The Roof (What lies beneath)

What lies beneath the decrepit shingles, unsealed openings, gaps, open electrical lines, and the improperly repaired Bitman/torchdown roof is beyond belief. 

The image to the right is a huge hole, nearly 24" across, "repaired" with sheet metal pounded into place. Imagine if one of the solar repairmen had fallen through this  mess?

What lies beneath the leaky roof are water stains on the rafters, wet insulation, and mildew stains. 

Beneath that, lies water stained Sheetrock, stucco, broken paint, water-popped Sheetrock nails, and ceiling stains throughout. 

Huge kudos to SolUp, the people who installed the solar. They were our first real clue that the owner has not told the truth when he said the roof was in "good shape" and that "the solar company wouldn't have installed the panels on a bad roof."

When SolUp estimated the roof of 8737 Rancho Destino, their sales person kept records of his conversation with the owner of the home, Mark Vasquez. Those records indicate that 

     A:They would not install solar on the east-facing roof per the owners request, as it was too unstable, unsafe, and wouldn't support the panels. 

     B:  The west facing roof had reached the end of its life span. It needed to be replaced prior to installing solar.  SolUp went so far as to provide the owner with written estimates of roof replacement/re-shingling. the owner refused the estimates and insisted solar be installed over the very old roofing material.  In short, he knew the roof was bad, insisted on solar installation, knowing he was listing the home for sale, and I believe Mr. Vasquez and Ms. Truong felt any buyer would miss this huge issue, and felt no sense of moral responsibility to inform any buyer of the issue.  It felt odd when Mr. Vasquez told three of us that the "roof was in good condition, but would need to be replaced someday..." 

As  someone recently said, "there is truth, and then there are alternate facts."  There is nothing truthful in saying, suggesting, intimating, or believing the roof is in any condition other than "end-of-life."  The current condition of the roof is directly responsible for leaks in the attic and into the house, creating a health and safety issue that the owners attempted to cover up through their misinformation and silence when queried.