Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

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Moose Drool!

 

     For all our discussions of late about Inspectors walking on roofs or not, I have had a flurry of roofs that I would not walk on.

     One of the most popular battles that weekend warriors like to wage is building decks.  The next thing they realize, when they are sitting out on the deck enjoying a nice cold “Moose Drool” beer and it either starts to rain or it is too sunny, is that they need a roof.  While it is not often the case in Seattle that there is too much sun----the drizzle is real.

     To put a roof over a deck is WAY more complicated than building a deck.  One must answer questions like how it is going to be attached to the house so that there is still enough head room under it to walk on the deck surface.  In this picture we see one solution. 

Very flat roof over a deck

    Well not really so much a “solution” as a “problem”-----unless you count that all of the roofing structural materials are “in solution” being saturated with water.  With this solution, having enough headroom and having enough slope were not compatible.

     These three tab type shingles should never be installed on a roof this flat.  Water can easily back up under the shingles where it will fill the roof structure up with water----as is evidenced by the dripping water seen in the next picture.

Water dripping out of roof structure

     A wood roof saturated with water can get VERY HEAVY.  We then must consider how it is attached to the house.

Poor roof connection

     Wimpy 2x4’s attached to an even wimpier 1x6 fascia----all with no metal brackets or hangers.

     All we need now is 6” of heavy wet snow to top it all off----well at least for a while----till it ends the Moose Drool party.

ps:  This was a "Listing Feature"

 

Charles Buell

 

 

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Comments

Charley - Great Post!  The pictures made it really effective.  Thanks for sharing!

Posted by Jason Sanders about 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing-I'm going to have to go and inspect my screen roof.

Posted by Pat Champion (Coldwell Banker Camelot Realty) about 3 years ago

Jason, you are welcome

Pat, I expect a lot of people will be checking their moose drool deck roofs:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

No respectable beer enthusiast would drink Moose Drool, but I can see how this type of construction could happen after knocking back a few....

Posted by Thomas Martin-BROKER, PROPERTY MANAGER Property Manager in Sacramento, Folsom (Investors Choice Property Management) about 3 years ago

Thomas, have you tried it?  Actually very good beer:

Moose Drool Beer

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

I didn't think you had enough sunny days out there to take a photo like this. I have been to Seattle four times and never saw the sun. But I love your city.

Posted by Tad Petersen / Home Inspector, Mpls (Safeguard Home Inspections, Inc.) about 3 years ago

Tad----you have to come here in July, August, September----if that was when you were here you were extremely unlucky:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

I never really thought about it. What a great point-Dinah Lee

Posted by Dinah Lee Griffey (Windermere Peninsula Properties) about 3 years ago

I loved the description of how covered decks get built.  We see so many that look about what you described!

Posted by Barbara S. Duncan, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR (RE/MAX Advantage) about 3 years ago

Talk about wimpy, I'll gladly buy you a new deck roof for a Moose Drool brew today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next week.... 

Posted by Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector - 615.661.0297 (Complete Home Inspections, Inc.) about 3 years ago

Thanks Dinah Lee---and thanks for stopping by:)

Barbara, this has to be the flatest roof I have seen in a while where they attempted to cover it with shingles.

Michael---I know someone would appreciate Moose Drool:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

A Moose Drool roof...I like it! Can't wait to use it as a feature on my next listing!

Posted by Jim Albano / North Jersey Real Estate Team - Jean-Marie Vantuno / Realtors® (Prudential Damiano Realty ) about 3 years ago

You made that up Charles... they really did not say a "covered porch" was a feature on this listing did they?  It's saggy and looks umm, not safe and I just saw photos and didn't actually see it in person.  Please tell me you really just made that "it was featured" up. LOL

Posted by Tammy Lankford/Broker Lane Realty Lake Sinclair-Central GA about 3 years ago

Just can't be surprised any more by the just plain silly things people do.  The patio roof is gonna hurt when it comes down on the Moose Drool.

Posted by Jack Gilleland (Home Inspection and Investor Services, Clayton) about 3 years ago

Jim, the water dripping out of the roof kind of looked like Moose Drool.

Tammy, I couldn't make that up:)

Jack, I seriously hope they take it down before it falls down.  In the report I said that the deck was not to be used until the roof is removed.

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

Charles, gotta hand it to the do-it-youselfer who does everything on the cheap (or I mean, "frugal").

Posted by California Coast & Country Homes, Inc. about 3 years ago

Regina, yup.  I have nothing against doing something correctly and cheap----but this is dangerous cheap:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

Charlie you old fool. The solution to your problem is so obvious, and below.

Posted by Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection, Inc) about 3 years ago

I don't get it----the solution is crushed squirrel?

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

A little sag here, a little sag there.  What's your point?

 

Very kindly,

 

Croakster

Posted by Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector (Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC) about 3 years ago

Croakster----are we talking you looking in the mirror or what?

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

That's definitely what I would call Moose Drool construction. They designed and built it after drinking down a case of beer.

Posted by James Quarello - Connecticut Home Inspector (JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC) about 3 years ago

Seems like before, during and after to me:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

Love the title but aren't you being a little picky Charles? A few rolls of duct tape and this "feature" will be better than new.

Posted by Debbie DiFonzo - United Country VIP Realty, SW Missouri about 3 years ago

Debbie, I am not sure the structure would support the extra weight:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

If it's all the same to you, I think I'll be drinking MY Mosse Drool somewhere other than under that patio!

Posted by KEVIN CORSA H.I.S. Home Inspections Stark & Summit County, OH Home Inspector (H.I.S. Home Inspections (Summit, Stark Counties)) about 3 years ago

Kevin, I gotta say that with all that water dripping out of it, I didn't want to hang around under it either----certainly wasn't about to walk on it:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

Kevin, I gotta say that with all that water dripping out of it, I didn't want to hang around under it either----certainly wasn't about to walk on it:)

Posted by Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com) about 3 years ago

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