Photos of the Day: From Roof Leak Laziness to Loose Lath Craziness

Like people get regular health checkups, homes need regular maintenance and upkeep.  Knowing this, I am always surprised at what I find in some homes as owners neglect the warning signs that they have a problem.  For instance, here is a Victorian era home I viewed whose owner ignored a roof problem.

This is an example of a small problem turning into a big problem.  Lath-and-plaster construction is pretty robust.  A dose of moisture isn't going to cause catastrophic problems in the short run.  However, an unpatched roof leak can cause serious headaches if left unattended.  Clearly, the owner of this property let things go too far.

The owner did eventually perform a complete tear off of the roof and reshingled it with new wafer board and 30 year architectural shingles.  But, they didn't bother to come clean up the mess left behind from the failing plaster.

Just another example of why it is so important to fix little problems before they become giant ones.