Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with roofing

Looking for clay tile roof caps

octothorpe — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:51:38 -0800

Flat Roof Filter - We're trying to get our garage roof replaced and are having problems locating a supplier for the clay tile end caps that run around the edge of the roof. Here is a shot of the roof and here is a closeup of one of the edge caps that run around the parapet wall that surrounds the roof. We live in a designated historic neighborhood and by law need to keep the look of the house and garage the same (or go through a long hearing process with the historical review board). The two different roofers that we talked to both wanted to pull off those caps so that they could run the roofing membrane underneath it but can't guarantee that they won't break them pulling them off. Neither contractor knew where you could find these tiles and the one just wanted to put up metal flashing but I'm pretty sure that I'd never get away with that.

The tiles are 24" long and about 9" wide (three brick widths) and have a lip at the end so that they interlock. I've searched around the interwebs and so far have come up with nothing. If I can't find a supplier, how difficult and pricey would custom tiles be to get made?

Rusty Roof, Rusted.

SirStan — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:22:16 -0800

House help! What kind of metal; and how do I stop it from rusting? The porches on my home have a metal roof that is rusting. Can you please help me identify:

1. What kind of metal these are.
2. What course of action should I take to un-rusty them.

The paint store dude said I needed to sand it down, and prep it and then paint it.

The home inspector said there was some stuff you could paint over it and it would take care of the rust, and keep it awesome.

The very special guy at the hardware tried to sell me cans of rustoleum.

Photo of roofing in question:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirstan/3781685731/

Recommend a roofer

chrisroberts — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:11:59 -0800

I need a new roof. Can you recommend a roofer? I'm in the market for a new roof before the rains get here. Can you recommend a roofer? So far, I have only gotten one quote that seemed extremely overpriced. I have a call into the roofer that did our old house, but we may be too far away now. So, do you have any recommendations or warnings for roofers in the area?

Location: NE of Salem, Oregon

The House is a-Rockin'

Tube — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:09:41 -0800

Why are there big rocks on this roof? Though the paint on the building appears to be new, the strange roof texture has been there for years. The pitch of the roof is low, so I can't see what kind of material is under the rocks. I don't see any obvious asphalt or wood shingles, corrugated metal, fiberglass, or tiles.

A great deal of moss has accumulated between the stones. I assume this is unintentional, but I don't know for sure. I've driven by this building for years, and the roof has always been like this.

I wonder if tar paper was put down, then never finished with shingles. Perhaps the rocks were to prevent the tar paper from blowing away. Yet there seems to be an awful lot of rather large rocks; more than enough to simply hold tar paper down, I would think.

For what it's worth, this is a commercial building, not a residence.

This is the only roof like this I've ever seen. Is it simply an unusual style? Do the rocks serve a function I'm unfamiliar with?

Hiring a roofing contractor, prefer to avoid disaster

HotToddy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:01:02 -0800

Best practices for hiring a roofing contractor, please. Like, do I care what brand of shingles he uses if I'm only planning to be here for a couple more years? How do I ensure my landscaping isn't destroyed? What sorts of things should be covered in the contract? Any and all advice, cautionary tales, etc., welcome!

Help my pups poop in the clouds!

iknowizbirfmark — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:30:15 -0800

I want to build a dog run on a flat (well, 1% or so) modified bitumen (I think) roof. What materials should I use? (The roof has high parapets, and there will be an enclosure around the run, so don't worry about dog or person safety.)

I definitely want to keep moisture away from the roof as much as possible and allow for air to circulate under the plywood/cedar chips. What materials should I use, and in what order? I want the top to be wood chips, probably cedar. What should I put immediately under the cedar? And what should be the base of the whole structure?

I was thinking, from the roof up, some sort of moisture-sealing sheet, then frame of pressure-treated 2x4s, another moisture barrier, then plywood base resting on that (the plywood will be about 2 inches off the surface of the roof), then landscaping fabric, then cedar chips. I feel like the plywood and 2X4s will rot pretty fast, though. Should I try to use something synthetic instead?

I have also thought about using some sort of patio-type bricks, but I don't want to use any heavy material, and I'm having trouble finding non-stone patio materials. Something like this might be useful as a base, although I want the top surface of the run to be wood or cedar chips.

I've googled extensively, but none of the links address dog runs AND modified bitumen roofs.

How to do a reroof over an existing roof?

toucano — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:41:37 -0800

Reroofing: Should 15# felt used when doing a roofover on an existing asphalt/mineral 3-tab roof? The existing roof is is fair condition, so a tearoff isn't absolutely required. I don't find much on the internet that tells much about roofover details. One site made it sound like felt was not required and that the new courses should line-up with the old course below. I can see how that would simplify the process and help to keep horizontal lines nice and even. But is that correct?

