All Forum Posts by: Sam Zawatsky

@Edward Zachary Samperio

Understood. My question is: is it normal for a brand new roof to be installed in a way where there are 4 nails that need to be sealed with sealant on top of the shingles? To me, it seems like all nail heads should be underneath the other shingles that overlap. 

Hello,

I had a new roof put on this week, and I noticed when I did my inspection that there were areas at the peaks of the roof that there were 4 nails driven in, and then sealed with a clear sealant. Is this normal? My experience has only ever been with gable roofs up to this point, so I am not used to seeing hip roofs and how they are roofed. I did notice some sloppiness from the rest of this job, however, so I do not completely trust the roofing contractor to tell the truth or correct information. In one of the pictures, it shows where they forgot the clear sealant. Is this a standard practice to have exposed nails on roof leaks or ridge vents that are then sealed with a clear sealant?

Hello,

I’ve got a rental property that has an inherited tenant in it. When I bought the property, it was very messy in the backyard with huge piles of buried trash (old tile and toilets from past bathroom remodels dumped into a hole in the ground) and a very old shed that had things hoarded in it. The tenant claims that all of the buried piles of trash and the shed were all there when she first started renting 5 years ago, and wants to purchase a new shed because she needs a place to store items. I originally told her I didn’t want more items piled up everywhere making a mess, and told her I would only allow one shed on the premises. Eventually, I got tired of the mess in the yard and hired a large dump trailer to help me to clean out the entire backyard, removing all the trash and the old shed. Now, my question is; should I allow the tenant to purchase a new shed and place it on the property? They seem to be a decent tenant for the most part, not perfect but not terrible either. Or is allowing them to purchase this shed and place it where the old one was a big mistake ?

Hello, I’ve got a property that has a bad septic drain field, evidenced by a soggy and stinky 10 foot wide wet spot right above the septic tank lid and surrounding areas of the backyard. I had the tank pumped 4 months ago, but the wet spot quickly returned. While I understand I need to pay thousands for this issue to be fixed with proper permitting and drain field replacement, I am wondering about if I should also replace the septic tank? The house is 44 years old, currently with the original septic tank. I have heard mixed opinions of professionals, some saying that the tank is probably fine, others saying that the tanks generally only last 50 years or so and that the concrete gets brittle after a while. What do you think? It’s cheaper if I get a new tank to get it all done at once, but also Im not sure how much longer the original tank could last. Do you see a lot of concrete septic tanks that last 70 years or so?

Update: I ended up having the lowest price roofing contractor do the reroof with GAF timberline HDZ weathered wood shingles. There was a lot of decking that needed to be replaced , as well as quite a bit of soffit, rafter, and fascia wood. They told pictures of the old decking and a lot of it looked like it was burned in a fire years ago! Also many pieces with rotten holes where water leaked through in the past. Altogether, the total price was just under 8k ( the house size is 1000 sq ft livable space + 324 sq ft for auxiliary garage space). 

I am happy with how it turned out, although it is not perfect. The roof itself seems to be done just as well as any roof, but there are minor things that may or may not matter very much in the long run. The roofers left the shingles cut a bit long in my opinion (GAF recommends 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch of overhang over the drip edge, and mine is around 1 to 1.5 inches overhanging the drip edge) but some contractors have told me that this is the old standard method and is fine. The only other concern is the soffit vents that were in the old rotten soffit wood were all thrown away by the roofers, so the new soffit wood doesn’t have vents yet. I am trying to have the roofers return to install soffit vents, but I do not think they will come back. 

Hello,

I am putting a new roof on a townhouse end unit rental property in the next month, and have been told that the Atlas Pearl colored pinnacle pristine shingles are the same price as the other shingles, but are energy efficient. I don't prefer the color of these shingles, as it is a rather light color, but am wondering are the energy savings worth it? Would it help me get more in rent?

@Jerry V.
I have looked through all of your roofing and insurance posts, and it seems like I just have to bite the bullet and replace my roof. I was told that even citizens will not insure my roof, due to multiple patches  on it. 

Hello, I am having roofers replace the roof on my townhouse (due to insurance cancellations because of the roof age and condition) and the roofers gave me an option of having a ridge vent, as opposed to having 2 smaller off ridge vents. All of the townhouses I see in the area seem to use the off ridge vents. Could there be a downside to upgrading to the ridge vent?

What are your opinions of citizens insurance? Is it a good, functional rental property insurance? How are they during claims?

Hello,

I switched my insurance over to a rental property policy about a month ago and I just received a letter in the mail saying that my policy was being cancelled in 14 days due to the roof being in unacceptable condition, having multiple repairs. What should I do about this? The roof was repaired when I purchased the property 3 years ago, and works well still. I prefer not to replace the roof  , but also am worried that if I don’t have insurance, then there could be an issue with my mortgage, which I am still paying off