Learning not to sweat the small stuff

[rayinpenn]

The 20" by 48" rectangle cut out of my kitchen ceiling is an ever present reminder that my new roof continues to leak.. They have attempted to fix it 4 times. This time they cut the hole in an effort to identify the specific spot leaking. Yep there was moldy insulation up there (now in a plastic bag sitting at the curb) and some evidence of where it was leaking.. Their latest theory is my textured stucco and bad caulking job allowed the water to bypass the step flashing and ice shield. They have carefully re-caulked. Before I lose you yes I know entirely too much about roofs - I'd rather not.

There was a time that this hole would serve to get my blood boiling. Truthfully the roof installation was a hack job I knew it in the first 1/2 hour of the install. Let's leave it "these gents were not finish carpenters" not by a long shot... But let's no go there.. So I calmly look at the hole and wait for rain. Of course lots of "chance of thundershowers" but not real rain in the forecast.

I know leak or not life will go on.... I heard from the repair guy "bob" that the main office commented to him that I'm angry. But I am in control I'm nice to everyone I speak to.. Bob is definitely trying, I suspect he is a true no nonsense craftsman and I appreciate his efforts... Still I need the roof fixed.

Strangely my mind drifts to the causes of gun violence in America today.




Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[misshathaway]

I know leak or not life will go on....

I am not there yet, and my everyday probs are not near as bad as a roof. I had ice dams and leaking in the kitchen a couple of winters ago and I know that helpless feeling.

Yes, retirement helps by lowering the baseline stress level. But you are much more evolved than at least one person here.

 

[W2R]

This is one of those situations in which the LBYM habits that we all have, can serve you well.

If it was me, I'd throw money at the problem and then just LBYM until my savings paid for whatever it cost. Life is short and it's not worth getting all upset over something like this. If these guys won't fix it soon for free, I'd pay for a better contractor that could fix it.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Ah, yes...a leaky roof. What a pain...it's even a bigger pain when it leaks after you have it replaced. I had a similar issue but knew that with the design of the house (it's a 70's contemporary with all sorts of "groovy angles") that it would be an issue, even AFTER the new roof was installed. Thankfully, it only took 3 visits to correct the couple of problem areas and it hasn't leaked since.

I think my "don't sweat the small stuff" thing that I still have issues with is traffic (more so selfish drivers that have ZERO consideration for others). As much as I try to ignore the idiots around me...it's very, VERY hard to not get mad as hell. I try not to sweat it...but sometimes it's almost impossible.

 

[ivinsfan]

Ouch, but when you say you knew it was a hack job within the first 30 minutes, why didn't you kick them to the curb? There's no time to be polite when someone is hacking up your roof. I hope you are "leakproof" soon.

 

[ponyboy]

They should have used more nails in the shingles. Apparently thats the new trend.

 

[swakyaby]

Ray, I totally sympathize with your frustration of your new roof. My experience isn't nearly as bad as yours, not even comparable, but it was a water leak as well, with all the concerns about water damage and eventually, mold.

We had a 10 1/2 year old tile roof home, just past the 10 year home builder manufacturer's warranty when I noticed a wet area on the ceiling of our family room. Then the wetness showed up on the adjacent wall near the electrical light switchpad. We called an independent roofing contractor and the patio roof contractor who had installed the patio roof adjacent to the water-soaked wall. Nothing faulty could be found.

Then DH removed the tiny junction box plate in the ceiling, stuck his hand through with a small pocket camera with flash and blindly took multiple pictures of the attic crawlspace. As luck would have it, one picture showed a perfect image of a waterpipe with a roofing nail embedded in it and rusted away until water droplets could be seen slowly dripping down the water pipe. It took 10 years for that roofing nail to corrode enough to cause a leak!

We contacted the homebuilder and sent them email images of the water damage and the roofing nail in the water pipe. Even though it was past warranty, their contractor immediately agreed to take care of the problem at their cost.

Hope the source of the leak becomes apparent soon.

 

[MRG]

Understand the frustration. Two things to remember:
"That which does not kill me makes me stronger".
"Water runs downhill".

The former may seem to be the answer. I belive the real solution is contained in the latter.

