Need some advice how how to fix the roof….25 yr old Barn style inadquately insulated R-19 I’m guessing in cielings with NO venting beauitfully finished off inside so prospects of adding additional insulation INSIDE not applicable…..40 inches plus of snow so far has me on the roof more than I would like removing ice off the 24″ soffets and listening to the pitter patter of water INSIDE in catch alls at specific leak points…..yes I knew I was buying the problems when purchasing early this spring 05 but LOVED the HOUSE and everthing ELSE about it….question now is how do I incorporate adding additional insulation up top (reframing I guess after tearoff would be my guess) then venting properly AND a metal roof maybe. There is no attic! just what looks like a 6″ cavity from the edge. Keeping the place cooler has not helped and it appears I will HAVE to fix this mess sooner rather than later….not good and need expert advice to the best possible way….any help/advice would be greatly appreciated and still can’t believe someone would build a beautiful place like this and not do it right from the beginning even 25 yrs ago….argh!
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Learn how to fight wood-boring beetles and prevent home infestations with expert advice from Richard D. Kramer, an authority in pest control.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
"still can't believe someone would build a beautiful place like this and not do it right from the beginning"
Well, people buying crappily built houses does encourage them!
If the R-19 is right for your climate and energy usage, I'd consider a tear-off of the shingles and then running 2x2s over the existing sheathing above each joist. Reroof with OSB and shingles. Yep, two layers of sheathing. But with a continous 1.5" gap from soffit to ridge this time. Problem solved.
Thanks Dave....I'm in Michigan R40 I believe would be adequate....but shingles over metal hey?
BTW...it's not crappily built...it's timber framed and all cedar...just the roof sucks....they apparently had cedar shakes up there also which only lasted 10 years and were soggy then they repaced with ashphalt with STILL no venting and to little insulation AND it appears NO ice and water shield...go figure.
What is the roof pitch? If you end up doing a total tear-off and the sheathing is toast, you could add depth to the rafters, add insulation, venting and new sheathing.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Thanks HighfighIt's a gambrel ?? roof...not sure of the pitch...can send pics if you can accept and view...I will assume the sheathing IS toast...it was plywood though instead of OSB and I've all ready had some delaminatiion problems on the steepest pitch (i.e some shingles fell off and exposed the delam problem) I have some pics of that also..
Post the pics here Bigdog777. as you type, before you enter the post, use the "attach files" button to the far right of post, preview, spell check, attach files, cancel.
You'll see the button when you go to reply to this post...scroll down...see it? YAY!
If you reduce your digital pics to more manageble "web sized" jpegs, those on dial-up especially will be most grateful. Please no larger than about 50 kb each, ty!
Ok Thanks....these pics are of last year when we bought it and at the end of winter...the house had hardly any heat on since it was vacant at that time and less snow....trust me...the ice and snow are much more evident right now...I have water coming in in several places even after I broke/pryed all the ice off the gutters and soffits since we have rain and higher temps here the last few days. The one photo will show what has happened to the original plywood sheathing from the infiltration of water at the joint of the gambrel roof above the damaged area...I had to tear that area off all ready and reshingle AND I'm afraid the rest of the roof sheathing could be just like it....all I know is...I MUST find a competent contractor that can help me fix this right ( Tom Silva help!)...LOL! the house I love...the ##$@^%*& roof design...I don't. Thanks to all that can offer the best and most affordable fix ideas...or if your the Tom Silva type and need some work.....I'm also attaching one of the inside so you can see the reason I don't want to add the additional insulation it so desperately needs inside...the wood is beautiful. Thanks again....Regards, Bigdog
Nice inside but being a barn, I'm sure it was never meant to be heated and that causes the problems as you know. Consider tearing off the roof and adding 4" of foam sheat insulation then sheathing and reroofing. A panel that has foam and OSB already glued to it is also available I believe. I'm sure others on the board can help with brand and so on. Adding insulation is the best way to fix it I believe. The inside is not an option so the outside is whats left. Good luck. Stu
You might as well stat looking for a good roofer or remodelor. There is far more wrong there than ice damning.I see poor design details.
That requires excellence in roof application to overcome, but instead of excellence, you have an embarrassing installation of singles and flashings,, and that doesn't even begin to consider the insulation and ventilation details that are not apparrant.the design and installation details I dislike:The skirt flareout at bottom is too sharp an angle to the mansard portion of this gambrel roof and is perhaps too low a pitch as well. That break thus requires extensive work to keep it from leaking.The headwall flashing to the stone is ameturely done, seeming to rely more on tar goop than skill to shed water.The skylight is of the cheapest kind - one I consider gauranteeded to leak sooner or later - and is placed way too close to the stone wall. Right near it are two stacks right under the drip line of an upper roof. One of them is not even plumb! And if it is a vent for any sort of combustion appliance as appears, it is not tall enough to meet codes so it could be drawing poorly and leaving some CO gas in the house in certain atmospheric conditions. It is even possible that it has come apart in the attic accounting for the til;t it shows. if didconnected there, it would be adding both heat and water vapour to that portion and adding to ice damn problemns (Also, just left of them some sheathing is buckling and stopping drainage )The shingles are sloppily laid, with both exposure the lines and stagger lines being uneven. I can't tell, but it looks like no tarpaper, but even iof there is, I doubt that it is well done, given the poor work in visible areas.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The ceiling and roof are simiar to mine except I have a very low slope and it's covered with 40 year old tar and gravel, with ice dams and leaks. One contractor drilled a one inch hole last fall and found there to be no insulation and the waterlogged fibreboard to be "mush" - that's a technical term that I can understand...
Contractors in my area of Ontario are suggesting tearing off the old roof, spraying in 4 inches of faom insulations, building up a new roof structure a few inches on top of the existing one for allowing ventilating, adding the roof sheeting, plywood?/OSB?, then applying a membrane before applying 35 year shingles. I'm told that the membrane will be self sealing around the nails. If any moisture does make it's way in then it would hit the foam and run off. The faom cannot be moved around by squirels as well, although I'm not going to invite them or any of their friends in.
I'm not in this business but hearing it from a few contractors have me belieiving it's the way to go, in addition to $$$...
An to add a little complication the house is octagon shaped.
I'd be interested in hearing what you may have to say about this approach.
Regards,
Rod