Shaking my head in wonder...

This morning I inspected a home that I have inspected twice previously. There is a significant sag in the roof decking in one area, and the decking is quite soft underfoot in many areas, and I can see a dangling roof joist when I look in the attic. Now I’ve received a message from the agent stating that they had two roofing contractors look at it after the previous inspection, and the contractors said “the roof was constructed in this manner with no damage.”

What!? Now I’m just shaking my head wondering how they can say that? I’ve been inspecting for almost 20 years, so I’ve seen a roof or two, and this one just needs to be repaired. One of the contractors is a man that I really respect and I would normally defer to him as the specialist. (The other contractor is someone I don’t respect much for several reasons.) So in this case I had to recommend that the buyer get a second opinion from someone else.

Any pics? What is a roof joist, especially a dangling one?

Thanks for your question, Bradley, it made me go back and proofread my post. And oops I meant a dangling rafter. Rafter was detached at one end, hanging down into the attic space, not providing support to that section of decking. Resulted in concave decking.

Photos of what you observed should prove your assertion. Write it up as deficient again. If you know and respect one of the contractors, I can’t think of a good reason not to call him and make sure that you are getting the straight scoop and not what someone else said he said.

Similar to a hanging chad? You FL guys… :wink:

A roof soft in many areas might be due to ⅜" plywood sheathing, which was acceptable in some areas of CO in the 1960s.

“Dangling” is a bad word. “Broken”, “detached”, etc. is a more accurate term. Your respect for roofing contractors is moot. Apparently it’s:

“widespread softening/deflection of the roof structure when walked on beyond what is normal”, and “Damaged roof framing visible in the attic”. No?

Kenton, I think 3/8" Plywood for roof decking was acceptable even past the 1960’s. I remember here in Texas in the 80’s it was still meeting minimum requirements. But I agree, definitely a reason for soft spots at 24" oc framing over time.

Why would you (or the agent you mention) get an opinion on Roof Frame Structural Integrity from Roofing Contractors? I can see why the agent did- they’re clueless, they are Realtors. What’s your reason ? They install roofing materials on the outer surface area of the roof. Roofers are clueless about what’s under that roof decking for the roof frame structure. They lay shingles (or other type roof surface material) all day for a living. Unless it’s different in other parts of the country, I would never think most roofing contractors would have a clue for the roof frame structural integrity of a home or other type building- They install roofing materials and do not do roof structural framing installations. Most roofers don’t ever see the underside of a roof surface- The structural part. They probably call the roof frame, the rafters - “roof joists” as you did in your original post.

I would like to see photos of this

Me too! I never saw dangling rafters and sagging soft sheathing. They use 5/8" sheathing around here and rare 1/2". :wink:

I have measured 3/8" roof sheathing a few times. It always feels spongy.

“dangling rafters and sagging soft sheathing” That is exactly how I feel some mornings.