Roofing confusion

[Gloria Satchell]

Hi everyone. I have a house in Indiana and cannot find out what the roofing code says is the minimum roof pitch for shingles. I had shingles replaced in 2003 and last winter ruined a portion of the roof. I think the greatest pitch is 2/12 with a nearly flat portion being less than that. The roofer insists his work was to code but I cannot find the code. The roofer will not respond to me nor will he agree to mediation with the BBB or the state attorney general. I am out of living in another state now and stuck as to how to proceed. My tennant there says the roof is 2/12 the man who installed the roof in 2003 says it is 3/12 and to code. How do I found out what is real??

[Brian Hannigan]

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[Billy Stephens]

Hi everyone. I have a house in Indiana and cannot find out what the roofing code says is the minimum roof pitch for shingles. I had shingles replaced in 2003 and last winter ruined a portion of the roof. I think the greatest pitch is 2/12 with a nearly flat portion being less than that. The roofer insists his work was to code but I cannot find the code. The roofer will not respond to me nor will he agree to mediation with the BBB or the state attorney general. I am out of living in another state now and stuck as to how to proceed. My tennant there says the roof is 2/12 the man who installed the roof in 2003 says it is 3/12 and to code. How do I found out what is real??

Welcome Gloria,

This Manufacturer has low slope installation instructions 2/12 to 4/12 and recommends not to apply their product below 2/12. https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CT20Intall.pdf

That said you have an 11 year old roof. If you have the receipts of the shingle manufacturer you could contact them .

Call your Home Owners Insurance carrier and ask about Storm Damage to the roof.

[Jerry Peck]

How do I found out what is real??

Hire an inspector to go out and check the roof slope.

If you still have your contract, permit and documentation, look at what it says the manufacturer and model shingle you paid for - the inspector can then look up the installation instructions and compare what is permitted by the manufacturer and what the actual slope is.

Even if the code permits a lower slope than the manufacturer, the manufacturer's requirements rule. However, if your local code required a steeper slope than the manufacturer permitted their shingles to be installed on, then the code would take precedence.

The inspector can check with your local building department (city, county, etc) and find out what the code was at the time of installation, the permit, etc.

Many home inspectors somehow think doing the above is beyond them, but I am sure you can find a good home inspector in your area who already does expand their work, or who is willing to expand their work, beyond just "doing home inspections". Doing what I described is not rocket science work, any home inspector SHOULD be able to properly check the slope of a roof, any home inspector SHOULD be able to contact the manufacturer, and any home inspector SHOULD be able to contact the local building department - so what it comes down to is if the home inspector is WILLING TO do the above ... if not, or if they hesitate in doing that ... move on to another inspector.

It really is simple work, just a bit time consuming, the home inspector should know what their time is worth and quote you a price accordingly ... those who don't ... move on to the next inspector. I am saying this because it seems that many home inspectors are not willing to expand their services, that means they lose out.

[Scott Patterson]

Hi everyone. I have a house in Indiana and cannot find out what the roofing code says is the minimum roof pitch for shingles. I had shingles replaced in 2003 and last winter ruined a portion of the roof. I think the greatest pitch is 2/12 with a nearly flat portion being less than that. The roofer insists his work was to code but I cannot find the code. The roofer will not respond to me nor will he agree to mediation with the BBB or the state attorney general. I am out of living in another state now and stuck as to how to proceed. My tennant there says the roof is 2/12 the man who installed the roof in 2003 says it is 3/12 and to code. How do I found out what is real??

What Billy and Jerry said and if you want to know the pitch of the roof you can download a handy app for iPhones
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pitch-gauge/id389715382?mt=8
It is called Pitch Gauge, they might have an android app if you have one.

It is amazingly accurate....

[Jerry Peck]

What Billy and Jerry said and if you want to know the pitch of the roof you can download a handy app for iPhones
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pitch-gauge/id389715382?mt=8
It is called Pitch Gauge, they might have an android app if you have one.

It is amazingly accurate....

But there is nothing like getting on the roof and measuring the roof slope - it's only "I think the greatest pitch is 2/12 with a nearly flat portion being less than that." - and any home inspector worth their salt should be able to walk on a roof like that --- provided the roof is not 3 stories up (slope is one thing, 3 story access is another thing altogether, but from the description I suspect it is a single story roof).

Heck, get in the attic and measure the slope of the underside of the roof decking ... that is the same slope as the topside of the roof decking (unless there is tapered insulation on the roof, and the description does not indicate that either).

[Raymond Wand]

Whats the statute of limitations in Indiana for (civil) tort actions?

I found this at -

Indiana Statutes of Limitations - Lawyers.com (http://research.lawyers.com/indiana/indiana-statutes-of-limitations.html)


Contract (in writing), 6 years or 10 years (Depending on the type of contract)

Ind. Code § 34-11-2-9 or Ind. Code § 34-11-2-11

Contract (oral or not in writing), 6 years

Ind. Code § 34-11-2-7(1)

It appears your grievance has legally expired to go back on the roofer.

[Mark Reinmiller]

Generally asphalt shingle roofing on a slope between 2/12 and 4/12 has special requirements for underlayment (typically "ice and water shield" or double layer of felt glued together with asphalt. I see few installations on low slopes that are correct.

But, as Raymond says, it may be too late to file a lawsuit, and at 11 years your chance of getting any cooperation from the contractor is about 0.

[Jack Feldmann]

In my area shingles last about 15 - 16 years. Calling a roofer after 11 years seems like a huge waste of time. The phone app Scott referred to works great.
BY the way, the code reference you are looking for is IRC 2000 Section R905.2.2 Slope