back onto the roof

[phil]

I had a little time off and took on the last large section of my roof. once this area is done I just have a little over the roof of the entrance and above my bay windows. It looks fiddly but not huge so I might delay completion of that to allow for a holiday.

I sanpped a couple pics. one shows the flashing and part of the fascia board. I have a second piece that will attach so the fascia board becomes about 11 inches.

this last section is a different pitch but it meets in the middle of the roof. I sort of had to fiddle with the shingle overlap since it was about 2" out of square from peak to gutter, also trying to get the spacing to worrk out right was a bit of a challenge, so that when I got to that halfway part where the roofs become one the shingles line up.

I reduced the overlay a bit as it got to the point where the pitch changes and that bulked up the shingles a bit and eased the transition in slope and got the shingles in line well enough that it isn't' too noticeable. It's hard to see that from the ground anyway.

lowes stopped carrying the shingles I'm using so I had to hunt a bit for more to complete it.
I added a vent that enters the space in my attic. I used the one I had intended for the hood fan vent , thinking I might add a fan in there with a temperature controlled switch so it evacuates when its' over 100 degrees or so in that attic space.

Im up around the chinmney flashing now. I thought of making a little cricket to go behind the chimney. I think what I can do is just finish the roofing as it was and then make that cricket and cover it from plywood, so it'll basically just sit on top of the finished roofing with a couple nails to hold it in place and it'll shed any snow that wants to collect up behind the chimney.
I want to add a post to the peak, near the gable end to hold a radio antenna so I'm trying to figure out how I should make bracketry for that to attach securely.

my gutters are ok but I'd like to pull them all down and replace the baords they attach to but that isnt' really tied into the roof. they used 1" stock and I could trim each fafter tail and then use 2x6. It's ok for now. the gutters are all white so I'd like to paint them to match the house. gutters shouldn't be a "feature" so Id rather they blend in more.

I added a 2 inch drip flashing, its grey to blend with the roofing but it could be painted the color of the trim.
in one pic I just used a scrap to protect the roofing from my ladder temporarily.

there is a flashing that I installed above each gutter. Its under the roofing so you cant' see it but that helps the water get from the roof to the gutter and sort of supports the roofing over the gutter.
you can see the membrane I installed before the roofing. I like the stuff, it takes the weather and it is a bit grippy so it helps stuff not slide off and provides a little tread so it isnt' too slippery. It's installed with a lot of plastic cap nails.

I still have some stray roof brackets to remove, they sure do help. when I started using them i used the nails they specify but later decided if I dont rely on them too much for safety then I dont need 4" spiral ardox nails, they split the old lumber. Its nice to be able to step on them or to use them to prevent material sliding off the roof as I go or to step onto for a rest from standing on the slope.

I used my rope and harness all the way though except for the ladder work. I dont like working near the low edges so I did the forst 4 rows from a ladder and that was slower but I felt more safe. I'll leave the hook permanently installed. it can poke through and get sealed in there.

what a job this has been, so many hours, and it's always too hot or too rainy and towards the end I did have leaks and quite a time controlling the water with tarps.

for the ridge cap , you can get special thick ridge cap shingles. or you can cut 3 tab shingles and use those. there was a suggestion to double them up and leave about 1/2" or so space between each pair. I did that but I cant' finish until I get to the peak on this side.

at the end of each run of shingles, it is suggested to use roofing cement to gleue the shingles down so they cant' be caught or lifted by wind etc. since the slope is almost 45 degrees I think they will stay down anyway. on the first half I didn't glue them, on this side of the roof I glued every one anyway. its a bit of extra time.

I found the roofing sealant is a lot cheaper if you get the big tubes. i had one tube that worked right but what happens is when they fill the tubes , they trap air in wiht the sealant, then when I go to stop using it even though I release the pressure, they want o spew stuff for about 15 minutes. its because the tube still has air in it and it compresses and keeps pushing the stuff out. Its hard not to get that "ooze out" on the new roofing.

Its nearing completion but wow this has been such a challenge. It took time to get very comfortable walking around with materials on the slope. the granules get slippery so I occasionally use a blower to clear them, since I have my compressor line up there anyway.

[Manalto]

Glad to hear the project is wrapping up; roofing is tough work! Be especially careful in the home stretch.

[phil]

some of the stuff on the front is small and more fiddley and cosmetic. the shingles on the house in that area are pretty bad. I dont know if I should fix that first or just go for it and finish up the roof then use drop sheets when I get to the siding and paint repairs.
the issue I foresee is I might be up there for a while fixing up the siding and painting and wreck up the new roof doing so. maybe I could clamp some plywood down later to protect it or something. the front portions are quite visible but not large. i bought more shingles than I need after I found I had to run around looking for the same type. maybe it isnt' a bad idea to put a couple bundles in the attic so in 10 years if I need repairs Im not looking for unobtanium. My theory is that the makers change things periodically so people dont do patch jobs.

I wondered if I should do zinc strips to prevent moss. the shingles advertise that they have moss prevention chemicals - good for 10 years. I thinkit's probably wise for people with 10 year old roofs to add the zinc strips but maybe not add them right away. I read that the zinc gets oxidized and stops working in about 4-5 years or so anyway. I dont see many people using it these days, used to be more common I think. they sort of detract from appearance but moss reduces the longevity.
the idea of roofing over a second or third time used to be more common, maybe with the profile of the architectural shingles that becomes difficult as they are already lumpy, maybe that's an advantage of the 3 tab type, they are smoother. These are intended to look like wood shingles in a fake sort of way. this type is about 1/3 more expensive than the 3 tabs.