The Scariest Ghost That May Live In Your Home
There are certain tales of roofing catastrophes still passed down around the fire, ghost stories from homeowners that serve as warnings we can still heed, if we only listen…
’Twas a storm that took everything from Richard, a man no different from you n’ me. Richard was a good man who tended to his work and family, but little did he know, as he lay down his children to bed each night, that there was forces greater than he conspiring over his very head. There was no warning for poor Richard, not when his roof be improperly installed…for this is a tale of vengeance sought by the Dreaded Reverse Lap.
Yae, throughout history, for every roof damaged by the elements there were a Reverse Lap, and that’s the truth. Richard’s fate was sealed when his roof was installed, as the Dreaded Reverse Lap is not known to show mercy.
We hesitate to even show you the face of such damage, such carnage! If small eyes be present, shield them for their own sake.
Behold, sights of Reverse Lap!
The horror! The abject terror!
And that is just the beginning. As ye might have surmised from the tone of this tale, the terrors of Reverse Lap provide no happy endings for Richard, nor will they for you.
The scariest part of the tale above? It is all true. Reverse lap found anywhere on your roof will be chalked up as an installation defect, which can void an insurance claim and even the product warranties on your shingles.
So How Do I Avoid A Personal Nightmare?
Correct installation of your roof is crucial in this regard, and involves properly lapping building materials — one of the most basic yet overlooked principles in constructing a sound home. This lap provides surface transfer for precipitation to fall seamlessly and continuously down the roof face; any hang-ups caused by reverse lap disrupts this flow of water and forces it horizontally until it finds imperfections and leaks through.
Anywhere there is an exchange of one material to another, gravity MUST be taken into account. So where felt overlaps on the roof deck, how shingles are lain in valleys and around vents, how protrusions are flashed and taped, or even where drip edge is installed, ALL must consider how water will flow from one surface over another. Experienced contractors know this and employ it in every aspect of your exterior construction, keeping water moving down your slope and out of your home.
These simple considerations, along with other basic home DIY assessments you can do on your own are critical to ensuring your home performs exactly as it should. A few simple countermeasures will help ensure ghost stories like the Tale of the Dreaded Reverse Lap stick to the campfire.
For practical advice or questions, feel free to contact Elevated Solutions for all your remodeling needs!
Caleb Giesen,
Project Consultant