Yeah, that’s right…… we’re getting ready for demolition!
We love us some dumpster action; we’ve rented the big one 4 times in the past two years. It’s a lovely driveway decoration, don’t you think? Could be closer to the side of the house though… we may have them reposition it before this weekend.
Because, oh joy of joys, we’re planning to tear off the old main roof (which is leaking, and built up on top of the original flat roof) in preparation for a nice new built-up roof. The tear-off will no doubt be a total pain. We tore off some old roofing when we did our kitchen remodel, and the metal layer (which lays next to the wood decking) was rusted to bits and completely annoying to remove. That roof had leaks galore though; hopefully this one will be less destroyed, and will come up in larger pieces. Cross your fingers for us. Also, while you’re at it, cross your toes and hope for a dry weekend – so far it’s not looking so hot! We bought a gigantic tarp for the after-demo, pre-new-roof stage. It’s bright blue, so it’ll pretty much blend in with the paint color ;)
Shingle Dog Roofing has a great photo blow-by-blow that helped me to visualize the tear-off process:
http://www.shingledog.com/tearoff.htm
Additionally, I found some great information on the This Old House Web site:
Roofing and Gutters articles
To see what else I’ve been reading up on, you can check out our del.icio.us links tagged “roofing” here! And if you have any tips on successfully roofing this bad boy, as always, do share! Teague used to work for a roofing company so he’s all set, but I will no doubt be woefully unprepared when I set foot up there. Hence my internet research ;)
* Note: Yup, I’m stealing lyrics from The Parliament – you know – “We want the funk…….”
Comments, Thoughts, and Feedback
Hey Mindy,
SO i redid the flat roof on my old folk victorian 2 years ago, and here’s a few tips i wish someone had told me in the beginning:
1) never pry with a crow bar or even cats paw with your back to the edge of the roof – if it comes up suddenly, you could lose your balance and fall back. Or off.
2) Similarly, no matter how tempting to get close to said prying-thingy, make sure you’re holding it at arm’s length. I have a scar on my cheekbone from this lesson.
3) Rigging a block and tackle and a bucket to the top of the ladder makes life easier when you’re working alone.
4) Even though i’m a girl and the guys are (usually) stronger and everything, this was totally a job i could do. It just takes patience.
5) Bring a radio, cordless phone, end expect to get tar on everything when it comes time to seal the sucker. As in clothes and shoes you never want to wear again. Gloves wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
GOOD LUCK!
Hey guys–congrats on the roof-thingy. It is a great feeling to have a roof (that doesn’t leak) over your head.
It might be too late,but on our Italianate (flat top) our architect suggested a product called Universal Protective Coating–which is a four part system of elastomric polyurethane. We put this on 5 years ago and it still looks in good shape and provides a nice deck to walk on…Maintainence requires a top coat about every ten years (which is like rolling paint). It seems to be a nice product…glad we used it rather than a torch-down.
Good luck in with your roof project…May dry days be with through the project!
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