Keep a Close Eye On Those Ceiling Cracks

I’ve been in the remodeling business for nearly 50 years and I’ve had my fair share of hair-raising discoveries inside of people’s homes. I’ll never forget one warm autumn afternoon when I got a call from a woman in Bristol who told me her roof was leaking. You wouldn’t think this seemed odd considering that I am a roof remodeler, but it hadn’t rained in a month. I mentioned this to the caller and she said, “Well I can’t be sure where the water is coming from, but my dining room ceiling just caved in.” 

I hung up the phone and immediately made my way over to her house. Sure enough, when I arrived, a pile of sheetrock and plaster had already been hauled onto the front lawn. Upon entering the house, I found that the ceiling had completely crumbled, leaving a soggy mess of remnants all over her dining room set. 

I first asked to see the bathroom on the second floor and I was told there wasn’t one. So I climbed into the attic and gasped when intense heat hit me in the face. I also noted two air conditioning units in the dining room - one in each window. I asked the homeowner about the air conditioners and how often they were used. It turned out that she had them on full power all summer long to try and regulate the temperature since the top floor of the house was so hot. 

It was easy for me to see why the homeowner’s ceiling fell in. A lack of insulation and ventilation in the attic was causing the house to heat up to an uncomfortable level during the summer months. The homeowner tried to combat this problem by cranking up her A/C. By doing so, she was creating major condensation in the walls and ceiling of the home. 

When hot and cold air collides it causes moisture which gets into plaster, sheetrock, and even wood. That moisture then generates mold spores that literally eat away at the ceiling and walls. Her 1950s Cape Cod home was like most in our area, constructed with such poor insulation and ventilation that they are susceptible to rot. A surefire sign of trouble for this homeowner was cracking in the ceiling. Instead of calling me when the problem first reared its head, her husband tried to mask the problem using those 12x12 ceiling panels that you often see in doctor’s offices. He meant well but the attempt at a cosmetic repair only added another layer of material for the moisture to seep into. 

The moral of the story is this. If your home has temperature issues, do not ignore the problem. By not addressing the humidity and moisture in your home, you could end up with major structural damage or worse. If that’s not enough to convince you, mold and mildew are leading causes of asthma and breathing problems, especially in young children and the elderly. Is saving money really worth putting your family’s health at risk?

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Roof Damage Isn't Just What's on the Outside

I recently did work for a homeowner who was shocked to see black, rotten plywood underneath her roof. She never had a leak and wondered how there could be so much damage without any signs, other than an old roof that was deteriorating and needed to be replaced.

I see this problem a lot more often then you might think. In our area of Connecticut, 90 percent of attics don’t have enough insulation and aren’t properly ventilated. I meet people who need a new roof and want me to just replace the shingles to save money. What they don’t realize is how much deterioration exists where they can’t see. Once the plywood is exposed, warping, delamination, and rot from moisture usually come as quite a shock. 

So why does this happen? The issue is actually airflow. Attic ventilation allows your house to “breathe” by taking air in from the outside and letting air out from the inside. Too many homes that I work in aren’t properly ventilated and most have their bathroom and even dryer vents exhausting into the attic instead of outside. 

In order to have proper ventilation, your home needs a system that includes intake ventilation through the soffit or a new product called SmartVent which is installed on top of the roof near the gutter edge. Louver vents were typically used at an exhaust vent in the 1950s and 1960s but now ridge vents are more common. If your house has both louver vents and ridge vents, the louver vents should remain closed, otherwise, the louver will act as an intake vent and will only cool the top third of the attic. 

In the colder months, it’s not uncommon for me to see frost on attic plywood because of inferior insulation. Insulation and ventilation work hand in hand - the ventilation controls the airflow and the insulation controls the temperature. You’re probably familiar with insulation - it’s a cotton-looking fiberglass material that often comes in pink or yellow rolls. It can also be loose-filled into tough to reach areas with a blowing machine. Remodeling professionals put insulation between walls, in attics, and in basements to retain heat in the house in the winter and keep it cooler in the summer. However, without proper ventilation, insulation is just as susceptible to moisture and deterioration as plywood.

My customer never went up into her attic, so she didn’t notice the problem. What she thought was a simple roof replacement ended up being a bigger job simply because, after years of decay, the plywood she had was no longer strong enough to properly support the new roof. Ignoring the problem and laying new shingles over the existing plywood would have voided the new roof’s 30-year warranty.

The lesson for this week? If you’re going to reroof your home, make sure that the plywood is healthy and that your contractor has given you a thorough plan to ensure that your home is properly insulated and ventilated. It might cost a bit more today, but it will regulate the heat and cooling in your home, saving on energy costs and making you much more comfortable for years to come.

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

A House That Can Breathe is Crucial To Its Health and Yours

I’m not shy about educating my readers on the importance of proper insulation in a house. But even if you’re one of only 20 percent of homeowners I meet with the right amount of insulation, chances are you’re still missing a critical piece of the puzzle. The missing component is ventilation and not enough of it can be harming both your home and your personal health in more ways than you think. 

In the winter, we crank up the thermostat, sending more heat into our homes than any other time of year. We all know that heat rises, which means a lot of what we’re pumping into the house will quickly find its way through the ceiling and into the attic. Think about when you’re in a car and the windows fog up. What do you do? Usually, you’ll increase the airflow either by using the vents or just cracking a window. A house works much the same way, except that if you don’t have air flowing inside the attic, the heat and moisture just gets stuck there. If the attic is very warm, that moisture will develop into mold and mildew which can feed on your insulation and rot the wood. If the attic is cold enough, the moisture will freeze into little domes or even icicles until the temperature rises enough for the water to thaw and then be absorbed into all the places that it shouldn’t. Neither is a good scenario.

So what’s the best way to protect your home? Start by investing in a hygrometer that measures water vapor in the air. A comfortable humidity reading is 30%-60%, but 45%-55% is an ideal level to maintain. If you’re seeing higher than 60% humidity in any area of your home, it’s going to be susceptible to mold, mildew and bacteria growth.

Remember, attic ventilation allows your house to “breathe” so you want to balance your intake and exhaust to ensure that what is coming in is going out equally. The best ventilation system will include soffit vents that are installed underneath the overhang of the roof and take in the air and ridge vents that are installed at the top of the roof for the hot air to escape. For this method to work efficiently, all louvered vents must be sealed off and you have to ensure that your insulation isn’t blocking the airflow. Believe it or not, most roof manufacturers will void the warranty if a proper ventilation system is not installed. Luckily, new roofing technology enables contractors to add intake ventilation directly into the roof as opposed to using soffit vents, so if you’re in the market for a new roof, be sure to ask for that option. 

It’s important to note that homes have different characteristics and what works well for one may not work well for another. With the right balance of air, homeowners can optimize their roof and maintain the overall health of their home and their families. Remember, it’s always a good idea to get advice from a professional before taking on a big remodeling project. 

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.