Roofing Evaluation

in Construction Review

Overview

This SOP overviews how to evaluate roofs during Construction Review and is meant to help Construction Specialists decide which category any given roof falls into. For more information on the full roofing process from Construction Review’s perspective, please refer to the Roof Work in Construction Review SOP.

Roof Categories:

There are 3 potential categories a roof may fall into once evaluated:

  1. No work needed - “A” Roofs:This is to be chosen when the roof is in good condition, able to be installed on, structurally sound, and the Reviewer is confident that the roofing penetrations will be water-tight for the entirety of Freedom’s 10-year roof penetration warranty. For Sunrun, roof penetrations must only be water-tight for 5 years.

Estimated occurrence: 75% of all projects

  1. Roof waiver needed - “B” Roofs:This is to be chosen when the roof is able to be installed on and is structurally sound, but the Reviewer is not confident that the roofing penetrations will be water-tight for the entirety of Freedom’s 10-year roof penetration warranty.Roof waivers are not able to be used on Sunrun projects.

Estimated occurrence: 20% of all projects

  1. Roof work needed - “C” Roofs:This is to be chosen when the roof is a non-buildable roof type, is not able to be physically installed on, is not structurally sound, or is in such a condition that the reviewer does not feel confident that the penetrations will immediately be water-tight.

Estimated occurrence: 5% of all projects

Project Review & Planning (Freedom Engineers)

  1. Review roof type

  2. Review site audit notes

  3. Review attic photos for decking, or lack thereof, and any significant structural concerns

  4. Review overall rooftop quality, specifically the roofing material

  5. Review roofing paper and applicable scratch/lift tests if applicable

  6. Based on the review of steps 1-5, make a determination on which category the roof falls into using the below decision tree and “Examples and Explanations” section

Roof Work Decision Tree:

Examples and Explanations

#1: No work needed - “A” Roofs

Concrete W-Tile

  • Little to no broken tile

  • Tile weighing over 9 lbs (I.e. not lightweight)

  • No exposed plywood

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Concrete S-Tile

  • Little to no broken tile

  • Tile weighing over 9 lbs (I.e. not lightweight)

  • No exposed plywood

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Concrete Flat Tile

  • Little to no broken tile

  • Tile weighing over 9 lbs (I.e. not lightweight)

  • No exposed plywood

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Paper underneath Concrete W-Tile

  • Paper passed “scratch test” & “lift test”, i.e. does not tear or rip when scratched or lifted

  • No exposed plywood

Paper underneath Concrete W-Tile

  • Paper passed “scratch test” & “lift test”

  • Although paper is curled, there is still moisture in the paper that indicates that the roof can be properly flashed

  • No exposed plywood

TPO

  • Appears to be in good condition

  • No bubbling or tearing of material

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Rolled composition (Good Condition)

  • Appears to be in good condition

  • No bubbling or tearing of material

  • Little to no missing granules

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Rolled composition (Moderate Condition)

  • Although quality is moderate, chem-curbs will keep penetrations water-tight

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

  • As long as there are no concerns that penetrations will leak, this will not require waiver or work

Composition Shingle (Good Condition)

  • Appears to be in good/decent condition

  • Little to no missing granules

  • Ridge caps intact

  • No exposed fiberglass

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Composition Shingle (Moderate Condition)

  • While shingle quality is so-so and there is one or a few flipped shingles, shingles appear to be strong enough to not tear when lifted, allowing flashing to be placed underneath

  • No other concerns that penetrations will be water-right, so no waiver or work needed

  • No structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Standing Seam Metal

  • Rarely will these types of roofs be in poor condition

  • Freedom does not penetrate standing seam roofs, so the risk is very low

Concrete W-Tile (Cracked Tile(s))

  • One or multiple cracked tiles is not in itself a reason for roof work or waiver

  • Only if the paper underneath does not pass scratch test or otherwise will lead to water infiltration at the roofing penetrations (as outlined in #2 and #3 below) should a waiver or work be called for

Foam

  • Foam roofs are generally installable by Freedom, however there must be proper 1.) drainage, and 2.) structuralsupports

  • For more information and assistance on these types of roofs and their suitability, please reach out to Freedom’s Quality Team

Corrugated/Trapezoidal Metal

  • Corrugated/Trapezoidal roofs are generally installable by Freedom, however 1.) there must be proper decking and, 2.) there are additional considerations related to anchoring of safety equipment

  • For more information and assistance on these types of roofs and their suitability, please reach out to Freedom’s Quality Team

#2: Roof waiver needed - “B” Roofs

Composition shingle (Poor Condition)

  • Shingle is at or very near the end of its life on the entirety of the roof, which likely will lead to deterioration of the shingles at the penetrations, causing them to leak

