Wood on the eaves of roof has rot and mold

Q: The back of our house faces south. For some reason, the wood of the eaves — both the edge and the wood underneath — rots and appears moldy. This does not happen to the front of the house, which really doesn't get much sun on it. The back side of the roof also melts snow quickly and icicles frequently hang from the back.

We have both a ridge vent and soffit vents along with gable vents on either side of the house. We do have rolled fiberglass insulation, and there is a pull-down staircase. The center of the attic from end to end has plywood, which we use for storage. There is an insulated attic tent over the staircase when it is closed. The ridge vent was added by the roofer when our roof was replaced about 10 years ago. I have attached two pictures of the issue.

Do you have any suggestions for how to repair the existing damage and how to prevent it from recurring? Our house is a raised ranch and was built in 1968. Thank you for your help! — via email

A: The photos you sent clearly indicate that you have had ice dams at the eaves of the back side of your house. The continuing melting of the snow backed up into the wide overhangs over a number of years.

If you haven't noticed leakage inside your house at the window heads, it is because of these wide overhangs.

Since you haven't encountered the same problem on the front of the house, it sounds as if the snow melting is sun-induced, and not because of a warm attic -- a positive situation for you.

When the roofer installed a ridge vent, the gable vents should have been closed up in order not to impede the airflow from soffit vents to ridge vent. You should do this now by fastening plywood painted matte black over the gable vents.

It also seems as if the roofer did not install a protective membrane to guard against the leakage you have been experiencing all these years. Such a membrane should have been put on bare sheathing from the edge of the roof and at least six feet up the roof since you have such a wide overhang. This should be done now to prevent further damage and before the fascia and the plywood soffit are replaced.

Q: A while back, our local newspaper had a column written about someone selling their walnut tree. At the time I didn't keep the column, so I don't know who wrote it. Was it you?

My mom has a huge walnut tree that we know is over 90 years old. She has decided it is time for the tree to go. Everyone says she should sell it for the lumber, but no one knows who to call to do this.

If the original column wasn't by you, do you have any ideas about who would do something like this? Thank you in advance for your help. Every week I always read what you have to say. It sure has given me a lot of helpful advice! — Elgin, Illinois, via email

A: It wasn't I who wrote this column you have described. I suggest you call a certified arborist (most licensed tree experts are, or have one on staff or on call), or the forest service of your state.

Q: I've been in my home 19 years. Six months ago my kitchen cabinet doors (oak) began sticking when I try to open them. At 250 pounds, I had to pull some with both hands and they would pop open.

I have used Mr. Clean, Magic Eraser on all the cabinet doors and it works for some of the doors. A short time later (two to three weeks), some doors are back to the tough pull to open the doors.

Any suggestions on cleaning or treating them so I don't have this constant problem? — via email

A: If the hard-to-open difficulty is not caused by the magnetic catches or other form of catches, and the stickiness is due to the doors themselves sticking to the cabinet frames, try cleaning both with Milsek (www.milsek.com).

Milsek is truly a miracle cleaning and polishing product, which I have used and recommended for years, and many readers have commented how wonderful it is and how well it has worked for them.

You can find Milsek in Ace hardware stores and other outlets. You can also find a local store on its website by clicking on Store Locator and scrolling down to your state.

Q: We live in the Chicago suburbs and are in need of a new roof. Our contractor recommended Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration Shingles and ridge vents. We also heard about DaVinci slate roofs and would like to know what you think about them, as well as what type of ventilation is best. I value your opinion and have trusted your advice in the past. — Illinois via email

A: Sorry, I have no knowledge or experience with DaVinci tiles.

The best passive ventilation system consists of continuous soffit and ridge vents combined with an unobstructed air space between them of at least 1 1/2 inches on most roofs. On long rafters and low-slope roofs, the clear space should be increased to a minimum of two inches.

The soffit vents should have a net free ventilation area (NFVA) equal or greater than the NFVA of the ridge vent.

Passive ventilation is accomplished by thermal flow: warm air rises. The flow of air through the ridge vent is augmented if the ridge vent is externally baffled, such as in the Shinglevent II (www.airvent.com). An externally baffled ridge vent deflects the wind over the vent, thus increasing its exhaust — Bernoulli's principle. Otherwise, wind can stop the exhaust and even inject rain and snow into the attic.

Q: We have a hairline crack across our front stoop that makes our front porch look shabby. It has been there since the house was built seven years ago. Our builder said he didn't repair any cracks that small. We thought of having the stoop tiled, but it was too expensive. Also we live in the north and didn't think it would hold up. Do you have any suggestions as to what we might do that would make the crack disappear and also be economical? — via email

A: Hairline cracks are very hard to eliminate, and any attempt is likely to make the stoop look worse. A cement slurry can be washed into the crack, but it is probably going to be prominent, as the color will be hard to match.

If you decide to try it, and if the results are not satisfactory, you may want to apply a stain to the concrete. If you choose this plan, and the concrete surface is very hard-troweled, the concrete may need to be slightly etched to allow the stain to penetrate. If the concrete has a broom finish, all it should need is a thorough cleaning.

Painting the stoop is another option, which I seldom recommend because paint may start peeling from the concrete over time. The best paint to use on an exposed slab, after a thorough cleaning, is epoxy.

Henri de Marne's book, "About the House," is available at www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores. His website is www.henridemarne.com. Readers can send questions to Henri de Marne's email address at [email protected], or to First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.