Material for roof with radiused corner
OK, an introduction.
I live in SW New Mexico, very rural. I tell that to folks back east and they don’t get it until I tell them it’s 60 miles to groceries. And 60 miles to building supplies, 180 miles if you want a decent selection. Thank goodness for this internet thing. We are in the final (hopefully) stages of building a nice little custom adobe, around 1200 sq. ft. If I can figure out how I’ll post a picture or two where those that might be interested can see it.
I work for and am part owner of a small start up company that has a patented technology for treating the ballast water in ships to prevent the transportation of aquatic invasive speices. Can anyone say zebra mussel? Those of you in the great lakes area will know what I’m taking about. That keeps me traveling the world and has certainly extende the time it takes to build a house! I’m off to Djibouti in two weeks, see if you can find that in the Atlas.
Now, the question –
We want to put a porch on the back of the house and would like very much to have a radius on the corner of the roof. Any suggestions for what material might lend itself to this application? I was thinking along the lines of some kind of shake, maybe a rubber/plastic composite material similar to the new decking materials? I was told that there might be a product like this made to look like slate. I don’t want 3-tab, as it just would not “go” with the house. Someone sugguested copper, but it sounds expensive, and like I said, we are at the end of the project, so money IS an object. By the way, the roof of the house is metal R-panels, a simple gable roof.
I wish I had found this forum sooner, I could have asked sooooo many questions.
But there is still enough left to do that I’m sure I can find other topics to ask about.
I look forward to joining the discussions –
Mike Hasson
Glenwood, NM
Replies
Mike, welcome to BT. Had to pull out the atlas to find Glenwood, then was embarrassed. We've been through many times from Nutrioso, Ariz. Been quite a few years.
Copper. No reason to be particularly expensive. For my money, the cheapest, considering lifespan. Whether you can find somebody there with the tools is another question. I've a novice, one whole roof under my belt, and what you're describing would be simple. Tapered pans are as easy as straight.
Or galvanized, if you prefer. What's "R-panel"? I'm not a roofer.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Tom -
Can you tell me about your experience with copper? Where did you source the materials? What tools are needed? I'm willing to try anything, especially if it's a good reason to buy tools I don't already have! What is the gauge/thickness of the copper sheets? Did you then do a wood and copper gutter? How did you frame the roof? Since this is a porch, I may or may not have a finished ceiling on the underside of the roof. Do I need one with a copper roof? Got any suggstions about where to get good DIY info on a copper roof?
Thanks for the input,
Mike
http://www.copper.org/http://www.nabocker.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=529here's a startBirth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/
Hey Mike, happy to help. And promote copper roofing. Seeyou's (formerly cu and greencu) Mr. Copper around here. He and his guys (Sphere) have done things I wouldn't dream of. Pretty sure neither of us wants to try to write a primer. Check out his website to see some of his stuff. A search of this site will net you several copper threads.
I used tools Seeyou wouldn't be bringing to very many jobs. LOL I borrowed old-fashioned "stompers", or pedal seamers, from a retired roofer. These are used with manual pan tongs to form the pans on site, without a break or pan machine. Suited me just fine. Around here a full set (2 stompers, 2 panel tongs, and a hand seamer that you pound on) generally goes for around $300 at farm auctions.
Copper roofing's 16 oz. (16 oz./sq ft) and comes in rolls and 3'x10' sheets. The one choice here is "hard" and "soft". Hard only comes in nominally 500# and 1000# rolls. Soft in 100#, IIRC. I haven't used soft, figuring a roof oughta be harder than softer. Most roofers around here prefer soft. Smaller, easier to handle rolls, and I presume, easier to form. Without hydraulics, a 500# roll would be kinda hard to handle. Once you get it onto your work platform, however, no problem at all. I work solo.
A BTer, a yr or so ago, actually paid freight to get copper from my supplier, but that's a long ways from you. Takes a good-sized city to have a full service copper supplier, but you should be able to find some somewhere, if not at what I'd pay. Seeyou does even better, but he goes through tons and can really get the attention of his suppliers. IIRC, last I bought was $2.50/lb. Still have a full 500# roll left over if you want to make the drive...
I avoid gutters. That's an old argument here at BT. I'm on the side that says gutters are a patch for poor design. G,D, & R (grin, duck, and run) You can order preformed copper gutters from anybody who supplies copper.
Against Seeyou's plywood advice I went with tradition here and put 1x4s on my rafters. This is a lumber shed, no finished ceiling. Ventilation is important. Bear in mind that we have very different climates, the reason why you want to fill in the profile you'll find by clicking on your name. Obviously, advice is often going to be climate applicable. Click on my name and there's a link to a page about our copper sided house. Our roof is the only one (dirt) I find superior to copper. Probably inappropriate for your porch. <G>
JoeH sent me a copy of an English installation manual. He was in a similar situation to you, and moving out of state where he presumably had fewer resources than you do. Maybe he'll weigh in here.
For my roof, I got the roofer I borrowed the tools from to spend 1 paid day with me. That was adequate for a simple roof. I'd also used similar tools once before on a very small tapered roof here, but so long ago I'd forgotten parts. He didn't think much of my 1x4s either, until he went out on them and found they make a pretty good ladder for a steep pitch.
Anyhow, here's a pic of my shed, with translucent panel inserts. Search for that thread (translucent panels) if you want to see more. Sometimes the search function works well.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
What Tom said.
Birth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/