Slate Roof Replacement - is it realy a DIY job ?

Hello everyone, I'm about to embark on my biggest project ever. Replacing the slate roof on the front elevation of my house. Several houses in my street have had the slate roof replaced with a product called "everlast composite tiles". I have put the replacement off for two years but due to some storm damage a couple of months ago I cant put it off for another winter. My question is it really a DIY job? Its a pitched roof in line with everyone else's in my terraced street. Technically is think it is very simple, Day one - pull the old stuff off, ridge tiles then work down the roof removing the slates and latts. Put the felt on replace the latts. Day two - replace the slates. Day three - replace ridge tiles and do the lead flashing stuff. Sounds easy. The scaffolding is up so I'm ready to start next weekend as its a bank holiday, materials on order and as a back up my local builders merchant is open all next weekend till 2:00pm

Have I over committed myself, can I do it ? Should I do it ? Have you ever done it ? if so what are the problems I'm lightly to experaince.

Regards David

Reply to
david shee
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It is really very simple and profitable, go for it. Personally, I would use real slates as I think they look better.

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

I would also put a nice barge board on the gable end.

Reply to
IMM

If your happy at heights on very steep smooth slopes with no foot/hand holds... Though you have scaffolding up I guess if you do slip the last thing you see before a 20'+ drop won't be the gutter.

As you are intending to resue the slates you'll be carrying them (maybe half a dozen at a time) down to the top of scaffold and then climbing back up. No mention of roof ladders you'll need at least one. The reclaimation is slow. What condition are the slates how many are going to fall apart or nail holes to big for reuse?

I think you are pushing getting *all* the battens back on but I guess you ought to aim to be vaguely weather proof by then end of (long) day. Maybe just battens along the joins and middle of each roll to hold it in place.

Might be fun on the join between yours and your neighbours property. What do you do when you start stripping and find all the battens rotten up there and not good enough to take any disturbance...

Don't forget the weather, this week end is good but I'm not so sure next is going to be quite so settled and fine. Once it's felted you can work in the rain I guess but putting felt down in any sort of wind on your own will be fun to down right dangerous.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

On Sun, 23 May 2004 13:20:47 +0100, "IMM" strung together this:

Did you actually read the post?

Reply to
Lurch

me. Does scanning count?

The difficulty is getting the courses to run straight. Take your time with that part. Use a chalk string and measure every course if you can get patient help.

Stripping the roof wiil take a morning -less if you can just sling it down into a skip (via a chute.) You might consider making a couple of short roof ladders to store any good slates you might want to reuse up on the top on the other side of the roof. Out of the way but handy for replacing. It's just a little something that would save you an hour or two carting them down then up. (You rest a half dozen or more on one rung and an upright slate lower down.)

Waterproofing with felt will take another couple of hours. The rolls have a line on them to show where the next layer overlaps to.

Remember the gaps the old battons were set to if you have the same sized tiles going back. Note too that the last courses (up from the gutter have a kick to them.) Watch you step the butting up of the battons as a line of joins will show up afterward as a ridged line in the roof.

Have a cordless drill for those awkward spots where the nails won't go in easily. (Knots in the battons etc.) Once you have the roof closed take your time and take plenty of short breaks to ease the strain on your legs and back. You will make mistakes and you will get peed off but if you put yourself in the right frame of mind you will be choughed out when you get it finished.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck.

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

David, already been up the scaffolding and its rock solid, so no problems there. We have just spendt an hour or so making two sets of roof ladders so thats sorted also. I'm not re using the slates so they can be skipped, though the brother inlaw wants some for his garage roof. So hopefully the time saved trying to save the slates for reuse will allow me to have a watertight (90%) by the end of day one.

Has any>

Reply to
david shee

All, As I see that this site supports web links (URL's) I will post some pictures as I go through the job. Just for a bit of interest.Hey I may even keep a journal starting tomorrow. Sad I know but this is a major step for me. Regards David

Reply to
david shee

===================== A roll of builders' polythene (1000 grade) would be useful in case the weather turns very wet / windy. Fasten where necessary with a good staple gun. It's surprising how durable this can be in an emergency such as a heavy downpour. It will keep the ridge dry overnight and as long as you need it after that.

Cic.

Reply to
Cicero

When does he ever?

Reply to
Dave Plowman

Builders poly held down by the ridge tiles every couple of feet. Make sure the edges aren't too loose or a good wind could get under and lift the lot off...

But you should be putting the felt over the ridge anyway, tricky as you not taking the other side off, maybe just the top row. Hum, snagette, how are you going to do the otherside next year without taking the ridge off again...

Yuck, staple builders poly to the back of the rafters? I guess you could just cover the insulation/floor though. To attempt this without trying to contain the lime would really mess up the roof space. It's bad enough up in ours and thats just bits of slate/felt and pointing...

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

A few things that spring to mind are you going to use slaters felt or one of the newish breathable membranes? Ventilation soffit and ridge vents or the ones that fit in place of the slates? if so how many do you need?

Although the new laths will be treated how about geting some wood preservitive to treat the top of the roof rafters?

When you ordered all the materials did you remember the little things like copper disc rivets , soakers or lead for the use of , a number of till and a halfs very unlikely the lengh of your roof will be exactly a certain number of slates , hidden gutters for the joint with neighbours roofs or are you using the same type of slate as they have , IIRC doesnt there have to be a non combustible join where your roof joins the other houses or was this just for new builds no doubt someone out here will have the correct answer . Things like slate laths not allowed to run through to neighbours roof

Seem to remember that the above was in the spec sheet when we had or roof replaced a while ago and other things re the back of the roof like the lead in the valley could only be a certain lengh any longer and the expansion and then shrinking in the sun would cause fatigue of the lead

For sealing the join temp with the nieghbours leave the ends of your felt long at the join this is what every roofer i have seen does if using secret gutter then this will seal up the gap

but anyway good look and let us know how you are getting on

If you want the weather to stay good go out and buy a big tarp or a roll of poly then you can be damn sure it wont rain the more expens you spend on this item the the more likely it is to stay fine and the tarp unused

Steve

Reply to
steve

In article , IMM writes

Where, on the end of the terrace? yeah that would sense dimwit, you're doing well lately

Reply to
David

Bertie, it was a general comment. This obviously goes over you.

Reply to
IMM

In article , IMM writes

Oh so you would put a barge board at the end of the terrace then? I'm sure the people in the end houses would be very grateful, it wasn't a general comment, it was wrong because you didn't read the post, have you ever been able to admit when you're wrong?

Reply to
David

Bertie I would build a gable to put one on.

Reply to
IMM

In article , IMM writes

That would be an interesting exercise with the roof being mid-terrace, I suppose you could always raise the roof above the others but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper just to admit you got it wrong, c'mon John you can do it, practise in front of a mirror first

Reply to
David

Bertie, you can have a gable in mid-terrace. This may confuse you, but you certainly can.

Reply to
IMM

In article , IMM writes

I know you can John, our first house was just like that but explain why you would do this if there isn't one already?

Reply to
David

Bertie, you have to have style.

Reply to
IMM

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