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Hello everybody: I have to run out to the Rockies in a couple days to help a friend roof a small cabin. Not sure what the roof was originally going to be, but now its going to be cedar shakes,(or some kind of half sawed half split shake ???). The roof is four gables with no eaves, looks like an + from above. Here’s the question: it has already been sheathed with 5/8 ply as though using composition shingles so do we need to nail one by purlins as though it was skip sheathing? Pitch is 12-12. Rafters are 16″ oc. I’ve seen shakes right on solid sheathing, but have never known if it was accepted practice anywhere. What about the felt? Any thoughts? Thanks a lot, lonecat.
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Hey Lonecat - It's possible that skip sheating and "shake liner" will let the shakes breath better and prolong their life, but what you have will work fine, especially on that steep a roof. I would use 30 lb felt and run it out just as you would for composition. Make sure your friend knows that he/she has to keep the valleys from getting needle build up, that will trap water and promote decay. Shouldn't be too much trouble on that pitch.
The builder who started me out in the trades always said you should install 24" shakes 7" to the weather. It takes more material (maybe 6 bundles/square instead of 5?) but you get triple coverage that way. If these are handsplit "heavys" another thing you might consider is after you get your starter course on, snap a series of lines to hold the TOP of the shakes to. This makes a very irregular and beautiful bottom edge on each course. - jb
*Ditto jb's advice ....think skip sheathing will give you longer life ...... have seen small forests growing in valleys on cedar roofs- tell your fiend to keep it clean. Use good nails -electroplates don't cut it.If you skip sheath, they have 1/2 width rolls of 30 lb felt. You can weave the valleys if you don't like the look of exposed metal valleys ...... lots of extra work though.
*My father-in-law just had his house reroofed , it had shakes that had been on for at least twenty years [ since he's lived there , dont know how long before that ] . They were installed over plywood sheathing and felt , just like a comp roof . The sheathing was still in good shape even though the shakes were in bad shape . And the kicker is the pitch isn't more than 4/12 probably more like 3/12 . I never woulda thunk it , but I seen it with my own eyes . Chuck
*Thanks, guys; that is the advice I was hoping for- I'm headed out today.