Replies

1. 
   Geoffrey | Jun 04, 2007 08:50am | #1

   jason,

   there's a Co. in the Boston area that would come in and lift the whole roof right of the house, set in on cribbing for you, then come back in a week or whatever it takes for you to frame the new second floor. There is, of course,  prep needed before the roof is lifted, but this method can be a real time saver, especially with weather concerns.

   Don't know if you have any one in your area that might do something similar, can't think of the name of the Co. off-hand, maybe Diesel Pig is familiar with them, who knows maybe they travel....

   Or you could consider trying it yourself, hire a good crane operator, assuming you have the room on site to set the roof off to the side.....and of course this assumes your not changing the footprint of the 1st floor, and that the old roof would "fit" the new second floor footprint, structurally speaking.

   just a thought

                                                                        Geoff

1. 
   Hudson Valley Carpenter | Jun 04, 2007 10:46am | #2

   That's a great idea but how about having the crane hold the roof overhead, like an umbrella, while the guys jump on framing the floor and the exterior walls?  That shouldn't be more than a day's work for a good framing crew.  It would be nice to work in the shade too. :-) 

   Hey, if you've got to pay twice for moving the crane and setting it up, why not keep it there for the day?  Not that holding the roof overhead is a good idea but it's probably cheaper and safer for the contents of the house to keep the crane on site long enough to frame up the second floor and put the roof back on.  

   You could pre-cut and assemble all the basic parts so that the actual framing time could be kept very low.  With a fork lift and a motivated crew, I'd bet you could do the required framing in half a day. 

   I like those kind of challenges.  Just takes good planning.

   And I'm sure that you'd make a great impression on the home owners.  They'd be talking about that day for a long time.  So would you. 

1. 
   Geoffrey | Jun 04, 2007 09:42pm | #3

   LOL,

    I'm with you on the shade part!! especially after the last few days up this way.

      You summed it better than I , short frame time but more time spent on the prep/planning makes for a smoooth job.

                                                                 Geoff

2. 
   hvtrimguy | Jun 06, 2007 02:33am | #6

   I love the crane lifting throof idea but the second floor is going to have a whole new roof configuration with catherdals. not a fast frame at all. multiple plate heights multiple fascia heights. I see temp framing and tarps in my future. th owners are at least going to rent those pods to move the majority of their stuff into while the work goes on. I will look into how much can be prefabbed as far as the wall framing, that makes a ton of sense. thanks for the input."it aint the work I mind,
   It's the feeling of falling further behind."Bozini Latini

2. 
   ptp | Jun 05, 2007 04:03am | #4

   The method that I've used over the years is to run a circular saw from eave to ridge on top of the shingles, cutting through shingles and sheathing. Cuts are made every 32 inches or so midway between rafters. Then, you go inside and cut the nails at the ridge board and peel off a section of roof two rafters wide with all the material above still attached, raise it up, using the rim joist as a fulcrum and drop it into the yard. Pick up the pieces and stack them in the dumpster.

   Reading this as I type it, it sounds like a rinky-dink operation, but this method removes the roof structure very rapidly and in good size pieces that can still be handled by two guys. Of course, you need to protect the exterior walls and everything else below with sacrifial OSB and tarps.

   This method works best for roofs that are framed on top of a ledger above the subfloor. It gets a little more complicated if the rafters come down onto the top plate of the wall and are nailed to the joists since you have to get in there and cut off the nails.

   Wear gloves and safety glasses while cutting through the shingles as the circ saw will really spit granules; better yet, a full face shield. You'll also want to remove any cap shingles first of all.

   As others have recommended, if there's a way to pre-fab some of your wall sections and pre-cut the rafters, I'd do as much of that as possible. Line up a big enough crew to get it dried in ASAP. This is where good prep work really pays off or where the lack of it can really bite you.

3. 
   cybersportSS | Jun 05, 2007 05:55pm | #5

   I've removed plenty of roofs.  Don't use your best circular because it will get all gunked up from the shingles.  I use 24 teeth blades and I actually save my worn blades during the year for this project because the blades get chewed up so fast ripping through nails and shingles.  I cut sections that one man can handle between the rafters and pry them off with a 2 x 4 as a crowbar.  Get it down to the skeleton and then cut through the rafters. Make sure you don't cut out one side of rafters only, you have to run them even so the ridge and rafters on the other side don't squish you. 

   Be preapred because whatever the weather report says, if you tear off a roof it is guaranteed to rain the next day.

    

   Alex Gluck

   If we learn from our mistakes, I should be a genius

4. 
   IdahoDon | Jun 06, 2007 08:14am | #7

   You might contact a roofing outfit for a quote on stripping off the roof.  They can often do the work for much less than carpenters can and it will happen fast.

   You'll want to deck the project ASAP after the roof is gone to make protecting the first floor easier and quicker.

   As crazy as it sounds, sealing the edges of all the decking sheets with construction adhesive has kept water out quite well as a backup if tarps fail or the weather catches you off guard.  A warning though--if you don't get all holes and edges sealed before the rain, you'll never be able to after it's wet, and every little hole has to be sealed well.  Use a 4" knife and really work the stuff into the wood.

    

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

1. 
   hvtrimguy | Jun 07, 2007 04:50am | #8

   interesting thought. I have a roofing contractor I use that might do the job. they would even have the means of hauling the roofing waste away without filling up valuable dumpster space. I'll ask them what they think. Thanks"it aint the work I mind,
   It's the feeling of falling further behind."Bozini Latini

1. 
   RalphWicklund | Jun 07, 2007 05:23am | #9

   There was an article a while back in FHB about framing and roofing the second floor addition before taking off the original roof.

   The walls were framed post and beam style with holes cut into the existing roof just at the location of the posts. These were flashed at that point.

   The roof was then framed, dried in and shingled.

   Don't remember the rest of it but since there was now a roof overhead I think they then stripped the existing roof and infilled between the posts with regular framing.