[Guest]

I have a one year old house that the roof is leaking in a number of places. In a few spots the leak is allowing water into the soffit. The building says this is not a problem since it is only causing the soffit to get wet. Should there be water getting into the soffit area? I can see it is coming from the roof when in the attic. Please advise

 

[hatchet]

The building says

The building speaks with you? Sorry I couldn't resist. Even though it's "just" a soffit it is attached to your home and it will only be a matter of time before it rots somewhere and then it runs into the house. Or worse yet down between the framing and siding where you can't see it until it's too late.

 

[pgriz]

A one-year old house with a leaky roof is not good news. And the builder's claim that it just the soffit getting wet is pure BS. As Hatchet has noted, water coming in will end up in walls and places where it shouldn't be, causing no end of grief. You need to figure out where the leaks are happening, and why. Best way is to get into the attic (assuming you have one) and see if you can trace where the water's coming in. The usual problem spots are valleys, end-walls, chimneys and the like if the flashings have not been properly done. If the leaks are happening at the eaves (assuming you don't have ice dams) then I would suspect really shoddy installation. Do you have a new-home warranty? You need to document what you observe, and perhaps have a professional roofer or qualified home inspector give you second opinion.

 

[builderr]

it is quit possible that the moisture coming thru the soffit might be the lazy man's bath ceiling fan vent method....."stick it out into the soffit and don't worry about it".
Could also be melting ice dams .
my $.02/worth
David

 

[Grumpy]

I agree with builder about possible causes. I also agree with the other two posts by Pgriz and hatchet about possible causes. But the bottom line is this should not be happening. If you have a warranty it is the builders responsibility to inspect and repair.

Saying "it's just the soffits" doesnt mean anything. The soffits will rot from continual water and then they will need to be rebuilt. Will the builder then tell you that he doesn't warrant rot?

What area are you in?