Well, a couple of things! First and most obvious is the fact that our rainy season is just around the corner. Although it doesn’t usually start in earnest until November, it can and does rain in September. I know this for a fact!! When I moved to this area in September 1972, it rained almost every day, or so it seemed. Remember the song “They say it never rains in California.” I believed it!! So it was not quite what I expected. A prudent person would think seriously about finishing off this roof job.
The other, less obvious issue is this: Most people think that the tiles or shingles or shakes are what keeps the roof water tight. That is incorrect. It is the tar paper under the roof covering that keeps the roof water tight. The tiles, shingles, shakes, or even gravel if you have a tar and gravel roof, are there to protect the paper from the sun, which would otherwise rot the paper and destroy the water barrier it provides.
The house in this picture has been under construction for more than a year. Early this year they installed the roof…. all but the corner you see in the photo. It has been like that ever since. They have worked all around it… installing windows, finishing and painting the walls, landscaping, hardscaping. It seems that patch of roof is going to be the last thing finished, and it has been sitting, exposed to the sun for months and months. I would not buy that house without at least a 5 year guarantee (although a guarantee is absolutely no good if the builder goes out of business.)
A word to the wise:
- If you already own your home, have the roof inspected now, before it starts to rain. Roofers are hard to find in a downpour, as they are then working in emergency mode;
- If you buy a newly constructed home, buy from a reputable builder who has been in business for a long time. That builder is more experienced, and is also less likely to disappear overnight and leave you holding the bag if defects are discovered after escrow closes.
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