This is a demonstration of what a RainDrop Report looks like and how it reads.
The address is invented. No one's house is described here. No site visit was made,
no one was hired, and nothing in it is a bid. It exists to show the shape of the document —
the findings, the order they appear in, and what gets cited.
A roof is not a surface. It is a system of edges. The field never leaks. The edges leak.
That is why this report is organised by edge, penetration and airflow — in the order water travels — and not by front slope and back slope. The failures are not spread evenly, and pretending they are is how things get missed.
How to read this
Severity
What it means
Fix window
NOW
Water is getting in, or it is a safety issue.
Before the rains
SOON
Will get in before the next season turns.
Before the rains
WATCH
Real, not urgent, and it will not surprise you later.
Next dry spell
NOTED
Fine today. Written down so nobody can say nobody told you.
—
Timing is written as a season, never a date. Coastal work has no calendar. R- items are the roof and its warranty. X- items tie into the roof,
are reported honestly, and are not scoped here.
Findings — in the order water travels
Kickout flashing is absent where the roof runs into the wall
R-WALL · NOW · fix window: before the rains
Where
The bottom end of each roof-to-wall run, where the roof edge meets the vertical wall above the gutter.
What
There is no diverter at the bottom of the run. Water leaving the roof at that corner has nothing turning it out into the gutter.
Why
Without it, run-off goes behind the wall cladding instead of into the gutter. It is the failure that rots a wall cavity for years with nothing visible from inside — and it is one of the cheapest pieces on the roof.
When
Before the rains. This one does damage every time it rains, not eventually.
How
A kickout is installed at the bottom of the run, integrated with the step flashing above it and the wall's water-resistive barrier, so the two drain as one path. It is not a caulked add-on.
How long
Typically part of the roof-to-wall detail rather than a standalone visit — EMPTY as a separate duration until the wall opening is seen.
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §2.1 — named repeatedly as a top warranty voider and "the one most commonly skipped entirely." Flashing at wall/roof intersections is a code-required detail; see the adopted IRC roof-flashing section for the exact wording in force here. Exact code citation and edition: VERIFY — read off the adopted edition, not from memory.
The whole failure in one picture. The piece is small; the damage is structural.
Sidewall flashing runs as one continuous piece rather than woven per course
R-WALL · NOW · fix window: before the rains
Where
The full length of the roof-to-sidewall run.
What
A single long piece of angled metal is in place, sealed along its top edge, instead of individual pieces lapped in with each shingle course.
Why
A continuous piece at a sidewall is wrong by definition. Water that gets behind it has nowhere to go but inward. The sealant along the top is the only thing holding it, and sealant is a maintenance item, not a detail.
When
Before the rains. It is already the path of least resistance.
How
New step flashing — one piece per shingle course, each lapped over the one below and woven in as the courses go on, carried up behind the wall covering and terminated at a kickout at the bottom.
How long
EMPTY — depends on run length and whether siding must be lifted. Measured on site, not from here.
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §2.1 — "Reused, or one long piece of 'L' metal caulked at the top. A continuous piece at a sidewall is wrong by definition." Reused or corroded flashing is listed among the documented warranty voiders. Manufacturer's published instruction governs the method: VERIFY per product.
Same wall, same weather. The difference is whether water has a way back out.
Ventilation is exhaust-only — no measurable intake at the eave
R-VENT · SOON · fix window: before the rains
Where
Ridge and upper slope have exhaust. Soffit intake is obstructed along the eave.
What
Insulation is packed into the eave, closing the intake path. Exhaust is present and working; there is nothing feeding it.
Why
This is the part of a roof that fails without leaking. Exhaust with no intake pulls conditioned air out of the house and does not move air across the underside of the deck. Heat and moisture then cook the shingle from below. Unbalanced ventilation is the single biggest warranty exclusion there is.
When
Before the rains — moisture load is what does the damage, and it arrives with the wet season.
How
Clear the eave and hold the insulation back with baffles so the intake path is open, then confirm intake and exhaust are balanced by net free area. Mixed exhaust types on one space are checked and resolved — a ridge vent working alongside powered or box vents can short-circuit, turning the ridge into an intake while the far end of the attic stops moving.
How long
EMPTY — depends on eave length and access.
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §2.4 — "Intake AND exhaust… A perfect ridge vent over blocked soffits is a decoration." The required net free area ratio and the intake/exhaust split are VERIFY — they come off the adopted residential code's attic-ventilation section and the manufacturer's published installation instruction. This report does not quote that number from memory, on purpose.
