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Updated 05/14/17
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Roofing
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Recently, I had my roof inspected after replacing the southern-exposed wood fascia.
Several workers had been walking around up there, and I wanted to make sure no tiles had been 'crunched'. This roof had been inspected twice since my new home purchase in 2000. -- The first inspection was done in 2005 by a "building inspector". The verdict: "Everything looks just fine". -- My roof was inspected again in 2010, right before 10-year warranty ran out, by a licensed roofer. Again, "Everything looks just fine". THIS time, however (April, 2017), a highly recommended roofer showed me photos of no fewer than 17 tiles with vertical and horizontal cracks patched with aging glue. Roofer warned me, that gluing this type of crack in roof tiles was only intended to be temporary (a house should not be sold with roof tiles in this condition). I was lucky, since there was no significant roof damage, yet. But, roofer said there was definite potential for serious leaks in the future, due to aging glue break-down inside those tile cracks; fissures were also expanding beyond the glue. So, I had all 17 patched roof tiles replaced then and there. The job took less than three hours, and included relocating other tiles that had shifted. Total cost of all labor, replaced tiles, and earlier, $60 roof inspection = $390. His roofing web site is also very informative: www.bkroofing.com -- A little Internet research had supported this roofer's claims; our developer apparently should have replaced such cracked tiles instead of using glue patches: "In the case where damage to the tile was created from a load or impact that has created a full vertical or horizontal break the entire width or length of the tile, the use of adhesive is not recommended. These tiles should be replaced." The good news: "The benefit of concrete and clay tile installations is the ease with which broken tiles can be replaced. In many applications where battens are used, only the perimeter tiles are attached and therefore sliding the upslope course and lifting out the broken tiles will allow for their replacement." "Even when tiles are fastened, the broken tiles can be easily removed and the replacement tile secured back in place without disrupting the balance of the roof. This will ensure the ability to return the roof to its pre-damaged condition." The above excerpts are from: Ask the Expert: “Can cracked roof tiles be glued?” December, 2015 http://tileroofing.org/ask-the-expert-can-cracked-roof-tiles-be-glued/ About Tile Roofing Institute: http://tileroofing.org/about-tri/ Recommendations: -- Have your roof inspected every five years. -- During inspection, clarify that any tiles containing long vertical or horizontal cracks which have been patched with glue, do NOT belong in the 'just fine' category as far as you are concerned. Have the inspector take pictures of all such tiles. -- Ask any roofer doing leak repairs to replace all the glued-crack tiles that he can find up there at the same time. Notes: Call me a cynic, but the apparent ease with which such cracked roof tiles can be replaced is an indication to myself, that this may be yet another lucrative, construction "waiting game" -- similar to Kitec issue where there was much more money to be made by using inferior products ultimately forcing a repipe. (Remember, when plumbing was expected to last several decades, if not the lifetime of our house?) -- There is clearly much more money to be made, if or when all those ostensibly "OK" patched-defective roof tiles end up forcing extensive repairs or premature roof replacement. This roofer said that when my roof is properly maintained it should last up to 50 years :-). |
