I’m with you on the budget side—if I called in a pro for every creak or stain in my 1930s place, I’d be broke by now. I did the same: moisture meter, flashlight, and a lot of poking around (sometimes literally). Found some soggy joists that way. Not saying engineers aren’t worth it, but sometimes your own eyes and a bit of common sense can catch the obvious stuff before it turns into a wallet-drainer. If something feels off or you hit a weird patch, then yeah, maybe time to call in backup... but until then, DIY detective work saves me a ton.
sometimes your own eyes and a bit of common sense can catch the obvious stuff before it turns into a wallet-drainer.
Had a similar experience prepping for my green roof install. Checked the rafters myself first—measuring moisture, looking for rot or deflection. Found an odd patch near the chimney that I might’ve missed if I hadn’t done a crawl around. Only after that did I bring in a structural engineer, mainly to double-check my findings before adding all that extra load. Sometimes those initial checks save you not just money, but time chasing the wrong problem.
Found an odd patch near the chimney that I might’ve missed if I hadn’t done a crawl around. Only after that did I bring in a structural engineer, mainly to double-check my findings before addin...
That’s a solid approach—starting with your own inspection before calling in the pros. I see a lot of folks skip that step and end up paying for stuff they could’ve spotted themselves. When you mentioned finding “an odd patch near the chimney,” was it moisture-related, or more like wood deterioration? Chimney areas are notorious for hidden leaks that don’t show up until there’s real damage. Even small signs, like a little discoloration or a soft spot, can mean bigger issues under the surface. It’s wild how much you can catch just crawling around up there with a flashlight and screwdriver.
Chimney patches always make me nervous. Last year, I found a weird, spongy spot behind a client’s chimney—looked minor, but turned out the flashing had failed years back. Water had just been creeping in, rotting the decking. It’s sneaky how subtle those leaks can be. I trust my eyes more than any moisture meter some days... but sometimes you just need to pull up a shingle and see for yourself.
That’s wild—never realized how much damage can hide behind a chimney until I started tearing into a few myself. When you’re prepping for a green roof, do you check all the old flashing and penetrations first, or just assume you’ll need to redo them? I’ve heard some inspectors want everything exposed before signing off, but not sure if that’s overkill.
