Inspection Finds Leaking Roof?

I am in the process of purchasing a townhouse, and completed a pre-contract inspection which, among other things, found an actively leaking roof.  The roof is slightly sloping “flat” roof with modified bitumen material.

The roof has a non-insignificant leak at the seam around the washer/dryer vent which has caused probably over a square foot of paint to separate from the ceiling and hang down.  Moreover, despite the fact that it had not rained in a full week before the inspection, there was a significant amount of water sitting inside the roof underneath the top layer of roof material (squishing around like a thin water bed).  There is also a slight leak around the skylights, which were apparently not off-the-shelf skylights but were created in ad hoc way by the individuals who renovated the townhouse six years ago.  It’s fairly clear that the previous owners did not do a good job caring for the townhouse and probably did zero maintenance on the roof, which was renovated about 8 years ago, before they purchased the townhouse about six years ago.

In and of itself, this might not be an overwhelming repair (I’ve been quoted $20k to redo the roof and install real skylights, which seems low to me), but it is somewhat unclear how long this leak has been going on.  It seems to me that it is impossible to determine how severe the damage is (and check for the presence of mold) until the roof comes apart.  Also, I’m not inclined to allow this state to continue for months until I close and get a chance to do the repair, which could be further delayed by winter weather.  So even if we assume that it’s a recent leak and the damage is manageable now, it might be a mess by the time that I close, and just sitting around and hoping for no rain is not a viable option.

How concerned should I be with this situation?  What should I ask the sellers to do to remedy the situation?  Is there anything that they can do to truly remedy the situation?

I am not in contract yet, so nothing is binding and I can walk.  Conceivably, I could ask the seller to do repairs but it seems obvious that they will do a shoddy job.  Also, I find the way that the sellers (who no longer live in the townhouse) have allowed the place to decay a very bad sign for other potential problems.  On the other hand, the sellers should probably hope that I stick around, since this situation is only going to get worse this winter.

I’m new to the real estate purchase process, so any thoughts/advice/rotten tomatoes would be helpful. Thank you.

middlewest

in Plumbers and Plumbing 12 years and 7 months ago

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DouglasAlan | 12 years and 7 months ago

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This is my posting about a roof I had done last summer. Please note the actual size of my roof is 20×40, not 20×80\. I’d edit if I could. http://forum.brownstoner.com/question/UQHw9EiuPJ8=/my-roofing-experience The whole thing was done for $5K, but we didn’t have water damage to deal with. Still, an extra $15K to maybe rip out some old layers of soggy roof and sister a joist or two seems a little steep. I would definitely get a second estimate. My main concern with all of this would be mold. Tests for that run a few hundred dollars.

NeoGrec | 12 years and 7 months ago

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It’s hard to offer concrete advice without knowing more about the overall picture: what you’re paying for the house, where it’s located, and its general condition. I will say that if you’re new to Brooklyn RE (“middlewest”?), you’re probably appalled by how much houses in lousy condition sell for here. You’re not wrong — but I’m afraid that’s the reality of the market. Any problem can be fixed, it just depends on the price. Bottom line: i) negotiate for a price reduction; ii) get a really thorough home inspection — and be prepared to pay extra for a good one; iii) be ready to walk if you remain uncertain.

cate | 12 years and 7 months ago

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 Leaks around a vent and a skylight sounds like you might just need better flashing, not a whole new roof, so the problems here could be much more minor than you think. OTOH, I have heard of squishy roofs caused by installing a roof directly on top of insulation. If that’s the case, you’ll need to do a total tear off to fix it. As for the cost, we had a 20×45 roof replaced and a new skylight installed, the hatch reseated, two leaders replaced, and the mudroom roof redone for about $6,000 a few months ago. This wasn’t a total tear off, which would cost more, but just a new layer on top of the existing roof layers. They did each roof in one day, and the whole thing took two days.

daveinbedstuy | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Also, it’s getting closer to winter. First of all, roof guys are probably swamped with work because of storms and that onlyy gets worse in the winter.  Snow sitting on that roof and leaking over a longer period of time will do much more damage if you don’t close on this right away and get to it right away.

slopegirl | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Based on your post about the way the agent described the roof to you it sounds like you have a situation where someone from seller’s camp is lying to you, I’d be very careful about proceeding not only because of unknowns in the roof but the general unknowns. Your inspector can’t see everything so problems with renovations done under the watch of these sellers are also suspect.   I would certainly lower my offer if I were you. You should factor in the roof damage but also the recent sller renovations to that new lower offer price. If they were extensive renos and things were done improperly and you have to redo things like plumbing, electrical or similar that can be costly.   Finally ask yourself if you want repair and renovation headaches. Is it otherwise your dream house? Have you been looking for years and never seen one this good? If you’re not sure of any of that, signing a contract could be a big mistake. Walking away is part of the buying process. Don’t be afraid to do it.

middlewest | 12 years and 7 months ago

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I would say that, while the house does seem to have a discount, it is not clear that the discount is due to this issue. There are other immediate location issues (e.g. the specific block it’s on) that account for a discount. Actually, other than the roof (and potentially some renovation work that was not done up to code) the overall house is in good condition due to the recent renovation (no thanks to the current owners) — but the leaking roof is a huge issue. The selling broker originally said that the roof needed to be replaced in “5 years” but never leaked, then said that it needed to be replaced soon but never leaked, and now it’s pretty clear that the roof needed to be replaced a while ago and must have leaked in the past, since otherwise this would be a huge coincidence that, of all times, water proliferated in the roof and spouted a leak right before the inspection.

PHfamily | 12 years and 7 months ago

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  Was the house priced lower because of its condition? Many homes are sold each year in NYC at a discounted price because of their crappy condition. Don’t ask the seller to do the repairs—there is no incentive for them to do a good job….if you aren’t ready for the repairs I’d say walk from the deal…..

dylan621 | 12 years and 7 months ago

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I think you’re absolutely right to be hesitant to continue with the purchase.  Obviously, you can negotiate a reduction in the purchase price to cover the cost of a new roof but you don’t want to let the situation deteriorate for another few months until you take possession and can have the roof replaced.  If there is a significant amount of water damage visible now, it’s only going to get worse and mold is a valid concern.  Also, if you’re contemplating a tear off of the existing roof rather than putting down another layer of roof that becomes a really messy job.