much care is taken each year by many home inspectors, several are injured by lack of ladder safety concerns and not assessing the dangers of current roof conditions. One of the issues dealt with how moisture accumulation on a slate or wood shingled roof can be enhanced by even just small amounts of water on the surface. It can turn normally safe roof observation into a slip, fall and injury that can be debilitating or even lead to death. Care must be exerted at all times.

These 3 dimensional composite fiberglass shingles were reported as having hail damage. Pea size and larger dents were visible in many of the shingles, mainly on south and west sides of house. A consultation with licensed roofing contractor was recommended.

Gutters improperly discharging onto a roof can be very detrimental to the life of shingles and roof components. It can allow moisture penetration behind flashing. It is very important when inspecting the roof to pay attention to when the gutters and downspouts are draining.

This photo is of a standard 3-tab asphalt/fiberglass composition shingle that has reached the end of the expected life. The roof was a medium slope of 6/12 and the shingles were approximately 25 years old. The shingles showed cracking, wind damage, blistering, granule loss and all rubber pipe flashings were deteriorated. The comment included ‘review by a qualified contractor to determine scope of work to replace roof and components’.

I chose the flat roof junction with slope roofed detail. The flashing illustration is likely the most ignored or missed detail installation with residential roofing. It is not a common practice in Indiana to install. I have made the comment only when there is direct evidence of failure of the membrane or symptoms of water intrusion. The defect if more obvious with EPDM low slope membranes.

When two hip sections of a roof come together they form a valley. The valley collects water and channels it down to the gutter. With an open valley, Vee shaped metal channels are installed on the roof deck before shingles are applied. The valley flashing on this roof was installed on top of the shingles. This could allow water behind the flashing and into the home. Nails were also exposed and rusting. Recommend valley in evaluated and repaired as needed by qualified roofing Company

I chose the article “A Garage Inspection”. Seeing the problems found in this garage gave me a better insight in what to look for in buildings having truss construction. Making sure all connections have the proper fasteners installed and watching for any structural components that may have been altered.

This is a picture of a recent owens corning roof inspection I completed for Internachi. As you can see, the owner was complaining about roof color inconsistency. I found a joint between two colors differences and sent in the sample.