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Soft roof, rotted deck or sagging ridge.

An engineer should assess framing, and a trained roofing crew should do deck repairs.

Customers put it like this

  • the roof feels spongy
  • the ridge is sagging
  • the roofer found rotten plywood
  • there is a dip in the roof
Prepare this job in ForeBotFind another guide

Stop first if

  • The deck deflects underfoot, or framing moves or cracks.Get off, keep people out and call an engineer.
  • Rafters bow or walls look pushed out.Keep people out and call an engineer.
  • Hot attic plywood may be treated, in an attached 1980s building.Keep crews off that deck and send it to an engineer.
  • There is ice, a wet surface, frost, high wind or lightning.Stay off the roof. Log the conditions and that nobody went up.
01

Ask on the call

5

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Where does it feel soft or sag?
  2. Did it change recently, or after a storm or heavy snow?
  3. Has there been a leak there before?
  4. Did a roofer find this during a tear-off?
  5. Is the building a house or an attached unit?
02

Bring

6
  • Flashlight
  • Awl or probe
  • Moisture meter
  • Binoculars
  • Roof plan sketch sheet
  • Phone for photos
03

Check on site

6
  1. Sight the ridge from the ground first.
  2. In the attic, on framing only, probe and sound the deck. Plot damage on a roof plan.
  3. Read the pattern. Damage at penetrations points toward flashing, eave edges toward ice, widespread areas toward condensation.
  4. Note damage at panel edges, which points toward wetting during construction.
  5. Separate sag between rafters from swayback, bowed rafters or pushed-out walls. The second group goes to an engineer.
  6. Stains over sound wood do not justify selling a new deck. Fix the cause before replacing.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Roof plan with damage plotted
  • Photos from the ground and attic
  • Moisture readings at damaged areas
  • Probe results by location

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.