Hello all.
Here’s the deal. 110 year old house, steep-pitched Mansard, originally slate, then rolled roofing OVER some slates, then another rolled roof, then a third. It’s a mess. Access hatch long since sealed shut, but it leaks. HO wants the hatch removed, and a gable dormer with a window installed, which my friend and I do. While we’re up there, we look at all the other hatches on the adjoining houses and realize with a few pictures of our work shown to the neighbors, we could be on the block for a while. The work we did was good, and I am not easily pleased, but there is one question I have that I would like advise before I do another. What would be the best way to flash into the old roofing?
This is what we did: The valley of the gable dormer was Al Coil Stock, slipped underneath the roof above, the joint was taped and ‘schmutzed’ as we said in Lancaster, ‘mucked’ as it is called here in Philadelphia. Not the best way, but I could not think of a better one without removing all the old roofing, which the HO was not for. (I know, I am incriminating myself.) BUT the walls are more troubling to me. we took the coil stock, wrapped the walls and laid onto the old rolled roofing, then I (against the advise of my carp. part.) nailed the stock down, taped and schmutzed it clean. Is there a better way?
I despise rolled roofing, in this neighborhood it’s almost a sure sign of someone who doesn’t care, but then, most of the roofing that you see on the backs of these old houses is horrible. But this pleasant self-righteousness does not relieve me of my responsibility to do the best job that can be done. SO, flashing a new dormer into existing rolled roofing, give me everything you’ve got.
Grace and Peace – Hans
Life is too short to learn from your own mistakes.
Replies
Love you, if not all your methods!
What you did is probably as good as it gets for an HO who is satisfied with roll roofing.
I just couldn't bring myself to do that without selling a roof too.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I appreciate your response, Piffin, even if it does less to answer my question than it does to encourage my contrition. Next time I am going to tell them that the whoe roof will have to go, I promise. The one thing I can say in my defence is that when the roof IS replaced, our dormer will be the best built, soundly framed and finshed architectual detail that will be seen from the vantage point of the roofers. There won't be any problems flashing it back in.
I've been doing this work, many aspects, for just over ten years now. I'm always trying to keep my head in the books, eyes on the work, and alert to all the ways, means, methods, etc. that are out there now, and have been out there since these old houses were built. In these years I've been complemented by others in the trade on work I've done, only to discover later that there was a much better way, and I was listening to the wrong people for advice. Also, many good people, and their observations. Thing is I'M SICK OF THE LEARNING CURVE ALREADY, I just want to know it all, and now. Buuuut... I know I'll be better at this in two years than I am now, and my reputaion isn't bad, and will get still better. I live in Philadelphia, and there are some wonderful old houses here, and enough people with the means and desire to do it right, it's a real pleasure to work on them (the houses, that is).
At any rate, thanks again. Grace and Peace - HansLife is too short to learn from your own mistakes.
You write so well, the editors oughta be chasing you down, regardless what the project is. Contact them when you have an interestiung job coming up
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!