 

[travelover]

I'm no roofing expert, but I have installed my own roof and inspect my roof regularly. Normally the shingles are not the problem (unless they are visibly damaged). The issues are nearly always at the edges that are flashed or at penetrations of the roof like drain vent pipes, skylights, attic vents, etc.

People get a leak and freak out, replacing thousands of dollars of good shingles when a $2 piece of flashing will fix the problem. And a crappy installer will replace the shingles and reuse the faulty flashing.

 

[swakyaby]

Perhaps a few errant roofing nails went into a water pipe?

 

[Music Lover]

Roofing isn't rocket science and it shouldn't be hard to find where it is leaking.

 

[Music Lover]

They should have used more nails in the shingles. Apparently thats the new trend.

6 nails per shingle is code in some places. It has nothing to do with trends.

 

[MRG]

Roofing isn't rocket science and it shouldn't be hard to find where it is leaking.

It's generally upstream.

 

[HF63]

I done some roofing work in the past and finding leaks is a real problem.

We just fixed a roof that had one of those plastic boots for the venting PCV pipes.
The boot at the neck overtime had become very loose and was allowing water to drip at the pipe and because of the angle the water spot was 18 feet on the opposite side of the house. Take some pictures of the roof and I can give you some ideas of where to check.

 

[COcheesehead]

Perhaps a few errant roofing nails went into a water pipe?

Trying to figure out why there would be a waterline near the roof.

 

[Bamaman]

Understand the frustration. Two things to remember:
"That which does not kill me makes me stronger".
"Water runs downhill".

The former may seem to be the answer. I belive the real solution is contained in the latter.

In the words of that great philosopher, Alfred E. Neumann:

"WHAT, ME WORRY?"

I think not.

 

[Big_Hitter]

don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff

 

[CRLLS]

We just fixed a roof that had one of those plastic boots for the venting PCV pipes.

And that is the reason my roofer insisted on the lead boot that folded over and in the top. 1 yr later, so far, so good!

 

[swakyaby]

Trying to figure out why there would be a waterline near the roof.

I discovered that in modern residential construction, waterlines are run with pex tubing along the walls and attic crawlspace, instead of using copper tubing and run underneath the foundation.

 

[HadEnuff]

Ray, i feel your pain. I wish I was cool enough to consider a leaky roof "small stuff".

13 years ago I bought a lake cottage. The origins go back to when lake cottages really were cottages. Fish camps. Bit by bit we've tried to upgrade. I should have followed DW's suggestion to knock it down and start over, probably.
Among the nice things about the place is an 800+ square foot deck, on a flat roof over an 800+ square foot porch. Flat roofs have their own set of problems. This week I am assisting a knowledgable carpenter in replacing the decking, railing, and sleepers on the deck. What we have found has been amazing. Including places where the sleepers were screwed through the roofing membrane. Nice.
Ah, well, the views of the lake from the deck are amazing. Life could be worse.

Good luck with your roof.

 

[target2019]

The 20" by 48" rectangle cut out of my kitchen ceiling is an ever present reminder that my new roof continues to leak.. They have attempted to fix it 4 times. This time they cut the hole in an effort to identify the specific spot leaking. Yep there was moldy insulation up there (now in a plastic bag sitting at the curb) and some evidence of where it was leaking.. Their latest theory is my textured stucco and bad caulking job allowed the water to bypass the step flashing and ice shield. They have carefully re-caulked. Before I lose you yes I know entirely too much about roofs - I'd rather not.

There was a time that this hole would serve to get my blood boiling. Truthfully the roof installation was a hack job I knew it in the first 1/2 hour of the install. Let's leave it "these gents were not finish carpenters" not by a long shot... But let's no go there.. So I calmly look at the hole and wait for rain. Of course lots of "chance of thundershowers" but not real rain in the forecast.

Just grabbed my daily BP pill and swallowed. Ray, you qualify for a special award, given your patience with this.

Guy 1 on roof with pressure washer or hose. Guy 2 in kitchen with ladder and camera. Problem identified, adn fix to come.

I am amazed at how almost every improvement or fix that I've paid for has been less than 100% successful. It is probably a curse to expect perfection, that things won't leak, or blow in the wind.