Roof leak
We're in the midst of having the exterior of our house painted. When the painter went to wash the area on the roof where the 8 foot ceiling section meets the 10 foot ceiling section water started leaking into the front room. We've never had an issue w/water leaking when it rains. The area that leaks appears to be just below the small windows on the roof that provide light into the front room. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there possibly some sort of vent below these windows?
Your roof may be OK. Your painter was washing the window sill, walls and overhangs. Rain never hits these areas and they are not water-tight. The tongue and groove overhang outside the windows has a gap between every board. These gaps lead directly to the interior. Eichler walls under overhangs and clerestory windows can leak with little provocation.
A water hose and especially a pressure washer, pointed at the wrong area will blow lots of dirty water inside. Perfectly capable workmen, lacking 'Eichler Specific' experience will do this every time. Skylights are especially vulnerable.
When your painter is done. Use a sprinkler on the roof (Not the Wall) or flood the roof and make sure it does not leak. If you have an old tar roof, it is a good idea to keep people off of it. The roof can become more brittle with age and be damaged. Gravel can hide potential problems.
With a foam roof, painters should be asked to clean-up after themselves by touching-up any gouges to the surface with exterior urethane caulking.
