Sarah from IL asked:
We just had a roof installed this past November and having problems with shingles buckling.
Getting the contractor to make the repairs has been very difficult and we ended up having a home inspection performed due to the company placing blame on our ventilation. The report showed no issues with the attic. The shingles were installed on wet underlayment due to rain.
The company’s solution is to now have a repairman come and cut off the excess part of the buckled shingles and nail the same shingles back down, without replacing the underlayment or replacing the shingles. Is this an appropriate repair? It just doesn’t sound right to me. I have included some photos of the issue.
Photos from Home Inspector’s report (click “>” to view photos)
Mr. RoofCheck®’s advice:
After reviewing your file, I wanted to point out a couple of things and hopefully, it will give you a little more information to leverage.
First of all, as you indicated this is a GAF Product and although I am not sure about the exact line of shingle, I have included an installation brochure for GAF products. Pages 137-149 specifically talk about the fastening of the shingles which I believe is the deficiency causing the lifting shingles. Here is a link to a GAF video on the installation as well. This will help understand the proper way to install the roofing material.
The visible issue that is concerning is the lifting shingles which is why you are reaching out.
Based on the report you provided, it doesn’t appear that the fasteners that were used were long enough to penetrate through the wood substrate.
The reason why this is important is that if the mechanical fasteners do not penetrate through the roof sheathing, then as the building materials expand and contract due to weather fluctuations, it will draw the mechanical fasteners back up through the roofing material causing the shingles to lift.
I believe improper mechanical fasteners may be the cause of the roof deficiency. With that said, if the shingles were not installed per manufacturer specifications, the manufacturer warranty may be void. As far as the proposed repair methodology, if the wrong mechanical fasteners were used to install the roofing material, the shingles will continue to buckle throughout the roofing material. Unfortunately, a complete roof replacement may be the only option.