Skylights provide a great way to let additional natural light into the home, but let’s face it, every skylight you have really represents another hole that has been cut into your roof. That means there are additional opportunities for the weather to get in over time. Our client in Vancouver had a new skylight installed when they had a new roof put on 10 years prior. Due to an improper installation of the flashing, the homeowners were now experiencing leaks and damage around the opening.
IBEX was brought in to assess the damage and make repairs to the skylight, its flashing, and the surrounding surface of the roof. Upon inspection it was clear that the leaks were due to incorrect installation, and as a result, damage that accrued over time. We sourced asphalt shingles that would match the current roofing and set in to replacing and repairing all the damage. Custom metal flashing was created and installed to prevent the issue from reoccurring.
The Pacific Northwest is known for its long running bouts of rain and the occasional freak snowstorm. In 2016, however, Battleground was the victim of a tornado—something we don’t see very often. This particular twister touched down in several spots in the small town, and while thankfully there was no loss of life, there was plenty of damage that resulted.
We worked with our client after the storm to repair a roof, custom cupola, and weather vane that had been ripped off the house during touchdown. We rebuilt the custom cupola and re-applied the same copper finish it had prior to the damage. This work also afforded us the opportunity work on eliminating some other leaky areas that the homeowners were having trouble with.
Many times we are called out to work on a roof that is the victim of poor workmanship. This particular home was only 10 years into its new life. The homeowners had replaced the roof with what should have been a 50 year asphalt shingle roof. Sadly, the improper nail placement by the previous roofing contractor had prematurely deteriorated the new roof.
After assessing the damage of the house, our team determined that a roof replacement rather than a repair would be more cost effective in the long run for the homeowners. It also gave our team time to further assess and fix improper ventilation issues that were occurring due to the improperly installed roof. Sometimes a roof replacement can be more cost effective than the repair needed to correct poor workmanship. We gave our clients the security of a new roof, free of the issues that had previously plagued them.
From time to time we are called on to work with a more uncommon type of roofing material. In this case, our customer was having a home addition built that would dramatically change the roofline from the street view. They were concerned about not being able to match the color of the shakes that had been naturally weathered as part of the normal fading process the wood goes through.
To solve this problem, we suggested removing each shake shingle from the back of the roof prior to the remodel. We then packaged and stored them, and upon the construction project’s completion, reinstalled the weathered shakes on the front side of the addition so that the aesthetic look (from the street) was obtained, and the curb appeal wasn’t reduced. The rear side of the house’s roof was done in all new shake shingles and were allowed to weather over time, which was fine because no one could see that from the street.
Working on a roof replacement on an older, historic home can come with a lot of challenges. This particular roofing project was set in the beautiful Bate Garden section of Portland. The home presented challenges due to extremely steep pitches on the home’s roof. Adding to that there was a concern about damaging the plant life surrounding the house as it featured rare and valuable plants. Roofing material that was taken off could not just be slid off the roof onto the ground, so our team had to come up with another method of disposal that took the natural scenery into account. Great care was taken during the roofing project which led to none of the plants being damaged.
