Exposed Nails and Asphalt Shingles - Inspection Picture of the Day
I had the pleasure of conducting a New Construction Home Inspection this morning in Cedar Park, Texas. While up on the roof I found 2 nails that were exposed. Incredibly that number - 2 - is on the low side. On most Home Inspections I conduct there are many more!
Normally fasteners that are driven into a 3 Tab Fiberglass shingles are covered up by the next row of shingles. In this case the installer drove the fastener just a little too low. It happens all the time and that's OK. But, shingle manufactures state in their installation manuals that fasteners MUST NOT be exposed.
When a nail or fastener is driven into a shingle it actually creates a hole in your home. I know....it's a small hole but a hole nonetheless. Painstaking care was taken (or should have been taken) to make sure that holes or other opportunities for leaks were eliminated during the building process. When installing a roof thousands of these holes are created in the roof structure. And.....that's OK. Because, if the next shingle if properly applied it will cover the fastener and it's little hole. 
So, the roofing contractor in this case should have taken their tube of caulk, or sealant or asphalt plastic cement and simply covered the exposed fasteners.
It's a quick and easy thing to do but I can usually find a few of these on every roof that I walk during a Home Inspection.
Thanks for stopping in and have a great day!
Andy Chaudoir - Professional Inspection Services
"Your Home Inspection Connection in Central Texas"
512-632-3232 - www.centexinspections.com
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