What to do When You Have Discoloration on Your Roof

LESLIE: Greg in Arizona is on the line with a roofing question. How can we help you today?

GREG: We’re in the process of purchasing a place up in the mountains. And we had an inspection on the roof. And they said the reason for the discoloration in the fascia and the rafter tails is due to the fact that they didn’t overlap the roof enough on the metal. It’s a metal roof. And so …

TOM: OK. So let me stop you right there so that I can explain what I think you just said.

GREG: OK.

TOM: So, you’re talking about discoloration on the fascia, which is the part of the roof that usually a gutter would be attached to. And then the rafter tails, it sounds like your rafters may extend off of the roof edge, which is a common design. And what they – what the prior roofer did not do was extend the shingles far enough over the edge of that roof so that the water now is sort of dripping back against the fascia and those rafters. Is that correct?

GREG: Well, it’s a metal roof and it’s actually …

TOM: Oh, OK. It’s a metal roof. Alright.

GREG: Yeah, it’s even with the edge of the fascia.

TOM: OK. So they did not – yeah, they did not extend it at all. OK.

GREG: So one of the options was to drop the panels down, provided there’s enough gap at the ridge, to overlap the inch-and-a-half or 2 inches. And the other option is to put some flashing underneath the bottom of the roof: take the screws out, put that flashing underneath there and then re-secure the screws.

TOM: Create almost like a lip so that it would extend out even further. You know, that’s what we would do if it was asphalt shingles. And if you were able to do this with metal that was similar in color to what you had right now, I don’t think that’s a bad idea. I think it’s a pretty easy and straightforward way to fix this.

GREG: It’s just not corrugated like the roof is. It’ll just be a flat piece of …

TOM: I think that’s probably the straightforward, easiest way to get that job done. Because if you start to dismantle the fascia and move things around, it’s going to be a lot more construction work. And you could be opening Pandora’s Box. Who knows what’s going to happen when you start taking all that apart, what you find behind it? And it can just get more expensive.

So, I think simply extending that roof edge, in the most cost-effective way possible, is going to solve your immediate concerns.

GREG: Yeah, OK. Alright. Thank you so much.