As any homeowner knows, doing repairs around the house is a constant chore. Something always needs fixing or maintaining. When it comes to most repairs or upgrades the best way to save money is to do it yourself. And there are people falling over each other to offer help. Not literally standing outside your door, but from the TV, internet and most big box stores. They make it seem so easy. Just buy the stuff you need, and go at it.
Often it's not any where as easy as it looks and some DIYer's skills may be some what lacking.
On one of my most recent home inspections here in Connecticut, I found a DIY nightmare. The owners were certainly ambitious, but lacking skills. To be fair not every project I noted was a disaster, but there were some noteworthy highlights.
The roof had obviously been reshingled, but had looked odd from the ground. The shingle was unique and I can not recall ever seeing one quite like it. The section was 5 tabs long, making each tab a little on the small side. Apparently this created a dilemma for the amateur roofer. You see the tabs are cut from the section and used to finish off the peak. Because of the odd sized tabs, they must not have been entirely the right size to complete the peak.
Or perhaps the weekend roofer couldn't figure out how to finish off the ridge.
So what does the weekend warrior do? Lifts the old shingles up and slides the new ones right underneath. Yep, that's the ticket.
A better plan might have been to hire a professional roofing contractor. Fortunately this is an easy and inexpensive fix for any seasoned contractor.
James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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