  • No other structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

  • Since the Reviewer does not feel confident that penetrations will be water-tight for 10-years, this requires a roof waiver

Composition shingle (Poor Condition)

  • Shingle is at or very near the end of its life on the entirety of the roof, which likely will lead to deterioration of the shingles at the penetrations, causing them to leak

  • No other structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

  • Since the Reviewer does not feel confident that penetrations will be water-tight for 10-years, this requires a roof waiver

Composition shingle (New, good material over old, poor)

  • The patchwork is, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant in this scenario

  • The shingle underneath the patchwork is at or very near the end of its life on the entirety of the roof, which likely will lead to deterioration of the shingles at the penetrations, causing them to leak

  • No other structural/decking concerns noted by site audit

Since the Reviewer does not feel confident that penetrations will be water-tight for 10-years, this requires a roof waiver

Concrete Flat Tile (Bad Paper)

  • Paper did not pass scratch test (i.e. tore when scratched, indicating near end of life)

Freedom’s flashing installation will very likely tear the paper further and increase the risk of water infiltration at the penetrations

  • Due to the increased risk of water infiltration at the penetrations due to the quality of the paper, a roof waiver is needed

  • There is no indication that the roof is not structurally sound or has no other decking concerns, therefore only needs roof waiver, not roof work

Composition Shingle (Existing Open Penetration(s) or Leak(s))

  • The photo shows an open area where water has already likely penetrated the roof

  • If we are installing below or near this roof area, a roof waiver is necessary. If we are not installing below or near this exposed decking, a roof waiver is not necessary

  • There is no indication that the roof is not structurally sound or has no other decking concerns, therefore only needs roof waiver, not roof work

  • Reminder: roof waivers are not to be used because there are active leaks or open penetrations. ONLY if those active leaks or open penetrations will cause the solar penetrations to leak should a waiver be used

Composition Shingle (Hail Damage)

  • Existing hail damage is evident, which increases the risk of water infiltration under the underlayment

  • Due to increased potential for existing and future water infiltration, a roof waiver is necessary to void Freedom’s roof penetration warranty

  • There is no indication that the roof is not structurally sound or has no other decking concerns, therefore only needs roof waiver, not roof work

Paper underneath tile (Bad paper)

  • Paper failed the “lift test” and cracked when lifted, which indicates dryness of paper

  • Freedom’s flashing installation will very likely tear the paper and increase the risk of water infiltration at the penetrations

  • Due to the increased risk of water infiltration at the penetrations due to the quality of the paper, a roof waiver is needed

  • There is no indication that the roof is not structurally sound or has no other decking concerns, therefore only needs roof waiver, not roof work

#3: Roof work needed - “C” Roofs

Calpac/Deco Tile/Metal Shingle

  • Due to damage that would occur during install to the roofing material, Calpac, Deco Tile or other metal shingle roofs are automatic re-roofs Wood shake

  • Due to damage that would occur during install to the roofing material and the likelihood of future roof leaks, wood shake roofs are automatic re-roofs Clay Tile and Lightweight Tile under 9 pounds

  • Automatically requires comp-out under the array and backfill of tile once installed

Composition Shingle (End of Life)

  • Large amounts of fiberglass showing with missing shingles

  • Current roof quality is so poor that shingles would tear during flashing installation; immediate deterioration around the penetrations would compromise the watershed

  • Given that this roof is immediately lending to water infiltration at the penetrations, this requires roof work instead of roof waiver

Wood shake

  • Due to damage that would occur during install to the roofing material and the likelihood of future roof leaks, wood shake roofs are automatic re-roofs

Clay Tile and Lightweight Tile under 9 pounds

  • Automatically requires comp-out under the array and backfill of tile once installed

Tar And Gravel

  • Due to difficulty in achieving a firm seal on flat Tar and Gravel roofs, Freedom automatically requires a re-roof to rolled composition

Any roof with no decking

  • With no decking under the roofing material, there is no way to flash and waterproof the penetrations

  • This includes situations where there is comp shingle or Calpac on the roof surface but wood shake as the decking

(bottom photo)

  • These situations require decking to be added under the roofing material

Roof Damage Examples

Hail

Hail: hits are black in color. look for loss of granules, which may expose the roof felt. asphalt and/or mat that appears shiny. hail hits are soft to the touch, like the bruise on an apple. you will need supporting metal.

Wind: Creased Shingles

Wind - signs of wind damage on a roof include loose or missing shingles, chimney issues, curling or peeling shingles, granule loss, damaged soffit or fascia and indoor leaks.

Wind: Missing / Loose Shingles

Wind-signs of wind damage on a roof include loose or missing shingles, chimney issues, curling or peeling shingles, granule loss, damaged soffit or fascia and indoor leaks.