Replies

1. 
   OneofmanyBobs | May 07, 2002 05:25am | #1

   What is the pitch on this roof?? If its low enough so

   you can walk on it, its too low for a metal roof. Also,

   if the roof was not designed as a deck, it may not be strong

   enough to walk on. There's no way to adequately attach a railing

   without penetrating the roofing. I lived for many years in a

   house with a deck on top of a porch with a flat roof. It

   always leaked and needed to get rebuilt several times because

   it would rot. Should have torn it down and done it right.

   The usual thing for a deck over a roofed area is to build

   a new deck on tapered sleepers. This way the deck is level

   and the roof is sloped. Then you attach a railing as usual

   to the deck. The deck is connected to the house with a ledger

   and simply rests on the roof. I would lay a sheet of EPDM

   rubber over the metal first as insurance. You can do it right

   or you can do it over (and over). Put a nice railing across the

   door for now and ponder spending a couple grand to do it right.

   You do not need to board it up. Building code requires a barrier,

   not a solid sheet.

2. 
   grantlogan | May 07, 2002 01:25pm | #2

   I suspect this is a flat seam terne roof, rather than a pre-fab roof. (Does it have raised seams or ribs or is it a series of rectangular panels flat locked, soldered together and then painted? If it is the later, it's a flat seam roof.)

   My method for this situation, is to cut 2x blocks slightly smaller than the interior of the square posts (assuming the posts are fabricated from 4 pieces of 1x material). Set the blocks on the roof where the posts will be located. Form a piece of metal (same material as the roof) to cover each block. Each metal "box" should have a flange along each side that will lay on the roof material when turned upside down over the 2x block. Clean the paint from the area under and around the flanges and solder the "box" to the roof as well as the joints in the "box". Neutralize the flux, prime and paint the metal, and install your posts over the blocks (the posts should have a piece of interior blocking that rests on the top of the metal wrapped block to keep the outside of the posts up off of the actual roof itself). Install the rail, which is hooked to the house and gravity holds the whole thing down.

   If you are using solid posts, proceed the same way, except cut the blocks the same size as the posts and then install some sort of base molding around the bottom of the posts so it overlaps the wrapped blocks.

   If the posts are round, configure the bases to fit over the wrapped blocks.

   Now, having told you how to do this, I have to admit I have never done a retrofit like this. I have only used this method when replacing the whole roof and I only use copper anymore. Evaluate your roof before proceeding. How much life has it got left in it? Maybe it's worth replacing now.

   Plan B would be to pop rivet the "boxes" down to the existing roof and then coat with Geocel 2310 or one of the latex roof coatings rather than removing the paint and soldering. This violates the "no penetration" concept and won't be as long lasting.

   Good Luck.

   gl

   I've told you a billion times not to exaggerate.

   
   

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   Edited 5/7/2002 6:28:17 AM ET by grantlogan