roofing: Ask The Inspector - Gutters
- 07/12/07 02:39 PM
Question: How often should I clean out my gutters? Answer: Gutters should be kept free of plant material, dirt and debris at all times to allow water to travel freely to the downspouts and splash guards. How often you will have to remove debris to keep the channel open depends on nearby vegetation, including trees, and the time of year. Some gutters may only need attention once or twice a year while others require it more frequently. The purpose of gutters, downspouts and splashguards is to direct water away from the exterior of the home, preventing damage to walls, foundations and landscape materials. … (4 comments)
roofing: Ask The Inspector - Flashings
- 07/12/07 02:37 PM
Question: What are flashings and why are they important to the design of my roof? Answer: Flashings on the roof provide weather tight conditions at seams, intrusions and junctions on pitched roof designs. No matter what material is used for covering the roof, leaks will occur if flashing is not installed and maintained properly. Some common checkpoints for roof flashings would be: Around plumbing ventsAround chimneysWhere a lower roof, possibly on a garage, intersects with a wallValleysWhere a sloped roof intersects a flat roof Around dormersAround skylightsEaves, rakes, hips and ridgesFlashings may or may not be easily visible. For instance, a "woven" roof … (1 comments)
roofing: Ask The Inspector - Ashpalt Shingles
- 07/12/07 02:35 PM
Question: I understand that having more than two layers of asphalt shingles is considered defective no matter what the age of the top layer, why? Answer: Adding new layers of asphalt shingles over old can reduce the useful life of the shingles or even the roof itself in several ways: Added layers of shingles means added weight on the roof. That makes the structural roof components work harder and can lead to failure of the roof structure itself.Additional shingle layers may mask a leak instead of fixing the problem. For instance, a homeowner may have discovered a leak and added another layer … (3 comments)
Question: How often should I clean out my gutters?
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