Even with all the due diligence, these old properties love to throw us a curveball or two...
Man, I feel this. We were patching up some storm damage on a 60s-era office roof last spring, and what started as a few missing shingles turned into a full-on deck replacement. Turns out, water had been sneaking in for years—nobody caught it during inspections. I always try to pad the budget, but honestly, it’s like these buildings have secret stashes of problems just waiting to pop up. Anyone else ever feel like you’re playing whack-a-mole with repairs?
- I get the whack-a-mole feeling, but honestly, I’ve had a few old places where things weren’t as bad as I expected.
- Sometimes, if you dig in early—like pulling up a few boards or poking around in the attic before you start—there’s a chance to catch stuff before it snowballs.
- Not saying it always works, but I’ve avoided a couple big surprises that way.
- Maybe it’s just luck, or maybe some buildings are just less sneaky than others...
Sometimes, if you dig in early—like pulling up a few boards or poking around in the attic before you start—there’s a chance to catch stuff before it snowballs.
That’s definitely true, but I’ve seen it go both ways. Sometimes you get lucky and the bones are solid, but other times, even a quick poke around doesn’t tell the whole story. Had a job last year—old brick commercial spot, looked fine on the walk-through. We did some exploratory demo like you mentioned, and sure enough, found some rot in the subfloor. Figured we’d caught the worst of it. Fast forward two weeks, and once we really got into the plumbing chase, turns out there was an old leak that had been running down inside the wall for who knows how long. Mold city. The initial bid was toast.
I guess my point is, early digging helps, but there’s always something that slips through. I try to warn folks not to get too confident just because the first layer looks okay. Some buildings are just better at hiding their secrets... especially ones that have had a lot of “creative” repairs over the years.
On the flip side, I’ve also had projects where we expected disaster and it turned out to be mostly cosmetic stuff—bad paint jobs, old carpet glued over hardwood (that was a nice surprise). Those are rare though.
I’m with you on the “whack-a-mole” feeling. It’s like you fix one thing and three more pop up. But yeah, doing some upfront detective work can save your bacon sometimes. Just don’t bank on it catching everything. If I had a dollar for every time someone said “it shouldn’t be too bad,” I’d be retired by now...
I try to warn folks not to get too confident just because the first layer looks okay. Some buildings are just better at hiding their secrets... especially ones that have had a lot of “creative” repairs over the years.
That’s so true, especially with older commercial roofs. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve pulled up a few layers and found some “innovative” patch jobs underneath—random tar, old carpet, even plywood that wasn’t rated for exterior use. Makes you wonder what else is hiding up there, right? I always tell people, even if the surface looks decent, you never really know until you start peeling things back.
Have you ever run into surprises with green or reflective roofing systems? I’ve noticed that sometimes the extra weight or moisture from a green roof can reveal issues that weren’t obvious before—like hidden leaks or sagging spots. It’s a bit of a gamble, but sometimes those upgrades actually force you to address stuff that would’ve stayed hidden otherwise.
Curious if anyone’s found a good way to budget for those “unknown unknowns.” I usually pad the estimate, but it’s still a guessing game.
I swear, every time I start a “simple” repair, it turns into an archaeological dig. Last year I tried to patch a leak on my garage roof (not commercial, but it’s old enough to have secrets), and under the shingles I found what looked like a patch made from a pizza box. Not even kidding—still had grease stains. Who does that?
I’ve never done a green roof, but I did try those reflective coatings once. Thought it’d be a quick win for summer heat. Instead, I found out the hard way that my decking was already sagging in one corner—guess the extra weight was just enough to make it obvious. Ended up replacing half the plywood, which was not in the budget.
Padding estimates is smart, but honestly, I just assume whatever number I come up with is wishful thinking and add 30%. Still get surprised sometimes... Anyone else feel like “unknown unknowns” are just part of the fun? Or maybe that’s just me trying to laugh instead of cry.
