TIL my uncle's 'trust me bro' advice on roof flashing cost me $2,800

My uncle said I didn't need new step flashing when I replaced my asphalt shingles last spring. He's been roofing for 20 years so I figured he knew what he was talking about. 6 months later I noticed a dark spot on my ceiling and found water damage across 3 joists above my living room. The roofer I hired to fix it said the old flashing had cracks you could see from the ground. He charged me $2,800 to tear off the shingles, replace all the flashing, and patch the drywall. Has anyone else had a family member give them bad home repair advice that ended up costing way more?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_reed4721d agoMost Upvoted

$2,800 sounds steep for a leak that might not even be that bad. You sure the roofer didn't just upsell you? I've seen people freak out over a little water stain that dried up fine on its own. Flashing cracks can happen but they don't always mean you gotta tear everything off. Your uncle probably meant well and maybe the fix was way simpler than paying someone that much.

thomas_young20d ago

My cousin once told me I could use roofing cement to patch a small hole in my gutter instead of buying a whole new section. That held up for about two weeks before a heavy rain washed it clean off. I came home to find my downspout dumping water straight into my basement window well, which then drained into the crawlspace. That ended up costing me nearly a thousand dollars for a new gutter section, a dehumidifier rental, and some mold spray. I still get teased about it at family cookouts.