Leak? Check the Roof Vent Flanges

First, I'm not a roofer.

There are many usual suspects when it comes to roof leaks. I'd say the most common that I see are either a lack of roof flashing, or a faulty vent flange as was the case for this repair.

One of my clients was noticing a water spot on the drywall above the vanity in their half bath. Stepping outside, it was easy to see that it was in the vicinity of a 4" pipe that vents the plumbing system through the roof.

Once I got up on the roof to get a closer look it was obvious that the old rubber flange had deteriorated and had large cracks that was letting water get into the house with little trouble.

Time for a new flange.

The key to this is to be careful- not only to make sure you don't fall off the roof, but to carefully loosen and lift the shingles surrounding the old roof flange so you can lift it off of the pipe, install the new one and then nail the shingles back down. The top side of the flange goes under the shingles above the pipe. I can usually do this without damaging the shingles and all is well. However, if you break a shingle, you may need to replace that as well.

I like to seal around the new flange with some good roofing cement, especially the two exposed nails at the bottom of the flange. You can see that this one fits more snugly around the pipe and will keep the water out.

-Peter

Roofing the New Porch With a Closed-Cut Valley

The rain held off today and I was able to finish the porch roof on my latest project (see this post). There wasn't a lot of area to cover, but there was a valley on either side of the porch that would need special attention.

Because of the additional amount of water that valleys get they are more susceptible to leaks. Debris or snow can pile up there as well and slow down the water flow off of the roof. For these reasons we have to make sure that the valleys have extra protection.

For my project, I started by putting a strip of metal flashing along the valley right on top of the sheathing. This will also give additional support if someone happens to be on the roof and steps in the valley. We don't want anything to pucture the layers of water protection there.

Next, I installed a layer of 36" wide roll roofing along with some roofing cement to seal it down good. The idea is to make a wide area around the valley that will keep the water from getting to the sheathing.

After the roll roofing, I put 15 pound roofing paper on the entire area as usual and started laying shingles with the porch side (to the left in the photo). I started at the gable end and continued with shingles until I was well past the valley, making sure to not nail in the valley and penetrate my flashing below.

As you can see in the picture, after the porch side is done, I did the house side and overlapped the valley again. The only difference here is that I won't put any nails past the valley. Instead, once the shingles are all down, I'll make a chalk line straight down the valley and then cut the top layer of shingles along this line. I believe that this technique is called a closed-cut valley.

Note: Cutting shingles on a valley or even along the rim of the roof is easier with a roofing blade for your utility knife. This is a razor-sharpe blade just like the others except that it's in the shape of a small hook. Very handy when cutting shingles from their face side.

Whatever you call it, when I was finished it matched the upper gables and the rest of the roof. That's a good thing when you're just renovating a portion of the house.

Trim is next!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tool Review- Porter Cable Roofing Nailer

Every time I'm doing some type of roof repair, I think about how grateful I am for my roofing gun. Of course, nearly any gun would be better than hammering, but I think I made a good choice with the Porter Cable RN175A.

One of the best things about having a roofing nailer is that you can put nails in with just one hand. Your other hand is free to hold the shingle, or the ladder. This could make some very precarious positions a lot safer.

I don't do large scale roofing, mainly smaller repairs, etc. Today, for example, I was installing roofing on a porch I rebuilt because the old one was sagging so much. (See these posts: day1, day2) Having the nailer made the job go so much faster!

As far as features, the Porter Cable seems to compete very well with the other top brands. I haven't had problems with misfiring or nails not going in far enough. This happens once in a while, probably because I've hit another nail below, but it's definitely not a widespread problem.

It does seem to spit out the last nail every time, so you'll waste one nail per coil. And it doesn't have a lockout feature to keep you from firing blanks. (Something that should be a standard feature on any gun.)

One cool feature is that you can change from bump fire to single fire. With bump fire the gun shoots when you depress the tip with the trigger pulled. This is great when you're laying lots of shingles and you get in a groove. Single fire will shoot one nail each time you pull the trigger with the nose depressed. This is better when you need to be more accurate or working in tight quarters.

It feels very solidly built, too. Parts of it are plastic, but overall it doesn't feel cheap. It gets a lot of wear laying on the roof and it seems to take it well.

As far as price, this gun was $50-75 cheaper than other top brands like the Millwaukee or Bostich ones. I bought mine refurbished and saved even more. Today was my third major roofing job using it, and it also comes in handy for securing cementboard underlayment for tile floors. For the type of work I do, this gun is a great fit.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Get a Ladder Stabilizer Before Climbing

I thought I'd highlight a tool that is super-helpful when I'm working from my ladder in any precarious positions- a ladder stabilizer.

The stabilizer is just a horizontal cross piece that attaches to the top of my extension ladder using brackets and wing bolts. It's fairly easy to take on or off.

There are couple huge benefits to using one of these. First, of course, is that it 'stabilizes' the ladder making it less likely to move on you. It really does help the ladder feel more solid and increases my confidence so I can work faster from it.

Secondly, it allows the weight of the ladder to rest on the shingles where the stabilizer is, rather than on the gutters, where leaning the ladder on the gutter might damage them.

