Vancouver Roof Missing Ventilation for 15 Years – Featured Home Inspection

I’ve written before about how getting a new construction home inspected is a great idea. Here’s another great reason why…

We inspected this property in Vancouver, on a sunny day with great visibility. It featured a concrete tile roof, which looked as though it had good ventilation. There were five roof vents that were all flashed nicely. (Not visible in the photo below)

Upon entering the attic, it was clear that there was a problem; in the photo below, we should be seeing the bottom of a vent, not concrete.

TIP: Turn off your flashlight in the attic. Do you see daylight? You should, but only at the eaves (soffits) at the lower edge of the roof, and the roof vents. If you see daylight anywhere else, it may be a leak waiting to happen.

The underlay had been cut, but from below, only the bottom of the concrete tiles were visible. No roof vents.

After going outside to measure, then back into the attic, it became clear that the original installers had misaligned every roof vent. This attic had no ventilation!

Even more surprising? The house was built in 1998. It had been that way for fifteen years!

UPDATE: I returned to this property a few days ago, and the seller had called a roofer to install new metal roof vents. And this time, they were properly lined up! The buyer who hired us ended up saving about $2000.

UPDATE AGAIN: Some neighbours nearby spoke with the sellers, and noticed that their attic vents were also missing. They are currently working on repairs.

Call us for your next Vancouver Roof Inspection – 604 395-2795