Any advice appreciated. TIA.

How green is my roof?

gingerbeer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:58:11 -0800

What are the best options for replacing our asphalt shingle roof with something equally long-lasting but greener? We need to put a new roof on our house. The default option is asphalt shingles (replacing the current ones with new ones). I'd love to have something slightly greener or less petroleum based if possible. The roofing company is willing to install other roof types if we choose what we want.

Standing seam metal roofing (my preference) has already been vetoed as too expensive. So we're looking for something greener than asphalt shingles, less expensive than standing seam, and no heavier than asphalt (no tiles or slate). Longevity is also an important criteria for us - a 30-year or better guarantee.

This is for an Edwardian era building in San Francisco, CA (i.e. no snow or ice, lots of wind and rain) with a standard peaked roof. Most houses in the neighborhood have some variety of asphalt shingles. We're interested in potentially putting solar panels on at some point in the future, but probably can't afford both a new roof and solar panels, and the new roof comes first.

So, what are my options? In particular, if you have installed something other than asphalt shingles, what did you use and why? Are you happy with it? How did the cost compare to asphalt? Has anyone out there used the recycled rubber shingles?

Metal roofing on a shed...sheet and ridge cap installation?

Kickstart70 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:36:29 -0800

I'm nearly the end of my first major building project...an 8'x8' shed with a foot overhang on all sides. I've just put up the trusses (purchased them, with a 4 in 12 pitch) and put 3/8" plywood on top. A neighbour gave me a whole bunch of metal sheet roofing in 12' lengths that I will cut down to length. My question is...he didn't give me a ridge cap and I have no idea what to buy or how to install that. Advice please? FWIW, I'm not 100 clear on the metal sheet installation either, so help there is appreciated too. Please keep in mind that this is just a shed and I don't expect anything even close to perfection! Thanks!

Topcoat roofing product

striker — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:10:32 -0800

Any roofers out there? Local contractor is recommending a gaf Topcoat product that I'm having difficulty evaluating. We're in a small 48 unit condo complex with a standing seam metal roof. We're having leaks on the edges of the roof where it meets painted cinderblock or painted wood siding firewall at a 90 degree. We've had a contractor suggest GAF TopCoat or something similar over the seam and a foot over on the roof and a foot up the firewall. I'm having difficulty determining if this is a good option. Google returns very little other than some of the product details.

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in and stops my mind from wandering...

anastasiav — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:10:25 -0800

Its midnight on Friday. My roof is leaking. Its supposed to rain all weekend. My house is 3 1/2 stories and the leaky part of the (gabled, Queen Anne-style) roof is not easily or safely accessible to without special equipment that I don't have. Assuming that I'm not going to be able to get anyone to fix this before Monday at the earliest, is there anything I can do to to at least mitigate the damage? Right now the roof is leaking is leaking into an inaccessible crawlspace above the front bedroom. I don't have a ladder tall enough to see what is really going on in the crawlspace (I can just barely poke my head up into the space on the indoor ladder we have and the "floor" isn't solid enough to walk or crawl on), but there is a spreading water stain and damp spot on the (drywall) ceiling of the room - the stain is damp and spreading but its not dripping (yet).

Ideally I'd like to throw a tarp over the leaky spot in the roof once it becomes light, but since I've had a string of professional roofers turn down my reroofing job because the pitch of my roof is too steep, I'm thinking its not safe for us to go up there (even if we had a 30 foot plus ladder, which we don't).

Can anyone think of any other options? Or should I resign myself to watching the bedroom ceiling slowly cave in over the weekend? (I'm having trouble getting roofers to even come give me estimates on my $10+ roofing repair - I feel like I have no hope of anyone coming over the weekend.)

New Roof

weapons-grade pandemonium — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:03:54 -0800

What new material would you use to replace an old cedar shingle roof? The pitch is moderate to slight (about 4/12), winter snow load is average, fire hazard is extreme, so I will be looking for a new material. Metal, perhaps. It must be strong enough to walk on occasionally, and resistant to raccoons, squirrels, and woodpeckers that want to nest in my attic. Anyone have experience installing a sheet metal roof on top of existing shingles, or is this not a good idea? What materials have worked well for you?

previous owner's insurance pays for damage?

