Q: I received a request from the buyers of my house to repair the valleys and to have the chimney cleaned and reinspected. I did not get a copy of the home-inspection report, and the inspector is unwilling to talk with me about the repairs.
What is a valley, and how do I fix it? Is the inspector trying to get more work by wanting to inspect the chimney again? Please help. I need to make these repairs in the next 30 days.
A: The home inspector cannot, without permission from his client, the buyer, divulge any part of the home inspection with you or anyone else. That would include discussing with you what repairs are needed or how to make the repairs. In fact, the inspector the buyer hired may not even know how to make the repairs.
It is still possible in most states for anyone to take a few class hours of instruction, pass an exam and go into the home-inspection business with limited hands-on experience. When a person is hiring a home inspector, it is a good idea to ask for qualifications and experience. "Price shoppers" who base their choices only on the cost of the inspection may be disappointed in the long run.
The better home inspectors will charge more, based on their training, their experience and the number of years they have been in the business.
A valley is part of the roof system and is usually found on a gabled roof or on a roof with dormers. When a roof line changes direction, a valley area is created. A valley can be laced with overlapping shingles, cut with overlapping shingles or open with a valley material exposed in between the shingles. The valley material is generally made of metal or roll roofing and receives a lot of run-off water, which degrades the material.
If the valley is worn, I would guess it is the open roll roofing, which wears out faster than the surrounding shingles.
A temporary fix is to place a mesh fiber in the valley, then coat the area with roofing mastic.
A longer-lasting repair is to remove the shingles that are within 18 inches of either side of the valley, replace the valley material, then replace the shingles. Unless the existing roof shingles are fairly new, patching with brand new shingles will be noticeable and may be unsightly. Try to save and reinstall the shingles that are removed.
The warmer the shingles, the easier they are to remove. Older shingles are brittle in colder weather.
Use a flat bar to remove the roofing nails, being careful not to damage the shingles.
If the roof is more than 10 years old, I would recommend patching until a whole new roof is needed.
When recommending that a chimney be cleaned and reinspected, I'm pretty sure the home inspector means to say, "cleaned and reinspected by a certified chimney sweep." Professional chimney sweeps will inspect the chimney flue liner, firebox, cap, wash and all major parts of a chimney for safety problems as they clean the flue liner.
You might ask the buyer to pay for the chimney cleaning, since this is part of annual home maintenance. If a chimney problem is found, you can agree to return the cleaning fee to the buyer.
(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at PO Box 268, Evansville, IN 47702 or send him e-mail at d.barnett@insightbb.com.)
