Timbers look OK to me in that pic.
The thicker layer looks like wet rot but it's on the bit you'll eventually strip?
Depending on how much mould etc there is you might leave it all til spring & in the meantime hit all the mould etc with HG Mould Spray (b&q & others - Google it), that will knock it all back for a while....
They'll dry if just wet...
Doh!!
New house has a brick built workshop with a much neglected flat roof, felt over OSB. The roof is seriously mouldy in places - I can ram my wrecking bar right through it. Pitch is about 1 in 40. The timbers, at least the ones I've checked, have a fair covering of mould in places, but appear otherwise sound.
The rough plan is:
Strip it back to the rafters. Scrape off mould where necessary Treat timbers with something (what?? Bearing in mind I want to share airspace with these timbers later, though I suppose chucking up some plasterboard is alright if I have to). Cover with OSB 3, tarp cover while I wait for non-freezing dry weather, then EDPM.
wood preservative. Not water based junk or creocote. Not creosote either, too stinky
NT
I like the smell of creosote, and Jeyes fluid. SWMBO can't stand either
It isn't clear from your description if you mean mould or rot.
You might want to identify if the mould is anything significant like wet or dry rot or merely a cosmetic surface infection. Good idea to wear a mask when working on it either way the spores of some common damp fungi can cause nasty lung infections if you get heavily exposed.
NTW lichens and mosses on the roofing felt itself do no harm at all.
The right treatment may depend on exactly which fungus it is and whether or not there is also woodworm present. Just getting it properly dry again might be good enough to see off cosmetic surface stuff.
Dilute Jeyes fluid will see of the cosmetic stuff and the smell will eventually go away if you wait long enough.
Equally if it is something nasty you may have to remove some affected wood until you reach sound timber and treat it aggressively. Some of the more effective anti-rot chemicals are not really DIY territory.
Fair point. I'm no expert. I will take some photos and do some more poking at the structure.
If it IS rot, then I will probably strip the whole lot and rebuild it with an increased pitch, which will at least be a fun job. Might even put in a planning application and put a proper roof on it.
But that would ensure she stays out of your man cave :-)
My other suggestion is that roof replacement is a job best done in the summer so you might just want to put some bitumen sealant on the cracks for now to get it through winter without too much more water getting in.
When the wood begins to dry out if there are any serious fungi they will throw up fruiting bodies and you can identify them from that. White fur all looks much of a muchness. I expect the OSB will all be replaced but decent timber can stand a surprising amount of abuse and still be OK.
Yup. I've started stripping it. One bit was sufficiently soft that I didn't dare stand on it - and at another point, Underneath, top half inch of some timbers are soft, but only in a wet sort of way, not decayed. I hope!
#VizTopTip - when lobbing an 8x4 off a roof, remember not to do it on the same side of the roof as you put the ladder.
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