Drip edge orientation is reversed at the rake
R-RAKE · SOON · fix window: before the rains
Where
Gable edges, both ends.
What
The rake metal sits under the underlayment. At the eave the same metal is correctly under it.
Why
The two edges take the opposite rule, and getting them backwards is the most common edge error there is. At the eave the metal goes under the underlayment so water sheds onto it; at the rake it goes over, so wind-driven water cannot get beneath. Reversed at the rake, water tracks under the felt and onto the fascia.
When
Before the rains. On an exposed edge this is also where wind blow-off starts.
How
Rake metal is re-laid over the underlayment, lapped in the direction of drainage, and fastened per the product instruction.
How long
EMPTY — measured per lineal foot of rake on site.
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §2.3 — "Drip edge — eave: under the underlayment. Drip edge — rake: over the underlayment. Same piece, opposite rule." Drip edge is a code-required component in current residential roofing provisions; section number and adopted edition: VERIFY.
Same piece of metal, opposite rule at each edge.
Pipe collars are cracked at the base
R-PEN · SOON · fix window: before the rains
Where
Plumbing penetrations on the rear slope.
What
The rubber collars have split where they grip the pipe.
Why
The collar is the wear part of the assembly and it ages faster than the shingle around it. It is a cheap part now and a ceiling stain later.
When
Before the rains.
How
Boots are replaced, never reused — lapped correctly into the courses above and below so the shingles carry the water past the pipe rather than the collar holding it back.
How long
EMPTY — per penetration, counted on site.
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §2.2 — "Pipe boots / jacks: replaced, never reused. The collar is the wear part."
Moss is holding water along the north valley
R-VALLEY · WATCH · fix window: next dry spell
Where
North-facing valley and the two courses either side of it.
What
Established moss in the valley line, with needle litter damming behind it.
Why
Moss holds water against the edge instead of letting it leave. Under tree cover it is the valley and the gutter that dam first.
When
Next dry spell — this is not an emergency and doing it wet does more harm than good.
How
Mechanical removal only. No chemical treatment is offered, quoted, or implied in this report.
How long
EMPTY
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §3 — coastal factors: "Moss — MECHANICAL REMOVAL ONLY until ODA licensed. No chemical treatment offered, quoted, or implied." That is a standing limitation on this service, stated openly rather than worked around.
Gutters and downspouts carry needle load
X-GUTTER · NOTED · ties in — not scoped here
Where
Both eave runs.
What
Needle litter through the run, standing water at the downspout ends.
Why
It is written down so it is on the record. A kickout above a blocked gutter still has somewhere bad to send water.
When
Noted, not urgent.
How
NOT SCOPED — this is an X- item. It is reported honestly and left to whoever holds that scope.
How long
—
Basis: Roof Scope Spine §4 — the R- / X- split. "X- ties in and gets noted honestly, but never scoped."
What this report will not tell you
Question
Answer
What will it cost?
NOT IN THIS DOCUMENT — by design. The report says what is wrong. An estimate says what it costs. Keeping those apart is what lets every page here stay honest.
Who did the previous work?
NOT ADDRESSED — this document describes a roof, not a person. Facts only.
Exact ventilation ratio
VERIFY — read off the adopted code and the manufacturer's instruction for the actual product. Not quoted from memory.
Nail count, nail zone, cricket threshold, warranty tier terms
VERIFY — manufacturer-specific, per product and per warranty tier.
Is anything here approved or passed?
No. Nothing in this document approves, passes, or grades anyone's work.
The line worth remembering
"Most of what voids your warranty is not the shingle. It's everything the shingle touches."
And on ventilation: "it is the only part of your roof that fails without leaking. By the time you can see it, the deck has already paid for it."
Other recommendations
Treat the wall run as one detail, not three. Kickout, step flashing and counter-flashing drain as a single path. Fixing one and leaving the others is money spent on a path that still leaks.
Open the eave before adding any more exhaust. More exhaust over blocked intake makes the imbalance worse, not better.
Ask any contractor for the manufacturer's published installation instruction for the exact product — not a brochure. The numbers that decide your warranty live in that document.
Ask who is permitted to repair the roof later, and what it took to earn that. Enhanced warranties are usually gated on installer credentials, and that answer changes what a warranty is actually worth to you.
On this coast, reused flashing is a worse decision than it is inland. Salt attacks fasteners and flashing metal first.
If the work lands in a wet install season, ask specifically how the self-seal strips will bond. Strips that never seal are where wind damage starts, and the answer to that question is a real one.