Flat Roof

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:34 am

My shop was leaking once again after the Halloween storm. It drips brown coffee- like liquid. I've been patching this roof for 22 years. I used to just put roof coating on it every six months. I put a pitched front on it years ago but it didn't hold up and trapped moisture, rotting the osb I made it with. Turns out there was at least 6 layers of roll roofing on it, including somebody else's try at pitching the front. I found that plywood was rotted to pulp!
I have been delicately patching the roof for a couple years, knowing the osb was gone under the roofing material! couldn't walk on it everywhere. It's under an oak tree, a single little fallen branch would punch a hole in it.
I went up to find the latest hole, had to tear it all off, except for some material I left in the middle to create a little side pitch. I put 5/8" cdx over the old planks and matched it to the roof where I cut across it with a circular saw.
I knew I had to do this now with the last of the unseasonable warm weather.
This roof should really have rubber membrane, oh well, I just used cheap Home Depot roll roofing. The pitch on this roof is 1/2"/ft. not much. Now all the rainwater will hit the front and go off to the sides.
On top of all this hard labor, the landlady starts making other demands on me. This was a rough year with the two major blackouts, I'm tired of being a free handyman around here!

Wood'nCoal · By: **Wood'nCoal** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:09 am

009to090 · By: **009to090** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:10 am

Wow, that WAS rotten! You can always get the roll-on rubberized roofing sealer in 5 gal buckets, to top that new roof off while it still clean. I just did a section of my tin roof on the back porch with it. Its like brushing on liquid rubber, then it sets and stays flexible. Worked great for us.

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:34 pm

Good idea Chris. I wanted to get a commercial quality roll roofing but the bona-fide roofing materials places were closed last Friday. The forecast called for heavy rain Monday, then today, and it turns out the heavy rain is to the west.
My landlady does not cough up the maintenance money easily! I'm still furious at her for making other demands on me right while I'm giving 110% to this overdue project. WTF. Her husband usually gets a good deal on dumpsters, gonna need a ten here to get rid of the piles. It would have been much more efficient to have a roll-off put next to the place, didn't think there was any time to lose.
I had the chance to rest today, really needed it.

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:49 pm

Karnak - my whole barn roof is sealed with that stuff. :lol:

I gotta take pics of the 2 flat roofs on my house & barn. You want to see a mess? I'll take some pics tomorrow. Trying to work out an automotive repair job in exchange for help in redoing my barn. Paying for the shingles is another problem altogether ....

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:36 pm

Hey Smitty keep an eye on Craigslist, sometimes there's great deals on shingles. Yeah, Karnak-- what they called "tar" for a hundred years. It used to be $15 a 5gallon can for years. I just paid $50 a can! Freakin ripoff.

steamup · By: **steamup** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:54 pm

Years ago I had a garage that was a very low slope roof. I used a rolled product called "Selvage edge". It was rolled roofing but only 1/2 of it was surfaced like asphalt shigles. Cheap and easy to install but only last 10 to 15 years. Llook it up if you have a chance.

titleist1 · By: **titleist1** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:02 pm

I am half ashamed to admit this, but since I was only the dumb end of the tape measure on this project I'll share...

I helped put those corrugated 4 x 8 roofing panels on a fairly flat, very old, very leaky garage roof a few years ago. It has held up better than I thought, no leaks as of yet. No wind damage or tree limb damage yet either and it has had a few limbs come down on it. I think it was about 5 years ago we did it, but it may be longer than that.

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:00 pm

We used that corrugated plastic roofing on my neighbors barn. First warm day it buckled & heaved up skyward! I gotta get a pic of that! :lol:

Here's my lovely collection of roofs ( roooooves? :lol:

) :

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:57 pm

sorry double post-- pc problems

009to090 · By: **009to090** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:24 pm

Dann757 wrote:I just used 15lb tar paper, got that down Friday, then the next morning it was all bubbled up in places and I had to cut a few places to get it to lay flat again.

Dan, Dan, Dan.... theres your first leak 5 or 10 years from now. :nono:

Shoulda just laid the rolls over the bubbles. 15lb felt bubbles up easily with moisture in the air. Better to use 30lb felt.

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:58 pm

Steam, yeah, I know that double selvage stuff. I would have used it, but bear in mind I got into this when all the roofing places were closed for the holiday. Also, it takes more tar and twice as many rolls. They had the Grace Vycor type of underlayment at HD, but that's like $100 a roll. I would feel better with even that. I used a notched trowel to coat the selvage with an even layer of tar, I think that helped.
Amazing that with at least 6 layers the roof still found a way to leak. I guess rain water turns mountains into sand with enough time.
I just used 15lb tar paper, got that down Friday, then the next morning it was all bubbled up in places and I had to cut a few places to get it to lay flat again. I layed out the roll roofing and let it sit for a while in the remaining sun to relax. It will probably buckle itself when It gets hot next year.

I never heard of corrugated roofing in 4x8, you mean galvanized steel?

Smitty holy *censored* you gotta have a roofing party! You could serve Absynthe and use green roll roofing. You could say you went green.
I slept again today, WTF I'm too old to do consistent labor anymore?

Haven't heard from the landlady, talk about no good deed goes unpunished...

chris, they were out of 30lb, had to get er done. If it was my place, I would put prefab trusses all the way up and be done with it.

steamup · By: **steamup** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:25 pm

Don't you hate those "gotta git R done on a holiday" jobs!

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:04 pm

Oooofff .... Absynthe & roofing ...... baaaaaad combo! :lol:

I'd be the first to take a header right into my driveway ...

grizzly2 · By: **grizzly2** On: Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:38 am

Flat roofs! If at all possible I would spring for some lumber and build a roof with at least a 3/12 pitch and put tin over it. If money is tight, then get some used stuff. I frequently use used materials for storrage buildings. Even commercial buildings with flat roofs have ongoing leak problems.

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