Almost nothing is more frustrating to a buyer, seller, or realtor than conflicting roof condition opinions. It is also frustrating to the home inspector who provided the initial opinion when they get “the call”; “so and so said this roof needs to be replaced and you said it had five years of life left” or, […]
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Almost nothing is more frustrating to a buyer, seller, or realtor than conflicting roof condition opinions. It is also frustrating to the home inspector who provided the initial opinion when they get “the call”; “so and so said this roof needs to be replaced and you said it had five years of life left” or, […]
The post Understanding Roof Opinions appeared first on Property360.
Almost nothing is more frustrating to a buyer, seller, or realtor than conflicting roof condition opinions. It is also frustrating to the home inspector who provided the initial opinion when they get “the call”; “so and so said this roof needs to be replaced and you said it had five years of life left” or, “so and so said the roof needs to be replaced and we would like a second opinion”; and “your second opinion differs greatly from the initial opinion.” What happens when there are conflicting opinions? Typically, if the buyer’s home inspector said the roof needed replaced and anyone disagrees with their inspector, the buyer is disappointed as they wanted a new roof – they walk if they don’t get it. The Seller is relieved their opinion – that the roof was fine- is supported but they lose a sale regardless. The Realtor is often confused and feels powerless to deal with these conflicting opinions and probably wants nothing more to do with either inspector – regardless of who was correct. The inspectors are not happy either because now everyone involved is mad at them. Let’s see if we can help you understand how and why you get so many different opinions and, hopefully, help you discern how to recognize a bad opinion as it relates to a real estate transaction. First, a little background on shingles. Asphalt/fiberglass shingles used to come in many different quality grades, from the 3-tab, 20 year rated to the dimensional shingle with a 30/40/50-year rating (based on thickness). Current shingles, based on design improvements, are much simpler. 3-Tab shingles now carry a standard 25 or 30-year rating and all dimensional shingles are actually rated as “lifetime”; you do believe that, don’t you? For a lifetime rating, most industry professionals consider this to be a 40-year roof and it applies to most roofs manufactured since 2006. The shingles are a composite of a fiberglass mat with a resin coating, then a modified-asphalt coating and an adhesive coating which binds the stone/granules in place. It is the composite system which protects the home from leakage. Code requires a 15 or 30 lb. felt be installed over the roof sheathing prior to the installation of the shingle. In total, you have multiple layers of protection. In Florida, 3-tab shingles must meet the testing criteria established by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Guideline D225 and dimensional shingles must meet D3462. Granule loss is often reported as a basis for roof replacement. Granules have three main purposes:- To protect the asphalt coating from UV rays.
- To add color or aesthetic beauty.
- To provide fire resistance.
Prepared by:
William Chandler Certified General Contractor Licensed Home Inspector ASHI Certified Inspector
The author has over 38 years of building construction and inspection experience.
Property360 provides residential and commercial building inspections throughout central and northeast Florida. High value inspections are provided nationwide.
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