Hi,
I’ve posted the some pictures of the roof in question. It’s the family beach house. The roll roofing on the low sloped overhang has worked for the last 50 years, but now that it’s leaking I figure get it done right with rubber. (Yes I think its about 3 layers of roll roofing).
I read an article about WeatherBond Self-Adhesive rubber roofing. Seems like something I could manage with help from my brother or cousin. It comes in 4’x25′ rolls.
For those of you out there who may have some knowledge. Do you think the WeatherBond would be the way to go, or should I try and find a roofing contractor in the area?
I planned on running some copper flashing along the eve sides and cutting out some mortar around the chimney to slip it in — I’d also soldier the seams. and that front roof would have the first 4 or 5 courses removed so I can run the rubber roofing up. The ‘front corner’ would need to have the ends of those boards cut (I think) so I could wrap the rubber around the edge and seal that corner. (Last year I re-roofed the rear of the house and small addition/remodel).
It’s always been a DIY house, my grandfather built it, so I like to do things myself.
Thanks.
-Alex
Replies
I can't answer your roofing question but I'd really like to see some pics of that house from further back ! Is that a second pitch to the roof, that little ledge in the photos ?
Nah, I think you're picking up the roof of the house next door — was just sold last year. Would have bought it and extended the house, but i don't have enough money and couldn't convince my folks ;) Our house is a 26'x32' foundation (or 36?) with a 12'x16' enclosed porch.I'll try and come up with a pic from further back...
Edited 6/20/2005 9:41 am ET by abw12
aw, come on. Somebody at least agree with me so I feel like I'm doing the right thing ;)
I used the weatherbond on a flat roof on my house 5 years ago. That stuff is slick. It's self-adhesive, so you don't have to wait for the contact cement to flash off before you apply it. You do need a very stable subsurface, so you may want to sheath it with plywood. If you do, they recommend priming the plywood first, for better adhesion. Make sure you install it on a somewhat warm day. I put mine on a cool day and I got a few bubbles on the first hot sunny day. Other than that, it's a great product. Go for it.
That sounds good , You can get the rubber in a length that will elininate the seams in a glue down . Easy to apply and patch . If you ever patched an innertube, works the same .
My personal choice after roofing for a decade would actually be torch down modified bitumen. Rubber can be delicate to debris and difficult to patch. Use a pro to install it and any DIYer can patch with a small piece and a propane plumbing torch. It needs a good substrate ply or t&g, then fiberglass rolls, similar to builder's felt but fire resistant. But in the end it's probably six of one and a half dozen of the other.
"Rubber can be delicate to debris and difficult to patch."Difficult to patch?? Really?? I find it extremely easy to patch. Shoot, I was patching rubber innertubes successfully when I was ten years old!Rich BeckmanAnother day, another tool.
and safer than torchdowns
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I guess I had a rash of bad materials as it semed that the patch kits seemed to weather pretty quick. I personaly, and those with whom I worked, found them to be irksome but that was almost ten years ago. It is a good roof system I just never liked it much. Fire, fire, fire! And yes I've seen crews unload for a job without an extinguisher in sight. I always had several and stopped torching an hour or two before quittin time so I could eyeball any potential problems.
This does not look lioke a very easy job. It is not one I would relish, and would definitely not recomend it ofr a DIY. There are a multitude of flashing details needed there that would need carefull attention.
OTOH, from what I have been hearing, it is mighty hard to find qualified roofers lately since I retired from it, and the bewst guys might be shy of a small one like this - too much risk and not enough money.
You will nbeed to strip the old off, and the shigles up about 18". Peel the siding back too.
At the gable end where the rake runs down to the hip of this lowslope roof, the vinyl has a water trap at top of the J-mold, and the way the fascia ties downis going to be a perenial problem. You will have to work a flashing in under it.
The stripped deck should then have new plywood to adhere to. From what I can see of the edging, it will need to be all new regardless.
Since you have to strip shingles back up the slope, you could run into problems tyuing back again. These look at least half way aged, meaning they will be brittle. Once you starty touching them, you might end up at the ridge before you are done.
other than that, the product seems OK, but I have never used it. Since there are soo many flashing details, you want to study their methods of adhering to metal very carefully, or find out if they provide a neoprene flashing material - then you would just need a counter flashing of copper.
I wouldn't go anywhere near this job with a torchdown.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
"find out if they provide a neoprene flashing material"They have a specific material for flashing outside and inside corners.And I here ya on the brittleness of the shingles — I've been debating back and forth weather to get a big enough dumpster to just strip the whole front roof — needs redoing in the next five years, just did the rear 4 years ago....guess it'll depend how much help I can get ;)And thanks guys, it all sounds good. The finding a qualified roofer is my big issue, which is why when I found out about this WeatherBond product, I figured it might be the way to go. I'll take a run by CapeCod Lumber sometime and see that they carry the inside and outside corner flashings; they are suppose to be a supplier so hopefully they carry it all.