How is that roof built, insulated, and ventilated? What’s the hvac in the space? What is the relative humidity at the peak of the ceiling? I don’t think you have a leak

There is an approximately 8inch gap between the back side of the tongue and groove material and the plywood of the roof. In-between is pink fiberglass sheets of insulation. There are 2 HVAC systems in that section of the house. Both are in the attic. The attic is just on the other side of the one picture showing the wood ceiling. The white diagonal line at the upper left corner is attic space. There are multiple vents on that vertical interior wall.

As to how the roof is ventilated, I don't know, aside from the soffit vents.

The soffit is actually what re-inspired this question, as the roofer was also supposed to do a soffit repair. They indicated that the soffit (& fascia) damage was caused by a roof leak. I personally don't think it was; I think it was caused by a gutter issue. But when the roofer said that, it made me start asking questions about that upper section again. If the soffit issue was caused by a roof leak, then the roof definitely wasn't fixed properly. The damaged soffit portion isn't quite visible in either picture but is basically 3 feet out from the bottom of the left-most section of wood ceiling.

" The damaged soffit portion isn't quite visible in either picture but is basically 3 feet out from the bottom of the left-most section of wood ceiling. "

Take a picture of that area. What did your contract with the roofing company state that they were to do in the way of work? What sort of felt was on the roof that they did not remove? What were they supposed to do with the sheathing? Obviously they could not do anything to the sheathing if they did not remove said paper. What did they bill you for? Have you paid them in full?

I see synthetic roof underlayment, not tar paper. Usually you use a shovel to remove asphalt shingles which would destroy any existing underlayment.

There has been no talk of the ridge cap and if that was leaking.

Also, with the information so far I would agree with Hallett that this is a condensation issue. Batt insulation allows air movement within and behind any pockets, and along with imperfect vapor retarders, warm air meets a cold underside of roof sheathing. Code actually calls for venting each rafter space in a cathedral/vaulted ceiling, unless you meet a lot of very specific criteria which would prevent condensation risk.

Since your username is alwayslearning, I suggest reading up on website BuildingScience(dot)com on "unvented roof systems." There is a plethora of info and is one of only a few legitimate web sources that you can trust. And you can read code IRC Section R806.5 about air permeable insulation (batts) in an unvented roof.

Thank you all. The tar paper was largely still there after shoveling. I didn't know if that would prevent proper assessment of the plywood. They used the GAF roofing system. I don't have a picture of what the "bare wood" roof looked like, but they seemed to know what needed to be replaced only by walking on it, not by visual inspection, because you couldn't see enough of the bare wood. That could be normal, but I don't know. This is a new topic for me so my knowledge is currently limited. I will definitely check out that website. I have not yet paid in full, which is why I wanted to see if there was legitimacy to my concerns. It is good to hear that it might not be an issue that the plywood wasn't replaced.

I'm curious though, why would a ceiling like this drop grit if there wasn't a problem with the roof? I included a picture for reference. A ton dropped all at once during the roof job

Would the venting of a cathedral roof be done on the exterior (i.e. on the roof)? What type of professional would do this type of work?

I've included soffit pictures here. The last picture is what the soffit looked like before the roofer started to "fix" it. It was actually easy to look in the hole with a flashlight and get a better sense of what was going on, however, the roofer chose to pull more of it down and then give me an $$$ number to continue the repair. I'd originally agreed to $500. It was obvious it was in rough shape before pulling anything down, so the roofer's "surprise" was baffling to me. When I didn't agree to the new number, they left.

The soffit damage is from all the gutters being clogged and flowing over the sides. You can see the dirty marks from where it goes over the edge. It is also going over the backside, working it's way up under the shingles and finding it's way down behind the fascia, sitting on top the soffit panel and rotting them. It might explain the red circle area.

The grit I don't know what it is. Mold doesn't just drop like cotija cheese, and any sort of debris I would think needs to be "shaken" out of something. The wood T&G is certainly discolored up at the top, that could be from prior leaks or wetness from condensation.

Insect droppings plus insufficient insulation and condensation. The whole thing should be an unvented attic, with foam, not fiberglass. Never fiberglass for that type of roof.

For the gutter problem, call a company that does only gutters. That way, it will get done correctly.

All of this has been so helpful. Love the tie-back to the gutter problem and the red circle.

The idea of the grit being insect droppings is an interesting one. A pic of some of the grit from install day is attached. There was SO much of it that I gathered it from the coffee table. This grit is similar to the typical grit I’ve seen, although perhaps slightly larger than normal in the first photo. The wood looking bits aren’t normally there in the second photo.

The house was built in the early 80s. If this is a condensation issue, why would it take until 2021/2022 to show up? I’m guesstimating as to when it started, as it was actually noticed in 2023, but I really don’t think it was there when the house was purchased. I’ve included a close-up of a darkened section. I truly believed it was dirt, so I was horrified when I saw it close-up a couple of weeks ago. And yes, nothing fell off of it either, which was confusing based on the narrative I knew thus far. I have made decent progress remediating a trial section.

That is 100% black mold due to condensation, and those are NOT roof granules. Roof grit is sharp, those are all smooth. You have a dampness/ condensation issue. Roof isn’t vented correctly, you don’t have enough airflow, and your indoor humidity levels are too high. Stand up on the ladder at three on a summer day and I bet you will quit in ten minutes.

Thanks. Wish I'd posted here months ago. Both roofing companies I consulted with told me it was a roofing issue and promised to investigate the section from above. Regardless, the company I hired didn't follow through on their promise to let me see inside. Looks like I'm out $$$, got a nail in my foot, and made zero progress towards fixing my goal. Wonderful ;)

What type of contractor would fix the dampness/condensation issue so it doesn't mold again?

" Both roofing companies I consulted with told me it was a roofing issue "

They put a new roof on and did not address the issue. You have a water leak and mold & rot. They absolutely needed to pull that paper and inspect the sheathing and all flashings. new ridges would have been the proper thing as well.

You might contact a mold remediation service for a consultation.