Working on my roof...

[CLT65]

I've mentioned a couple other times in the last few months that I need to do some work on my roof. It seems that there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum with some good suggestions, so I figured I'd start a thread about it.

The previous owner of the house did an add-on in the back, pretty sure what was originally the back patio. The roof over the addition has a lower slope that the rest of the house, and the previous owner put shingles on it which I'm told is wrong, wrong, wrong for a roof with a 2-in-12 pitch. There's been some leaking over the years, slight and mostly unseen. Once the rain stopped this year, I pulled the roof off and found a bit of a mess. $600 worth of lumber, plywood, and odds-and-ends later, I've got a good handle on the structural damage, about half done but shouldn't need any more supplies.

It would have been done sooner but I've been burning the candle at both ends, LOTS of overtime at work, getting in an hour or two in the evening and a few hours here and there on weekends. A good friend has been helping me when he has time, but he's busy with work and family too.

So, before too much longer, hopefully before it starts raining again, I'm going to be figuring out what kind of roof to put back on. The rest of the roof is pretty worn (no leaks or damage), but I don't think I'm quite up to replacing it this year, if I can avoid it. I simply cannot afford to pay a contractor at this time, so I'm essentially on my own. And then there's the ceiling in a room we didn't go in all winter, that will need completely replaced, but that's a story for a different day...

Anyone have suggestions on what to use on this roof, and where to buy it?

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[Provincial]

I've been progressively switching over to metal roofing. I prefer a type of standing seam, since that has less chance of leaking, especially on a flatter pitch like you have.

There are several versions of standing seam, with a wide range of pricing. All place some sort of fastener under the raised seam, covered by the overlapping sheet. Some use friction to clip the top sheet to the screwed-down sheet. Many use an additional exposed fastener (screw with a rubber washer) on a raised portion on the opposite side of the raised rib.

I have used a version with no exposed fasteners on a new construction project, and am quite impressed with it. It is expensive and requires a special tool to crimp the seam, but the contractor had that tooling, and did a very good job.

For your project, I would recommend choosing a product that is designed to screw down to a plywood sheet. Put a vapor barrier between the plywood and the roofing. I used a product from Bruce & Dana (Salem, Oregon) that has the screws hidden under the standing seam, and one row of screws exposed on a ridge. This is a compromise to minimize the number of exposed fasteners and raise the seam to avoid water getting in at the joint. It is easy to install, and pretty foolproof. Be sure to get the proper end caps/flashings and all. If you are exposed to winds, don't scrimp on the screws.

 

[CLT65]

Thank you. One thing that concerns me is the transition area, where the regular pitch roof of the original house meets the low-pitch addition, and how to do that right so it doesn't leak.

I don't want to pinch pennies too hard and regret it later, but neither can we afford to spend thousands on a 900 sq.ft. patch of roof. I don't know whether we're going to live here for the next 40 years, or the next six months. One of the things driving my sense of urgency to get this house fixed up (besides the obvious need to stop the rain from coming in) is the reality that this state is down the tubes in a bad way, and if the right job opportunity came available in the right part of the country (though I don't yet know where that is), we would uproot and leave the Pacific Northwest for good.

 

[CLT65]

I've been working my backside off morning to night every day for the last month, either at work or on the roof replacing boards and plywood. It's a lot more work than I thought, more time and money. I'm an amateur, trying my best to learn the right way to do things and what materials to use.

It looks like it's going to be regular old rolled roofing for this project. It's a matter of time and money, and rolled composition roofing seems like the thing to use at this point.

 

[Alexx1401]

I've been working my backside off morning to night every day for the last month, either at work or on the roof replacing boards and plywood. It's a lot more work than I thought, more time and money. I'm an amateur, trying my best to learn the right way to do things and what materials to use.

It looks like it's going to be regular old rolled roofing for this project. It's a matter of time and money, and rolled composition roofing seems like the thing to use at this point.

Doing it yourself you can make sure things are done well. I have used that stuff before and zero problems with it and I had no clue what I was doing first time. Just carefully followed what experts said and damn roof was great.

 

[clanhanson]

If your roof isn't reasonably square and has wavy fascia, a metal roof will be a series of compromises. You will have to choose where the edge is straight and where it isn't. Metal roofs are NOT "100 year roofs" as salesmen will claim. The panels might be if decent gauge and decently finished with no damage done during install, but the fasteners are 10-30 years max even if not exposed. For that reason, I feel that architectural shingles are still the best choice for the average home. Slate is the only 100 year roofing material.

If you insist on metal, go with a lighter color. It will keep the home cooler. I also prefer straight galvanized or galvalume as damage to the coating will not cause rust; instead, the surrounding zinc will provide cathodic protection to the damaged area weakening the coating slightly rather than eroding the base metal. If you go with painted, it's more likely you will develop areas of rust especially on cut edges. If there isn't time to allow shingles to lay down adequately, I'd 100% go with metal.

 

[Jay Walk]

I built a shed with a steep pitch roof but added a lean to off from one side, the lean to had a very shallow pitch, I shingled it and eventually it leaked after twenty years. I replaced it starting with peel and stick fire and ice roll out first layer, this actually seals the nails when you drive them through. I then shingled with comp roofing but also added 30# above each layer of shingles so the rain that penetrates the gaps between shingles would not migrate sideways to a nail and cause problems again, so far so good.

