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Thank you!!

Thank you for your kind words, We will be sure to let Joe know!

Hi Joe, I have this conversation weekly with contractors and truth be told when I was a contractor I would have argued the same. However, since becoming an inspector I see the damage this can cause on a weekly basis. There are no codes I am aware of that require this, it is more or a better practice type of thing, I recommend checking with the municipality in which your nephew lives, they may have a requirement for it. Other than that I would recommend hiring an independent inspector to evaluate the cause of the leaks.

@@trademarkinspectionservices I appreciate the response. I've been all over the net, and I can't find anywhere that covers any sort of code. I crawled in the attic and saw the leaking for myself. It just upsets me that even though he asked for the extension to be added, the "professional" claimed he didn't need it. Interestingly enough, everybody on line says never do this, always run the spout to the lower gutter, to avoid prematurely wearing out the shingles. Again, thanks for your time.

As long as there is enough pitch/angle to the downspout and they are kept free flowing, there wouldn’t be enough water sitting in the downspout that freezing should be an issue. Downspouts should be extended 3 to 6 feet away from the foundation at the bottom, which in essence would create the same issue but it doesn’t. Laying a piece of metal on the roof would create an issue of eventually trapping water and would more than likely creat leaks over time. I hope this helps.

Typically you would use another downspout and elbows. They have a crimped end so you can slide them together and either zip screw or rivet them together.

Gerry, Thank you for your comment!! Yes channeling the water to the lower gutter, in my experience is the best option. Roof leaks in general (especially those occasional ones) can be very tricky to locate. Because water will follow the path of least resistance, I have seen the actually entry point of the water be a good distance from where the water actually comes in. Comment areas to check around would be roof penetrations (vents, soil pipes, skylights etc) and flashings. I hope this helps.

I respectfully disagree, as someone who has countless hours of education and certifications and who has personally been involved in thousands of mold investigations and testing protocols this type of testing can be used for various purposes. Such as, proving to sellers in a real estate transaction that there is in fact is an indoor fungal source, if samples are taken properly it can let you know the general area of the fungal source when no other signs are present (saving homeowners thousands in invasive investigations), and it also gives a baseline of where things are before remediation so when clearance testing is performed you can make sure it was remediate properly and also check for cross contamination. These are only a few reasons (not to mention the many times, I have seen this testing save someone in court) that I would respectfully disagree that it is useless.

I agree pressure treated will shrink and if the wood is properly installed and weather tight wouldn't be necessary. I don't think though it would shrink enough to affect anything. However that is only one that time would tell. I would not recommend using treated unless it will be exposed.

@@trademarkinspectionservices Thanks for you help!

Hi Steve, Great Question! Typically you will screw the downspout at the discharge end with zip screws, run it down and slightly into the gutter on the 1st floor and screw it to that gutter. You do not want to screw it to the roof.

@@trademarkinspectionservices Thank you so much for your response. The devil is in the details, they say, and the more DIY I try with my house, the more I agree. How do I screw it to the lower gutter? Do I fabricate a small bracket to attach the two? Also, unrelated question, but I want to ask which camp you are in as for drip edges: against the fascia or a small gap? Seems to be a raging controversy, which each side convinced the other is nuts.

Steve M there are several ways to do it. You could make a bracket or simple take tin snips and slit the elbow in the corners and bend it out. Essentially making it a flange. As far as the drip edge I was always taught to hold it tight. However, when you think about the purpose of to to support the reveal/overhang of the shingle to prevent water from wicking back around and causing leaks I suppose either would serve that purpose.

@@trademarkinspectionservices OK - I will have to try to visualize that. And you should DEFINITELY do a video to show us how. I am also impressed with your drip edge reply. A roofer I talked with was very offended that I did the gap and wouldn't help me at all after I wouldn't treat him as God. He didn't like that I was learning online and not just talking everything he said as unassailable truth. You thought about it and can see the validity. Look it up on the web. I originally saw it on This Old House and later many other places. Yet I also found many other places in complete disagreement. Keep up the good work!

Sorry. After more thought - if I don't put the final downspout far enough into the lower gutter, what's to keep the water from spilling over the edges. What about using two pieces of aluminum "diverters" as guides, one on either side. Although they are sold to be placed mostly into inside miters at valleys, they are sold flat. And they already have ways to attach them to the gutters. That way I could point the downspout the direction of the gutter slope. Thoughts?