Finally, I'd say that with the stabilizer I can reach a wider area around the ladder, meaning I have to move it less. This was certainly true at my recent roof repair (see this post) where I was working along an eave from the ladder. I can be more certain that the ladder won't spin on me if I'm leaning more to one side to get a nail out or paint some trim.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Install a Chimney Cap

One common repair that is found by home inspectors is the lack of a chimney cap. A chimney cap is basically a little roof for your chimney. Not only does it keep rain away, but the screen keeps birds and other animals from making their homes in your chimney.

As long as your clay flue extends a few inches above the chimney, you can probably find a chimney cap at a home store and put it on in a snap using set screws that hold it to the top of the flue. However, at our project this week, the flue ended flush with the chimney crown and the cap couldn't be attached in the standard way.

I talked to the gentleman who was here to install a new damper and he said that the cheapest way to handle this would be to make a small bed of mortar and then set the cap into it.

That's just what I did.

I mixed up a small batch of Mason's Mix and made a small bed of it around the edge of the flue, being careful to keep it from falling into the flue. I sloped the mortar away from the cap so the water would run away from the cap and onto the roof below.

With the mortar in place I just set the chimney cap down into it. A little more smoothing with my trowel and this job was finished.

I hope no birds were inside... :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Replacing Some Sheathing for a Roof Repair

Limbs can be trouble for your roof if they get too close. That seems to be what happened at today's project where there were lots of unruly tree branches covered with angry vines rubbing against a client's roof. Over time, the moisture has rotted the bottom few inches of the sheathing as you can see in the picture.

It's not a complicated repair, except I couldn't even get to the roof without first spending more than an hour trimming trees and pulling out vines. With that finished, I could get my ladder in there and proceed.

I started by removing the bottom two rows of shingles across the entire eave. A small pry bar, or flat bar, is great for getting those roofing nails or staples out carefully without damaging the above courses of shingles. If you're attempting a roof repair, make sure you get all the fasteners out that are holding the shingles or they will be in your way later when you try to slide the new shingles up underneath to make the patch.

With the decking exposed I used my circular saw to remove the lower 8 inches or so. I replaced it with enough sheathing to extend around an inch over the eave. That will further help prevent any future water issues in case the trees and vines grow back...

I added new 15 pound roof paper and then three courses of shingles. I had an extra row because I extended the sheathing a little bit and two rows wouldn't cut it. The picture below shows the layers in process.

Again, the roofing nailer came in super-handy to let me nail these down while holding on to my ladder with the other hand. Yes, mom, I was being careful.. :).

It turned out well. I just wish it didn't have to be so hot when I do roofing repairs.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Common Home Inspection Repairs- Downspouts

In my experience, I'd say that the most common problems that come up in home inspections relate to water entry, whether from a leaky roof, or through the foundation. One of the culprits, downspouts, are notorious for giving homeowners problems, yet they are so easy to fix!

Here's the problem: downspouts dump the water next to the foundation- over time the foundation sinks or is weakened- water gets through the foundation causing rot or mold.

Whew! What to do...

Here's the easy solution: extend your downspouts to get the water away from the house. At today's project, all of the home's downspouts were dumping water right next to the foundation. What's more, there is a driveway along one side of the house so the water tends to pool next to the house.

My job was to extend the downspouts to correct the problem. For most of them, I could just attach some black drainage tubing to get the water away from the house.

For the ones by the driveway I couldn't go across the driveway, of course. Instead, I had to link the downspouts together and take the water along the house and downhill to the backyard where it would keep the grass green and solve the water issue. The homeowner said "How ugly!", but hey, it's protecting your home and keeping the buyers happy :).

Most of the time the fix is even simpler, using simple downspout extensions like I used in this article.

Bottom line: protect your home and make a home inspector happy: get the water away from your house!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

New Barn Roof in a Day

I'm not a roofer.

With that said, I put a new roof on a barn for one of my clients this week. Since I normally work alone, I don't normally do more than simple roof repairs. However, this one did not require a tear off and would be quite basic, so I caved and said I would do it :).

Every time I do even a small roofing job, I promise myself that I'll get a roofing gun. For this job I finally got one. As with my other nail guns, it has revolutionized my work. We installed nearly 15 squares of shingles in one day.

Along with better tools, we were also using architectural shingles which tend to go down quite a bit easier than the standard 3-tab shingles.

The barn is ready for rain with a roof that should be good for 30+ years.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Asphalt Roll Roofing for Your Flat Roof

It took all day and several trips to Home Depot, but I finished my flat roof project today. Melinda, from Illinois, asked a question about the best ways to approach a flat roof after I advised against using shingles for this purpose in yesterday's post. The answer is usually based on your budget...

This might be a good time to mention that I'm NOT a roofer. However, I sometimes do roof repairs. I'm hardly an expert on this subject. I found several places online that describe the four main types of flat roofing. The most economical and easy to install is the asphalt roll roofing. Because it was cheap and easy, this was the type of roofing I installed today.