 

[CLT65]

This house is a perfect example of why home-owners should never do their own repairs unless they know what they are doing, or are willing to take the time to learn how to do it right.

I've found so many things done wrong here, on the back addition. Here's a photo of the transition area from the regular house roof to the low-slope addition. They put rolled roofing down, but stopped about a foot short of the transition, with really old shingles underneath instead, then they put shingles over the whole works, punching thousands of nail holes through the nice rolled roofing. Stormy winter weather would blow rain up under the shingles, rusting the nails and channeling that moisture right down through into the wood.

The more I do, the more I find to do. I've made numerous calls to friends who are contractors and electricians, for advice on how to fix problems and do it right. Then once I get done with the outside, it's time to learn about drywall repairs. I can hang drywall, but I may try to hire someone to help me with the mud-and-tape part. I've tried my hand at it for small projects before; I'm really slow and the results are amateur. Professionals make it look easy, but it's not as easy as it looks.

 

[Certaindeaf]

This house is a perfect example of why home-owners should never do their own repairs unless they know what they are doing, or are willing to take the time to learn how to do it right.

I've found so many things done wrong here, on the back addition. Here's a photo of the transition area from the regular house roof to the low-slope addition. They put rolled roofing down, but stopped about a foot short of the transition, with really old shingles underneath instead, then they put shingles over the whole works, punching thousands of nail holes through the nice rolled roofing. Stormy winter weather would blow rain up under the shingles, rusting the nails and channeling that moisture right down through into the wood.

The more I do, the more I find to do. I've made numerous calls to friends who are contractors and electricians, for advice on how to fix problems and do it right. Then once I get done with the outside, it's time to learn about drywall repairs. I can hang drywall, but I may try to hire someone to help me with the mud-and-tape part. I've tried my hand at it for small projects before; I'm really slow and the results are amateur. Professionals make it look easy, but it's not as easy as it looks.

View attachment 1465288

If you want something done right, something something.
I present to you the shed of doom..

 

[Alexx1401]

If you want something done right, something something.
I present to you the shed of doom..

LOL, someone spent a lot of money to make that mess

 

[CLT65]

LOL, someone spent a lot of money to make that mess

Yeah, quite a bit on lumber, and probably even more on alcohol or something.

 

[Alexx1401]

Yeah, quite a bit on lumber, and probably even more on alcohol or something.

Hopefully they got drunk to screw stuff up that damn bad

 

[CLT65]

Along the same lines, people shouldn't "gunsmith" their own guns, unless they know what they are doing or make the effort to learn. I've seen some firearms over the years that resemble that shed.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yeah, quite a bit on lumber, and probably even more on alcohol or something.

The SOD went viral back in 2010 or so when some guy on bcsportbikes documented his neighbor building it. I believe it's up in Washington.

 

[Alexx1401]

The SOD went viral back in 2010 or so when some guy on bcsportbikes documented his neighbor building it. I believe it's up in Washington.

Bet its not "up" any more

 

[Certaindeaf]

Bet its not "up" any more

That was a thing.. whether or not it still stood. I kept up on that for years, snowstorms, wind, yadda.. no idea.
It was meme city for quite a while.

 

[CLT65]

I'm having one heck of a time trying to learn about and choose the best kind of roofing for this specific application.

Metal is out of the question for me, too expensive. So that leaves the various kinds of rolled roofing. My eyes have gone blurry from reading and comparing the different kinds. I see a product that looks promising, but in the literature it says it's a "cheap option for sheds, carports, and outbuildings" that should last at least 5-10 years. No thanks. Other products seem to require multiple layers, and I'm a bit intimidated by the installation. I'm also a bit surprised at just how expensive everything is, thousands of dollars for supplies.

One of my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy, told me to just call a roofer and let them take care of it. Yeah sure, mister moneybags; not everyone has $20k-$30k just lying around.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'm having one heck of a time trying to learn about and choose the best kind of roofing for this specific application.

Metal is out of the question for me, too expensive. So that leaves the various kinds of rolled roofing. My eyes have gone blurry from reading and comparing the different kinds. I see a product that looks promising, but in the literature it says it's a "cheap option for sheds, carports, and outbuildings" that should last at least 5-10 years. No thanks. Other products seem to require multiple layers, and I'm a bit intimidated by the installation. I'm also a bit surprised at just how expensive everything is, thousands of dollars for supplies.

One of my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy, told me to just call a roofer and let them take care of it. Yeah sure, mister moneybags; not everyone has $20k-$30k just lying around.

Call roofing supply places near you and ask what rolled roofing they'd recommend/have.

 

[CLT65]

Call roofing supply places near you and ask what rolled roofing they'd recommend/have.

Thanks, I don't know why I didn't think of that! I'll call around on Monday.

I'm so used to just diving into a subject and reading up to learn about it. I hate doing things halfway or without understanding the particulars of how to do it right, but as a result I often get bogged down in the details.

I've put so much work into rebuilding the structural part of this roof, I want to make sure the rest is done right so it doesn't happen again.