Jiminy Cricket!! Did I do my Due Diligence?

I had been selling roofs for a short while when I ran across a roof leak that I just couldn’t figure out.  A large, newly framed in skylight, that on the exterior showed no signs of water intrusion was flooding the interior pretty heavily every time it rained. I went to my manager at the time at and showed him a drawing I had made of the roof and skylight. “You need a cricket.” , He said. “What’s a cricket?” I retorted, bemused. I had a vague picture in my head of some sort of roofing tool that hopped around the roof looking for leaks.  

He drew me a picture, and immediately I understood. “Of course! Like a Chimney cricket!” I exclaimed. Afterward I started doing research on different types of roof flashing  techniques, and since then I have discovered so many different approaches. What strikes me the most about many of these, including the cricket, is how ancient they are - Basic ideas that have been used in some of the oldest known buildings.

For many reasons, however, including changing designs, new technologies, perceived budget constraints and sometimes just plain inexperience,  some roof systems just don’t have what it takes to stand the test of time. I see this every week when I’m doing due diligence inspections for prospective buyers of multi-family properties.

Also, for some reason, it seems to me that many times the roof is the last place investors look before placing a value on a property.  Over and over I have been on roofs where the buyer was unaware that the roof was leaking heavily, or that perhaps there had been a storm a couple years before that caused massive wind or hail damage. Then the owner comes to me for an estimate for full replacement, and when they get the budget proposal, I can hear an audible “gulp”. 

Recently I inspected a 400 unit apartment complex roof in the DFW Metroplex that had been replaced in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, while they did a fine job replacing the shingles, the roofing crew elected to squirt gobs of caulk into gaps at the Chimney crickets, instead of properly reflashing them, and the bases of the chimneys had rotted to a point where water was coming in at almost every one, and the structural integrity at the chimney chases was failing. Fortunately in that instance the prospective buyers had me come out and look, before making an offer on the property.

Because of the design and drafting practices Architects use while drawing multifamily, many times the Architect will leave certain areas in the roof plans to the discretion of the roofer when choosing waterproofing solutions, and since an apartment building is basically only a few floor plans repeated over and over, if you have a weakness in one floor plan’s roof design, guess what? You have them above every top floor unit. Different Roof types use different solutions, and don’t even get me started on general waterproofing techniques in exteriors and slabs. Raise your hand if you own a property that has had an infuriating leak that just won’t go away!

SO what’s the solution?

 First: Always, always have an experienced, multifamily roofer do a site survey during your due diligence process. Multifamily roofs many times are very high, and inspectors and regular roofers are afraid to get on them and walk around, or don’t have a tall enough ladder.  Some buildings may even require a lift. A multifamily roofer will know how to get on your roof, where to look, what to look for and what crucial questions you should be asking a seller to start figuring out if there are roof problems with the property.

Second:  Get pictures of any issues, and ask for documentation, pictures, and an estimate for proposed solutions, to take with you to the bargaining table. This can and will save you hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars down the line in re-roofing costs, exterior repairs, interior repairs, the list goes on.

Third: The solution is not always a complete reroof! Many roofers will just give you an estimate for a complete re-roof or perhaps a membrane overlay or even recommend an elastomric coating. While these are all good solutions in certain specific situations, you might spend several hundred thousand dollars and still have the same leak problems when you are finished! Talk about frustrating! If there are inherent design issues or waterproofing concerns, your roofer should know, and he should be telling you that FIRST, and only recommend a complete reroof when that is really the best option.  Most roof systems are designed to be repairable. Yes! But they must be repaired properly, usually without the primary tool being a caulk gun. Stay away from caulk gun cowboys. You’re throwing money away. I’ll write more about that later.

The Bottom line is this: Do your due diligence on the roof first, just like you do with everything else, and the money you save will translate into available funds to help with your current properties’ roof maintenance and issues. Dry tenants make happy tenants, and roof leaks cause unnecessary stress that puts a burden on everyone, from the PM to the Owner. So when you hear that little voice in your head wondering if you missed anything on your due diligence, say

“Jiminy Cricket! What about the Roof?”