Salvatorparadise — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:23:48 -0800

I bought my house nov. 1 (in Ohio), hail storm did some damage in October...roof company sends me a letter that says previous owner's insurance will pay for this....bogus or for real? Ok, again, hail storm back in early october, pimpled the siding on one side of the house, knicked up the somewhat older roof and it'll need to be replaced. Homeowner then didn't want to fix stuff, he had to move quick and get the deal done, and so he gave me some cash that would cover at least some of the roof. I buy the house Nov. 1. So i get this letter today from a roofing company that says for 6 months after the damage is done the previous owner's insurer is still on the hook to pay for roof, siding etc. That seems bogus to me! I just don't see how they can bill the previous owner's insurance, now that I own the place, w/o the previous owner signing off on it and paying a deductible etc. It looks like this roofer is just trying to get me on the hook for the repairs. I am in Ohio by the way.

Anyone know anything about this?

Someone To Roof Over Me

kc0dxh — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:01:51 -0800

Who would you recommend to redo my roof? I'm in Des Moines, IA. Price matters. Any other advise about roofing is gladly and thankfully accepted.

Fixing a hole to stop my mind from wondering

zaebiz — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:20:01 -0800

Had lots of rain here lately and the tin roof in my old house has sprung a couple of small leaks. I'm not sure what the cause is. Can I fix this myself or is a not-very-handy-man like myself asking for trouble? The house is about 90 years old but the leak is in an extension that was built in the 70s. The roof is tin and the extended part of the roof appears to meet the old roof without drainage.

Here is a picture of the roof and approximate location of leak, and a picture of the ceiling where the leaks are happening.
http://static.flickr.com/69/224885149_1f9f7dde6c.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/67/224885150_084f146234.jpg

There is an attic but it ends just before the extension (and hence the flat part of the roof) so it's not really relevant.

Please share your roofing advice.

Frank Grimes — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 18:15:56 -0800

Questions and advice about replacing a roof. I have a couple of estimates for replacing my house's roof. There are currently two layers of shingles, which will be ripped off down to the decking and replaced with new shingles. Here are my questions:

1) 15# felt paper vs. 30# paper. Is 30# paper worth the extra expense? What benefits does the 30# offer?

2) 20 yr. shingles vs. 25 yr. shingles. Again, worth the extra cost? Is the year difference a warranty thing or is the 25 yr. shingle a better product.

3) Ventilation: I have soffit vents and vents on each end of the attic wall. There is an attic fan that does not work and some of the contractors suggested replacing it with a ridgeline vent. Will this provide adequate ventilation?

Need help with Seattle roofing codes/permits/etc.

markblasco — Sun, 07 May 2006 13:29:46 -0800

Help me with re-roofing my Seattle Garage - permits, codes, etc. I am going to be selling my house (In Seattle) in about 2 months. The detatched garage has to have the roof replaced. It is an old cedar shingle roof, and it already has 2 layers, so I know those will have to come off and we will have to put down a new backing and new shingles. Do I need to get a permit for this? Where can I find info on the building codes, so i can make sure that it is done right? I will have people to help me, and one of them has done some roofing, but I need to make sure everything is done correctly so that there aren't any problems when it is time to sell the house.

Options for flat roof (and recomended roofers in Toronto)

winston — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 18:57:51 -0800

HomeownerFilter: Need a new (flat) roof. Questions for homeowners in general and Torontonians. So here's the scoop: flat roof, row house, needs redoing, some tricky bits. First estimate was $6000 (or $1500 to patch it up with no guaranty). I want to get more estimates but, sheesh, there's a lot of roofing companies out there (and whoever did this one last time made a mess of it, so I'm a bit gunshy). Can anyone recommend a roofer (experienced in flat roofs) in Toronto?

Secondly, while we're spending an arm and a leg anyway, is there anything more interesting/useful we could be doing with it for about the same amount of dough? (A rooftop deck/patio? A green roof? Something I don't even know about? What do these cost relative to a plain roof? Can I put them on a row house?) Anyone got a magic formula for determining if the roofer is qualified?

Blackened Skylight

Danf — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 13:01:38 -0800

How do I get dried roofing tar off a polycarbonate skylight? I hate the thought of having to buy a new skylight but so far I have not found anything to get this tar off of it.

New Roof

languagehat — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 07:34:25 -0800

RoofingFilter: One reason we got our new house cheap is that the roof needs to be replaced (and the ventilation improved); unfortunately our inspector, who used to be a roofer and had good suggestions, didn't have any names to recommend and could only suggest we get as many bids as possible. Since I had good luck with my query about movers (and thanks, NorthCoastCafe, for recommending City Moves, who were great!), I'm rolling the dice again: anyone know a good roofer in Pittsfield (or the northern Berkshires)?

DIY Roofing

damnitkage — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 03:26:33 -0800

Roofing filter day

My wife has decided that we need a new roof and that we're going to do it ourselves. I'm not opposed to this, well, okay I am, but stilll....

How do we price this out for ourselves? Any denizens or askmefi have any experience in this? We have asphalt shingles now and will stick with same.

My wife says thanks in advance.