Or How I Gained The Utmost Respect For Roofers
Back in the summer and fall of 2014, a persistent leak developed in the enclosed back porch of my mom’s house. A quote was obtained from the same outfit that shingled this back half of the house in 2006. The quote was based on iffy winter weather to remove a single layer of shingles, add an ice barrier and re-shingle the roof. It amounted to over $10,000 with add-on contingencies for removing a second layer of old shingles and replacing rotted wood/decking.
I decided to wait until spring/summer 2015 with (hopefully) more reliable dry/warm weather and more time to obtain additional quotes.
As an interim patch, I affixed tarps over the leaking area just in time before the snow arrived. The tarps provided considerable protection but the fix was not 100% water-tight in downpours.
In the spring of 2015, another roofing company rep recommended by a friend came by to measure/assess the re-roofing project for a second quote. I never heard from him again, so I assume that this approx. 2,300 square-foot project was probably too small a job for his crews to waste time on …
As an alternative, I did some research and reviewed pertinent YouTube videos on the subject of roofing. It didn’t look like rocket science, so I decided to buy the materials and requisite roofing tools and try my hand at a DIY re-roofing project while simultaneously saving the not insubstantial third-party costs.
The first task was to remove shingles from the leaking porch roof. I used a pitch-fork initially, but the tines were uneven, so switched to a garden spade. This worked well for a while until my back started complaining on account of the extreme bending-over required to get underneath the shingles with the spade. Shortly thereafter, I invested in a “Red Ripper”, the standard tool of the trade for ripping off shingles and simultaneously pulling the old nails out of the deck.
In the process, I discovered that the previous roofers failed to add the recommended water/ice barrier to the roof ridges, hips, drip edges, valleys and vent holes and there was no sign of any underlayment on the deck.
Removing the valley shingles also revealed the absence of a contiguous water/ice barrier along the length of the valley. There was only a tattered piece of tar paper “underlayment” serving that function.
Underneath the tar paper, dry-rot had set in, which was likely the cause of the persistent leakage in this area, especially where the valley meets the eaves troughs.
Non-contiguous water/ice shield in the valleys appeared to be the main cause of the leakage and subsequent deck damage. Drip edges along the roof edges were also missing.
The only solution was to rip off the rotten decking and replace it with 3/8 inch plywood. Interestingly, the quality of today`s plywood appeared to be far inferior to the original decking installed in the mid-fifties, some 65 years ago!
Much of the rock-wool batting insulating the porch ceiling was wet and was laid out in the sun to dry.
Two 4×8 ft x 3/8 inch sheets of plywood were used to patch the decking.
The repair was a bit like a jig-saw puzzle …
Aluminium flashing was added for extra protection where the valley meets the eaves troughs.
A water/ice barrier was laid down along the roof edges, on the ridges and in the valleys. Where absent, drip-edges were added to the roof edge once dry-rotted edging was replaced. After the valley flashings were fastened in place, underlayment was laid down over all exposed decking.
At the valleys’ peak additional flashing was added to ensure proper run-off.
After a ”starter-strip” was installed along the roof edges, shingles were nailed down and the ridges capped.
Tarps were kept handy to cover exposed areas at the end of the work day, in case of rain.
Ripping shingles off the main roof revealed a second layer of older (perhaps original?) shingles underneath. This little surprise would have added another $45 per 100 square feet to the original quote — about $800 for the 1,700 sq.ft. main deck.
Here too, there was an absence of water/ice barrier along the rake and ridge.
Water/ice barrier installed along the rake, ridge and under the valley flashing.
Underlayment helps protect raw decking in case moisture creeps underneath the shingles.
After the roof vent openings were re-cut to clean rectangles to optimize airflow, water/ice barrier was laid down.
A tarp was useful for collecting ripped shingles and dragging them to the roof edge for disposal. Although convenient, this proved hard on the newly-laid shingles due to abrasion, so I switched to using a jigger/dolly with a bungie-corded blue re-cycling bin to wheel the debris up to and then along the ridge to the disposal area on the garage roof and finally into the dumpster in the driveway, snugged up under the garage eave.
Water/ice barrier was installed under all roof vents.
Working section by section, tarps held down by strategically-placed shingles protected exposed deck from rain.
Working solo, 12-foot sections per day seemed about right.
After the deck was swept and blown clean, underlayment was stapled into place, starting from the gutter with the bands overlapping about 4 inches going up the ridge.
All tarped up at the end of the work day.
One must be ever mindful of the hazards involved in roofing — safety rope, sun protection, good footwear and up-to-date tetanus shots!
Drip edge installed with water/ice barrier and starter strip on top.
This roof had no drip edge and consequently, some of the gutter fascia showed signs of impending dry-rot.
The process: 1. Rip old shingles 2. Sweep and blow deck clean 3. Install drip edge 4. Lay down water/ice barrier 5. Add starter strip 6. Lay down underlayment 7. Lay down shingles
The end (of the roof) is in sight!
To save on the weekly/daily rental fee, the garage roof served as a temporary storage depot for the ripped shingles until the dumpster arrived.
The 14-yard dumpster ended up 1/2 to 3/4 full with some 6,000 lbs (3 tons) of old shingles and debris.
Second to last section prepped …
… and shingled.
Last section is prepped …
The roof decking at the ridge and beside the chimney required replacement due to dry-rot along the rake.
Dry-rotted plywood was removed …
Sections of fresh plywood were nailed into place …
Followed by water/ice barrier and starter strips …
Water/ice barrier was laid down around the chimney …
With a second layer added to seal off the deck/chimney joint perimeter.
Shingles were added …
And a first layer of aluminium flashing was custom-hand-trimmed and bent to fit snugly around chimney.
Grooves were cut into the chimney masonry with an angle grinder to hold counter-flashing.
Custom hand-bent and trimmed counter-flashing was fitted over the first layer …
… with sealer at the joints and expansion pins drilled and driven to securely fasten flashing to chimney masonry.
Front view.
Back view.
Side view.
The finished roof, west end.
Ridge cap detail.
The finished roof, east end
Although the courses did not end up 100% straight due to inadvertent drip edge vs. chalk line discrepancies, all the shingles actually do overlap and, hopefully, will stay water-tight for the next 10-25 years.
By which time, someone else will be welcome to experience the thrill and joy of DIY re-roofing!