What does a home inspector look for when examining a roof?.

What's the difference between an 'architectural' and a regular shingle roof?.How much of a roof truss can I cut out to make a storage platform in the attic?.Do home inspectors go on the roof? Do they get in the attic?.What does 'lack of tab adhesion' in an asphalt shingle roof mean?.What are those metal boxes on the roof?.Should I buy a house that needs a new roof?.What are the warning signs of a dangerous attic pull-down ladder?.Can metal roofing be used on a low slope/pitch roof?.What are the dark lines running parallel to shingles on my roof?.How many layers of roofing are allowed on a home?.How can I be sure my roofing contractor got a permit?.If my roof is not leaking, why does it need to be replaced?.What are the most common problems with wood roof trusses?.Why is a popped nail in a shingle roof a problem? How do I fix it?.Are roof trusses better than roof rafters (stick framing)?.Does a roof with multiple layers of shingles last longer?.What is the building code requirement for an attic access hatch, scuttle, or door?.Why is there no attic access hatch in the house?.Why is it a mistake to replace a roof and not replace its flashings?.What is the life expectancy of an asbestos cement shingle roof?.What are the common problems with attic insulation?.How can I tell if a roof has more than one layer of shingles?.Why is premature curl of roof shingles a problem?.How can I inspect my roof for hurricane damage?.Is an attic required to have a light by the building code?.Why does it cost so much more to replace a steep roof than a low slope roof?.What causes bubble-like blisters in a built-up and gravel roof?.What causes leaks at a fake roof dormer?.What causes shingles to buckle along a line on the roof?.What causes roof shingles to curl up at corners?.What are the mistakes to avoid when doing attic improvements?.Why is granule loss a problem for an asphalt shingle roof?.

Why is my roof sheathing sagging between the trusses?.To learn more about roofs and attics, see these other blog posts:

See our blog post What are roofing purlins and battens? for more on this. This purlin is only one of several types of structural members that are perpendicular to the roof rafters and also called purlins. So proceed carefully, and with the advice of a contractor or engineer, if you plan on removing any interior walls to “open up” the floor plan. Some ceiling joists may also bear on those walls. If you remove any of those walls, the roof won't fail, but will likely sag over time. The only issue to consider when there are purlins in the attic is that there are interior walls directly below the base of the kickers that provide structural support through the kicker/purlin configuration to the rafters. But, if the purlins appear to be the same age as the rafters and professionally installed, it’s just because that was the way things were done back then. The beam running perpendicular to the rafters at approximately the midpoint between the top plate of the wall and the ridge board is called a “purlin,' and the diagonal braces are “kickers.” The bottom of the kicker bears on an interior wall or beam below.īecause this is an old-fashioned construction style, sometimes homebuyers that see purlins in the attic think that the bracing has been added as a repair because the rafters were sagging or due to some other structural problem. It was a way to provide additional rafter support, and also some resistance to lateral movement, for longer-span roof rafter framing. We often see this detail in older homes built before manufactured roof trusses became the standard for residential construction.

Adding rafter ties to old roof