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DIY Roofing Problem (0/1)

I have an investment property which needs some TLC inside and out, and the first thing on the agenda is the roof. I am attaching a picture so that you can see what it looks like.

As you can see, this is a hip roof with a lot of valleys and angles. And, to complicate matters even further, there are (roughly 10x10) flat roofs on either end on the back. I am attaching a couple of jpg's of one of these, also. They have leaked since the roofs were new, and there will be joist/rafter repairs to be made.

Here is the project:

  1. Replace the shingles and repair 1x6 roughsawn decking as necessary.
  2. Replace the flat roofs and decking and repair joists, etc. as necessary. I do not want to ever have any more problems with these and am considering a rubber membrane roof material.
  3. Replace soffits and facia and maybe cover soffits and facia with vinyl via a vinyl contractor.

I have had 4 recommended roofers out to look at the house, and none ever even called me back. Seems like they want a quick in and out (shingles only) and do not want to do any real work. So, I am considering undertaking the project myself with the help of my oldest son, who is a plumber and electrician and has done misc. carpentry and improvements, and my nineteen year old son who is out of school for the summer. I figure that, should we encounter a situation that we are not comfortable tackling ourselves, we will call in a specialist for that problem. At the moment, I am thinking about that place on the back where two roof planes come together and then drain onto the flat roof. Rafter/joist work will be necessary there, and, due to the angles, it may be necessary to bring in an expert on hip roof framing.

Here are the problems/questions which I would appreciate some help with:

  1. Order - Considering what must be done, as outlined above, what order should they be done in?

  1. Time - We will be slow. It might take us a week (and, perhaps, longer if we have to wait on experts to come in) to get the roof on. That brings the almost certain problem of rain. What do we do about this? One roofer, who was a Mexican, said that he would recommend the shingles be applied in stages.(???) Or what about tarps, etc?

  2. The flat roofs - I want these fixed, period, and am considering a rubber membrane roof. What do you think?

I would like to replace these with sloped roofs, but, due to the complicated angles involved, this appears not to be an option. Any suggestions here?

  1. Soffits/facia - If I decide to go with vinyl on these, what should I put up in preparation for the vinyl guy to come in and do his thing?

Let me say in advance that I will be very grateful for any and all suggestions. I must get cracking on this project, and so I am starting here.

JFM

Reply to
JFM
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You can't attach pictures to a text only newsgroup posting. We see no pictures at all. put them on some webspace (most email accounts have some) and post the links instead.

Also try a contractor referral website to find the local roofer. These guys will respond or they will loose their privelidge of getting referrals from the web company. Just google "contractor referral" and you will find a buttload of them.

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is also a good way to find contractors who won't blow you off for fear of getting bad referrals and reviews. As a member you could also get retribution for being blown off or ripped off.

Reply to
PipeDown

As general advice, from the questions you are asking, without even seeing this, I would highly recommend getting a pro roofer to do it. There are some jobs where experience is well worth the price. If you do something wrong on this job, to correct it, could mean starting all over.

Reply to
trader4
  1. order is hard to say without being there. there is no right or wrong answer. can you use the flat roofs to stage the other roofs? how is access in general? where are you going to get the shingles delivered--can you get a rooftop delivery, in which case you would need to have a section of roof prepped to deliver the shingles on to. are you getting a dumpster? how much will it cost and where willl you put it? will you need to rent any tools like scaffold or nail guns...all these questions will influence what order to do things in.

  1. i don't know how big your roof is, but it sounds like considerably more than a week for a DIYer. doing it in stages makes sense, especially if you have decking to fix. do you have thunderstorms or high winds? then tarps must be lathed down, and even then you won't rest easy until the roof is done. you could tarpaper it, and lath down the tarpaper, but even then it is risky for more than a few days. a real bomb proof way to dry in a roof is to cover the whole thing with ice and water shield,but this will add to the cost. so really, doing it in sections makes sense.

  2. an EPDM rubber membrane is the way to go on the flat roofs. with rubber, you won't have to worry about slopes.

  1. ask your installer what he wants. at minimum, repair any rotted or damaged subfascia.

Reply to
marson

Just general advice not pertaining to your situation. I've done two "DIY" roofs. One was on a 2400 sf house. Let me tell you, I have a whole new appreciation for roofers. It's hot, tiring work and your knees are in bits when done. I refuse to do another roof and will hire a company the next time one comes up. It's not all that hard, just very physically demanding. Now our slopes were pretty minor but if you have anything steep, you now have the safety factor to deal with. I'd seriously consider calling a few more companies! Cheers, cc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

Sorry, it's been a long time since I posted to a newsgroup. here are the links:

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Thankf for the response.

JFM

Reply to
JFM

Might be a good idea except that we are in a small Georgia town away from any metro areas. Don't think these guys care about Atlanta lists. May be wrong, but I've done some looking and can't find any list appropriate to my area.

JFM

Reply to
JFM

  1. Flat roof and rot repair first.
  2. Stages, sides.
  3. read below
  4. Drip edge all around the roof. Flat portion may require the soffit and fascia to be installed prior to the EPDM. Ask the EPDM guy.

This is a major project. I am 55 and would not take on the entire project as DIY.

The roofer problem is two-fold. The guys that do shingle don't want to mess with the EPDM which is what you should do for the flat part. And the EPDM guys don't like shingles. And both of the groups know that there is most likely a lot damage they can't see by looking at it because that sucker has been leaking for a long time.

If it were my house and project I would approach it like this.

I would get a shingle guy to give me a price for the shingle portion of the roof explaining that I am going to have EPDM installed on the flat portion and extending x feet up the slope. I want shingles applied over the EPDM to the point where the angle meets the flat. Your only responsibility for the flat portion is to not damage the new flat portion during the tear off.

I would get an EPDM guy to give me a price for the flat portion based on my having removed the old flat roof and my replacing all rotted sheathing and the shingles on the sloped area to a height of x feet. On the day he comes to install all he has to do is remove the protective felt which has been tacked into place and go. I suggest full glue down. This means you may have to replace all plywood on the flat portion to provide a suitable substrate

I would carry the EPDM 2-3 feet up the sloped part. The more snow you get the higher I would go.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

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