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Home Repair Design Dilemma

Calling roofers - exposed nails on cedar shake roof

4 years ago

We are under contract (pending inspection contingecy) to purchase a home with a cedar shake roof. The roof is about 20 years old and the current owners had it cleaned and "restored" with several pieces replaced two years ago. Our inspector noted many exposed nailed through the face of the shingles and several areas where the felt is showing through. Sellers believe after the restoration that there should be 8-12 years on the roof. I doubt it - it doesn't seem proper to have so many exposured nails and splits. Thoughts? Any guidelines on this?

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PRO

Patricia Colwell Consulting

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Right now you won’t get one year from the looks of that mess. Just make sure your inspector is good enough to understand roof construction and willing to climb up there and I would make sure I was there the day of the inspection.

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Comments (12)

cjh4q
Original Author
4 years ago
Yes, we had a good inspector and a roofing company come out. These are pictures from the roofer. Waiting on the final inspection report to see what the inspector recommends... my guess is replace. Just trying to understand if this type of nailing is "acceptable" when fixing shake roofs since we will have to negotiate with the seller on this point.
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The next roofer you hire should offer a warranty of more than one year. Would you buy shingles that only carried a 1 year warranty? That being said, the crappy roofed actually honored the warranty well beyond the limitations offered in the contract. He may be a really lousy roofer, but at least he's honest about his bad work. To put things in perspective, I've heard from Michigan natives that a large house can be bought for just a few thousand dollars in many places around the great state. The shock to many of these new homeowners must come at the time when they need to spend some money on maintenance. The cost of a new paint job or a new roof can easily exceed the total value of the property. It is likely the reason that a roofer would automatically go to the cheapest bid possible, because they assume that every client just wants it that way. What would motivate the previous owners, who planned to immediately sell the house, to do it any differently?
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I never roof over existing I dont care if the manufacturer says so or not. It is one band-aid after another. Just tear it off and fix the problem because in 5 yrs your going to have to do it anyway. Write it down and remember what I said. P.S. In 5 years the damage will be greater and you will be replacing all that rotten wood underneath everything too! Wait untill you see that estimate!
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The problem in the bedroom has been from Day 1; there's very little air coming out of the two registers. And yes, insulation may be an issue because the room is kind of extending, i..e three outside walls. I've been getting estimates for roof replacement, and they are all over the place, using Certainteed Landmark TL or Pro roof shingles. Do I want a roof ventilation system (on the ridge)?
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
Exposed nails are the tell that the guy they hired was clueless.
bichonbabe
4 years ago
Cedar shake roofs do not last 20 years. This will have to be replaced so the exposed nails are the least of your issues. I had cedar shakes on my last house which was required at the time. I vowed to never have one again. They promote bugs like silver fish , allow critters like squirrels access to your house and are a fire hazard. Definitely plan on replacing this roof.
kudzu9
4 years ago
Cedar shake roof are great...for about the first two years. Then they start to deteriorate and require lots of maintenance, and then repair. Cedar shake roofs from the 1950's and before lasted a long time because of the quality of the first-growth cedar. Now the shakes come from newer, faster-growing trees that don't have the same rot resistance. I had cedar shake roofing on a house I owned for 30 years, and vowed never again. The roof in your pictures looks like mine did before I started having leaks and needing roof replacement. There are techniques for replacing shakes with concealed nailing, but you can only keep putting bandaids on for so long. Those face-nailed shakes of yours are probably from an incompetent roofer who was replacing rotted out shakes. The tar paper showing through is another telltale sign that the roof is on life support. Plan on replacing it soon, preferably with something requiring less upkeep. The house I have now has steel roofing that I never have to clean and will outlast me.
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
"Cedar shake roofs do not last 20 years." Certainly not true with the two I had - San Diego and Seattle. Two completely different climates. This WAS in the 1970s-early 1990s.
kudzu9
4 years ago
SaltiDawg-

The quality of the cedar has declined since you had your roofs (and I had mine).
kudzu9
4 years ago
I wasn't arguing either ....just relating my perception.
cjh4q
Original Author
4 years ago
Does anyone have a resource showing how cedar shakes are supposed to be replaced or for that matter improper installation? To give to seller as support of our position?
millworkman
4 years ago
These guys should certainly be able to help you with instructions.
kudzu9
4 years ago
Here is a short video showing how to properly do it so there are no exposed nails:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xbvWQm9E_1E
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
4 years ago
Shake life depends on climate vs original thickness. Most installed 20 years ago were thin.... like yours.

Get the estimate for a full replacement now so you can weigh temp repair vs replace.

I'm wary of resale "roof warranties" as many only fix the leak but not the damage.

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