Tale of a friend who had bought a remodeled house flip
I got a call from a friend to investigate a leak from the roof to their son’s bedroom. Apparently the roof has been leaking for awhile and the ceiling was showing signs of dropping. While I was there it had been noted that the roof leaked prior to the purchase of this flipped home. My friend, who I choose to keep anonymous, was told that the leak had been fixed.
This is what I saw…
Well the most obvious is a lack of pipe flashing or as I like to refer to ‘pipe boot’ what is not as obvious, unless you are a plumber or a seasoned professional remodeling contractor, is pipe should have transitioned to a minimum of 3″ pipe at no less than 1 foot into space below. This is minimum code – some areas require 4″. Winnebago County and the city of Rockford requires 4″”. That’s just the start. I won’t bother with the details of height and the reasons why. Bottomline is that it was not done right the first time.
Apparently someone had put a new bathroom in the upstairs (almost directly above lower bathroom). The new bathroom looks kinda cute, but I noticed some design flaws and the tile flooring was already cracking from floor deflection.
Trying to get inside the bathroom remodelers head
Anyway on to what’s at hand… Without tearing walls and ceiling out I can only hypothesis what went on. Yes I wanted to get inside the head of whoever had done this remodeling job.
What happened to original vent from lower bathroom and why didn’t they tie into existing? Ironically a proper vent is on the opposite side/slope of the roof. I don’t know. My best guess was that the bathroom was done after the new roof. Definitely not a professional job and not code either. I’ll bet no permits were pulled.
Roof was a tearoff and new, why no new step flashing? I’m not sure if siding was put on before or after roof. Based on the way the J-channel rests, I would lean towards after.
My job per the HO and limited expenses was to stop the leaking water into the bedroom below. Replacing the missing boot was that fix.
Nonetheless, I must stress, what looks good and maybe an adequate job isn’t necessarily right and will in the end bite back. My friend had informed me of a lot of other things that he discovered were wrong about this house. Perhaps in another post.
When faced with bathroom remodeling or any home renovations Make A Professional Remodeling Choice and hire a professional…
Contact Freedom Builders & Remodelers here on the website or call 815-985-0310 for all your home improvement needs.
