Everyday as a Spokane Home Inspector we get to see the hidden parts of a home. These areas are prime places to find defects that would not be found where it could be easily seen.
Sometimes as an Home Inspector we just have to scratch our heads and ask what were they thinking. As we can see the flashing on the photo to the left is not installed correctly. Just in case some are not sure how it should look, the photo below is a decent flashing installation.
So the question is how and why is this flashing just sitting here. Well the area where this was located could not be seen from the ground so one way is that the person hired to install it just did not do what they were hired to do. Maybe a quick buck and no body will ever know until they are gone. Here in Ritzville, WA we call that a fly-by-night. Hiring quality contractors can pay dividends in the long run.
This is on a service mast so another idea that comes to mind is that while the wires were being reworked the power company or electrician left the new flashing so the owner could have it installed after they left. The roof is in need of repairs or replacement so maybe it was put there for future installation when the roof was being replaced. What happens in the mean time, the roof has a good chance of leaking, and damage may have already started by the time the flashing gets installed.
In any case the flashing is improperly installed, water can and likely will, get under this and could lead to decay of the structure under the roofing. A qualified roofer and a few minutes to properly install this flashing could save hundreds of dollars.
We may be tempted to save a buck and hire a fly-by-night or even put off the repairs on the small jobs like this, but that will likely not be the least expensive route to take.
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