Roof Cost Strategy Advice Needed

[Alixander Laffredo-Dietrich]

Hey all, just bought my first home on Jul 24 2023. Have some questions about my roof.

Noticed one morning when the sun hit my house just right that there were some small, but noticeable waves in my roof. Went up to the attic to check and noticed that it’s old plank sheathing. There are a good number of split planks, a few totally cracked all the way in half, and some water damage. Also, looks like the start of some mold on the joists that support the sheathing.

Mainly, I think it needs to be completely redecked and but I might be able to save the joists with a good cleaning.

My question is:

1. I feel like this is something the home inspector should’ve caught before I bought the house. There are pictures of the attic, but everything is about the insulation, and nothing touches on the quality of the roof. Am I crazy? I feel like this was a huge oversight.

2. If there’s nothing the inspector can do, does a home warranty cover this sort of stuff? I still have a few weeks to buy one.

3. Worst case scenario and I have to eat this cost, anyone got recs on good roofers in the area? Fortunately my house is 980 sq’ so it shouldn’t be the end of the world. Will just have to tighten the belt for a few months.


Kind of a bummer, but I’ll be alright. Just looking for the best course of action to nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse in the best way possible.

Thanks for all the advice!

Hard to see in this light but look closely and you can see a few lumps.

Big crack in the sheathing.

Sheathing split all the way through. Also I’m guessing dark mold on the joist to the left.

I’m guessing that’s mold too?



Give it to me straight docs. What’s the best course of action here?

[Andy Sabisch]

As Scott said, a new roof while not in your budget, will save you problems down the road that patching what you have will cause.  Leaks can manifest themselves into ceiling damage, wall damage and mold which can have health implications. 

As far as your inspector not catching the problem, you will find that all of them have disclaimers saying that they are not responsible for items that they missed . . . which I always feel is a weasel clause and why we do not use them for purchases.  I know what the big hitters are - roofs, foundations, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.  If any of them are suspect, I call a professional instead of having a home inspector miss the issue or tell me to call a professional which I could have done up front.  You could have gotten a roofer to give you an estimate for repairs at no charge within the inspection window . . . and then you would have had something you could have gone back to the seller and renegotiate the purchase price but that is water under the bridge at this point.  Do not expect the inspector to do anything other than say sorry, I missed it.  Did the inspector go up on the roof?  If so, not sure how he did not call out the condition in the report.

As far as the photos, the spots on the rafters are not mold so no worry there.

When you look for a roofer, unless you know someone in the business, get more than one estimate as you will find prices vary and what it includes also varies.  What will they charge per sheet of plywood that needs to be replaced, what about rafters?  What warranty is provided and what does it cover?  Make sure you are comparing apples to apples . . . .

Good luck!