When leaks start appearing, most homeowners assume it’s due to storm damage or age. But in many cases, poor installation practices are the real culprits. During a residential inspection in Joplin, Missouri, Ridgeline Roofing & Solar uncovered several classic examples of shortcuts that lead to long-term headaches, right in our own neighborhood.

The Problem with Poor Shingle Placement

Tim Yates explained one of the most common mistakes he sees: butt joints placed too close to roof protrusions like vents or pipe flashings. This alignment creates a weak point where water can easily back up and leak through the roof deck, especially when the joint runs directly into flashing.

Another issue? Lack of bleeder shingles. When crews skip this protective layer across protrusions or valleys, it removes an important buffer against water infiltration.

Signs This Roof Was in Trouble

In addition to incorrect shingle layout, this Joplin roof showed:

• Nails pulling up from the shingles
• Split pipe flashing that wasn’t leaking yet, but soon would be
• Heavy granule loss, especially on the sun-facing slope
• Improperly installed valley using sideways shingles, disrupting water flow
• Zippering caused by high nailing, a sign the installer placed nails too far up on the shingle
• Ridge cap holes, popped nails, and rusted chimney flashing that was beginning to pull out
• Debris buildup on flashing that could lead to blockages and further damage

Why It Matters: Improper Installs = Shortened Roof Life

The biggest takeaway from this inspection is clear: even good shingles will fail early if they’re not installed right.
High nailing, poor flashing detail, and careless valley cuts are all shortcuts that reduce the effectiveness of the entire roofing system.

Luckily, this homeowner called before the damage became catastrophic. Tim was able to provide a plan to repair the leak, improve flashing, and extend the life of the roof until a full replacement is necessary.

Are You Seeing Similar Signs on Your Roof?

Whether you’re dealing with subtle leaks or just want peace of mind, Ridgeline Roofing & Solar offers free inspections, honest evaluations, and expert repairs. Don’t let poor workmanship cost you thousands later.

Not sure if your roof was installed correctly? Let’s find out. Contact us today!

Hear Tim’s Thoughts

Video Transcript: "Hey, Tim Yates, Ridgeline Roofing and Solar. I'm in my neighborhood this evening just doing a residential inspection and just wanted to talk about a couple of things.
This is one of the worst things I see crews do, and you don't want to run a split in your butt joint on your shingles that close to any protrusion coming out of your roof.
The first amount of anything that gets in this joint right here backs water up, and guess where it goes? Right in top onto your ceiling.
And the same with the top. I always make our crews run a bleeder of some sort right across the top of that before they shingle over it, just in case they have a butt joint right there.
This has also got nails pulling up. I hope you can see those nails pulling up.
And that actually has a little bit of a leak. We've got a pipe flashing right here. It's got a split in it.
It's not currently leaking through, but it's not far from it.
You can see the granule loss on the shingles right here. It's pretty extensive.
This has a pointed valley. I'll talk about it, how the crews pop lines and then run a sideways shingle.
This is that way. And you can see the way it breaks a pattern in this valley pretty easy.
There was a leak down here. This is why I got the call.
So, there's a chimney flashing here.
And you got this horizontal roll metal going through here, and it's actually pulling up right here.
That's actually the roll metal underneath the shingle.
And it's pulling up, and it's causing a space where water can get in there and leak.
This old flashing is, especially the counter flashing, is starting to pull out and rust a little bit.
It's got a lot of debris collecting on the top of it.
And something else on this roof. We can really see, if you look at it from here, you can really see the sunny side.
Now, there's some definite issues. Here's some nails have poked through, or somebody's had something nailed to it one time or another.
They've done some ridge cap repair. See a hole in the ridge cap there.
So, you can really see the difference of what the UV does to a roof.
And it does it to everything on your roof.
So, you can see these areas that are zippered.
And it looks just like a zipper.
So, there's a zippered area. And what that is, is wind damage.
But the problem with that is, it's wind damage because it's high nailed.
And it's like that.
With every single, every single time I see this, it's because whoever put the shingles on,
didn't take the time to nail the shingles correctly.
And they high nailed them. You can see what it did to it.
So, it's been on here for a long time.
You'd think the wind would just come up and just blow that right off.
But luckily, that hasn't happened.
So, well, I'm going to go talk to this homeowner and tell them what's going on.
And hopefully, we're going to get their leak fixed and limp this roof along for a little while longer.
So, if you all have any questions, residential or commercial, please give us a call."