After removing the shingles that had 'doomed this roof to leakiness', I ended up replacing all of the plywood sheathing across the bottom edge. It was all completely rotted and soft. With nearly 4 new sheets of 5/8" sheathing in place, I was ready to clean off the remaining nails and put down 15 lb underlayment. So far, this is the same as a typical shingle roof.

Now, instead of laying shingles, we use asphalt rolled roofing. Each roll covers around 100 square feet, or 1 square (in roofing lingo) and are heavy.

The installation is quite simple. First, I like to unroll a piece and cut it to the right length. Then, I get it in place and nail it along the top edge where the next piece will overlap by around 2-3 inches. The manufacturer suggests that your nails be 9" apart. Once I know it won't move on me, I gently lift up the bottom edge and spread about a 2" line of roofing mastic.

The roofing mastic I was using was Henry's 202. It's actually made for roll roofing so it should do the trick. I spread it with a cheap (disposable) paint brush. Watch out, because this stuff is extra sticky!

That's about it. When you get to the top you want to make sure to get the last roll roofing tucked all the way under the lowest course of shingles. Then nail the shingles like normal to hold the roll roofing there.

They say that this type of roll roofing should last 10 years. Even still, you'll want to keep an eye on any flat roof. They are notorious for good reason.

-Peter

I still say I'm NOT a roofer! :)

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Don't Shingle a Flat Roof

If you have a section of your home that is relatively flat, it needs special care and won't be protected with the usual 3-tab roofing shingles. Today, I was sent to repair a roof with this exact problem.

It is nearly flat and was covered with felt paper and then 2 layers of asphalt shingles. Even through all of these shingles, water was making its way through and beginning to damage the interior.

At this particular house, the shingles had started to form little valleys where water would be trapped. You can see them in the picture below. Instead of running down the roof, water was seeping into the shingles.

The homeowner was hoping to just fix the corner where the leak was happening. I started to peel off layers of shingles in this area and found lots of moisture beneath. The plywood sheathing was completely saturated with water, with the worst areas completely rotted.

After some discussion we decided to go ahead and re-roof the entire flat part which is over an addition of this East Nashville house. Without re-roofing, these problems are likely to continue to plague this section of the house.

Read about the exciting finish to this project here.

Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Save Your Home with Gutter Extensions

No, that title isn't melodramatic. I'm serious!

I've seen hundreds of homes where gutter problems over the span of a few decades have practically ruined the house. The purpose of gutters is to collect that rainwater and get it away from the house. However, so often the downspouts just deposit the water right next to the foundation.

Having all this water next to the foundation will eventually lead to loads of expensive problems from either the settling of the structure or the moisture getting into hidden areas and causing rot and/or mold issues.

The sad thing is that the fix is super-easy. Just add a gutter extension onto your downspout and get the water away. The one in the picture is expandable and found at most home centers for under ten bucks. It will fit either the large or smaller downspout sizes and comes in brown & white.

When you install them, make sure you attach them with some gutter screws to hold them in place. Otherwise, a big rain is sure to loosen them and eventually, you'll be without your all-important downspouts extensions again.

Even if you have a professional gutter installation or live in a brand new house, you should check to see where the water ends up. Home builders often leave the gutter extensions for you to fool with, although every good home inspector will look for this and comment on how well the water is directed away from the structure.

Think of it as your home's first line of defense against the elements. In my opinion, it's a no-brainer.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

No More Rusty Gutters

Today a homeowner was telling me about her gutters that were completely rusted through. It was a beautiful day so I thought I would tackle the job for her. After I got the gutters down I took a picture of one of the holes (You can see grass through that hole!):

Gutters are one of your home's main lines of defense against water entry and damp foundation problems so if you have gutter issues, it makes sense to take care of them before the problems multiply. For this project, I just replaced the ones on the front of the house. The supplies for the project were under $300 for about 45 feet of gutter and two 18 foot downspouts and all the trimmings.

I got finished just before dark so the picture isn't great, but it turned out well. The real test comes with the next rain.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

New Roof For a Sunroom

With the Skylight doomed for removal and the rafter framing finished, (yesterday's post) it was time to head up to the roof to start taking apart the flashing and see how much sheathing needed to be replaced.

The window came off quite easily because, of course, it was rotted anyway. The weather was cold and potentially rainy, so I worked in small sections that could be covered if needed. After covering the window opening with 1/2" plywood I started tearing off shingles on the half of the sunroom that seemed spongy.

After removing the shingles it was clear that I needed to replace more sheathing. I used every bit of the 4x8 sheet that I had on hand. I took off the rest of the shingles with my handy roofing shovel (an unusual tool that you won't use much, but will be glad to have when tearing off shingles) and put down 15 pound underlayment or tar paper.

To match the rest of the house I used 25 year 3 tab shingles. They went on smoothly, though I was getting chilled to the bone on the roof in the cold weather we were having.

With the roof finished it will be time to head inside and replace the ceiling drywall and patch things up right. I'm so glad that I got the roof finished yesterday because today had a wind chill of 28 degrees with hail and sleet! Great weather for cleaning up shingles from the backyard, right? :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com