Options on Leaking Roof

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inkyak86
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:54 pm

During our last good rain storm here tonight,i looked up to notice beads of water dripping from edge of ceiling.I had to cut out a section of ceiling to find the decking completely rotted.I just purchased this double wide last year,I had the roof inspected and he said it was good to go.It is a TPO roof i believe,like white rubber.I was concerned when i bought it because the previous owners son had used some type of peel and stick roofing membrane all along the outer edge of the roof but the inspector said it looked good.I now know this roof has leaked for quite some time with the rot i found on the underside of the decking....
What would be my least expensive option? Could they just cut back the tpo,replace rotted decking and run a new strip of tpo over new decking welding the seam? If i have to replace all of the tpo,would it be less costly to go with shingles or ribbed metal? Think that is like pole barn siding.
I have a very limited budget,on disability and am really worried about the roof as i have heard it could cost north of 6k of which i could never afford...Any ideas or recommendations? I live in central Florida so i have to think about hurricanes.
Thanks form the new guy
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Greg
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Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Your CHEAPEST option would be to go to harbor freight and buy tarps. That said you really need to get a GOOD look at the extent of the damage and what it will really need to do a proper repair.
I did a metal roof over on our 14x80 2 years ago cost around $4k. If you are in Hurricane prone areas you may be subject to stricter installation regulations so you will need to check them before proceeding too far.
I think I would contact the inspector and see if you have any recourse on their "inspection", You are correct the peal & stick strips should have been a dead give away that something was not right. Start taking lots of photos now just in case thy are needed later.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
inkyak86
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:54 pm

Thanks,the inspector is no longer in business or has moved.I have had 2 contractors out so far and they were completely different in their opinions,my bet was on the second guy.
First guy came out,got on roof,looked around,came down and said roof looked to be in pretty good shape and didn't appear to be to old.He recommended a repair.Cut back the membrane,replace decking and run a new sheet and weld it in.He said it was a pvc membrane,not tpo...
Second guy,he said he flat out refuses to work with membrane roofs as they are horrible products that simply do not last.He said the roof was completely shot,at least 15 years old and said i needed a complete tear off and said shingles were the way to go.I was skeptical so he took me up on the roof and it was clearly obvious,he was correct.In the pvc membrane you can see what looks like a window screen,which i guess is the way it is suppose to look.But the problems were that the membrane had cracks in it,it was fraying,he showed me the loose fibers that he could just pull out like cut off jeans and several places where you could actually see the pink foam board through the membrane.
I have no idea why the first guy didn't see these obvious flaws.The second guy gave me what i think is a very good estimate of $4500 to replace 2 decking boards,pull off both roofs,he said there would be shingles under foam board, and install a 25 year warranty shingled roof.
I have several other guys coming out but i am already leaning toward the second guy,he seemed very knowledgeable,they are a father son team,have great reviews and do all the work themselves,they do not sub the work out.
My main concern with shingles is that i am going to lose a lot of insulation properties,removing all the foam board under the membrane...
As a side note,i live in central Florida so yes we did get hurricane action here
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

It sounds like the second guy is more knowledgeable and was willing to get you up on the roof to actually SHOW you what is going on.
Check with the contractor and see if there is a way to add a layer of foam board, he may have some ideas.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
mdnagel
Posts: 187
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 12:39 am

When we bought our place there had been a patch job on the roof. I had the roofing replaced with metal (and did not look back!): no repairs to the decking was needed, so the leak had not really compromised anything (other than some sheet rock on a part of the ceiling- I'm finally getting around to doing house repairs).

A roof is NOT something to go cheap on. Food, SHELTER and water: a shelter isn't a shelter without a good roof!
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