Solar Roofing DIY
Feb
17
You began by framingthe rough floor, then the rough walls, and then the rough roof. Now you reverse the procedure, completely finishing the roof, then the walls. The finish floor will come last; you may even have been living in the house for some time when it is done.
The reason is obvious: The sooner you can get a waterproof top on the house, the better. After that, it’s nice to have waterproof sides. A beautiful parquet floor, however, will not look so nice after the Sheetrockers have ground plaster dust into it, so you’ll build that only after everything else is done.
PROBLEM AREAS
Roofing is not very difficult, except where two surfaces come together at an angle, at peaks (ridges) or valleys. Even peaks aren’t much of a problem, but valleys are, which is why a shed roof, which has none, is easier to do. You can build a roof that doesn’t leak a drop, even if it has several peaks and valleys.
Holes in the roof are also problems. If you have taken our advice, your roof should have only one hole: where the chimney comes through. You can wait until the stonemason is through to shingle the roof, but a better arrangement is to leave a foot or so unfinished around the chimney hole. He will incorporate “flashing,” probably copper, into your shingling. Then he’ll build a second layer of it, called “cap flashing,” into the masonry. This will overlap the lower layer but not be fastened to it, because the chimney and the house may expand and contract in minutely different ways. If you hired a good stonemason, you won’t have to worry about chimney flashing or leaks around the chimney.
If you have to cut holes in the roof for plumbing vents, buy rubber flashing, which fits very tightly around pipes and spreads out in a mat. You won’t make those holes in the roof now, however, but much later. You may shed a tear or two when you cut through the plywood, tar paper, and shingle in your beautiful leakproof roof. You should have used those tears on the building inspector to persuade him to let those vents come out the side walls instead.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
The basic principle of constructing a roof that will shed rain has been the same since the first houses were built in Asia Minor thousands of years ago. Perhaps some ancient man looked at a duck’s back and got the idea from that. All roofing, except for some high-tech materials only professionals use, is based on the simple principle of overlapping layers. The layers are made of the most waterproof material available: straw, baked clay tile, split wooden shingles, large flat sheets of metal, or modern asphalt shingles. Whatever the material, the job always begins at the bottom, and each successive row overlaps the one below it.
Most people consider various materials and wind up with asphalt shingles. They are easy to use, cheap, fairly good-looking, and most important, fireproof. You will probably start by thinking how lovely old- fashioned wood shingles would look. Then you’ll price them, then find out how much harder they are to install, then learn about the increase in your insurance rates involved. At this point, asphalt shingles will have become extremely beautiful.
UNDERLAYMENT
An underlayment is necessary. It will probably be what everyone calls “tar paper,” even though the manufacturer says it’s “asphalt-impregnated felt building paper.” The first item to go on, before the tar paper, is a long, narrow metal dripedge, or drip strip, which is nailed to the lower edge of the roof. It is applied with galvanized roofing nails according to the directions that came with it. Next comes the lowest course of tar paper.
Tar paper is applied to protect the roof decking until the shingles can be put on, to add another layer of protection from water, and to keep asphalt shingles from coming in contact with resinous places in the decking. It comes in three-foot rolls sold by weight. Fifteen-pound is common and is sufficient. It should not be confused with roll roofing, which is a cheaper form of asphalt shingling material in a roll weighing sixty-five pounds or more. This is satisfactory for sheds but will not last long enough to be used on a house. Good asphalt shingles are guaranteed for periods ranging up to fifty years.
Any roofing should be applied only when the surface beneath it is completely dry and the air temperature is not above 75 degrees nor below 50 degrees. If the sun shines directly on the roof, you may have to wait until a cloudy day.
After the drip strip is on, roll out a sufficient length of tar paper and cut it with tin snips or a linoleum knife. Leave about six inches extra on each end. Fasten it to the roof with heavy staples from a staple gun, every foot or so in all directions. It is irritating material to work with, since it tears and sags, especially in heat. Start stapling in the middle at the top and work toward both ends. This is a two-person job. As much as possible, try to avoid creasing or wrinkling the paper, although a few small wrinkles are inevitable.
Fortunately, this is a job that gets easier as you go along. After the first course is on, doubled if desired as described above, overlap the second course at least two inches and continue up the roof, keeping courses as straight as possible. The material has lines on it to help, but use a tape measure and snap an occasional chalk line. Straightness matters more when the shingles are applied, but it’s harder to put shingles on straight if the tar paper is crooked.
Eventually you reach the top. If you have a shed roof, you don’t need to do anything further; if it is a peaked roof, repeat the process on the other side, again starting at the bottom. When you reach the peak, bring the sheet over and staple it on top of the sheet on the other side, covering the peak. Be sure not to crease or crack it.
Sooner or later you come to the end of a roll. Start another, using a four- to six-inch overlap. Try to plan so you’ll have as few of these as possible. It is probably better to throw away ten feet or so of material than to have an end overlap.
You haven’t yet cut off the ends where they overhang the sides of the roof. Do it now, then nail drip strip on top of the tar paper on the roof sides. (At the bottom edge of the roof, the drip strip goes on first; at the sides, it goes over the tar paper and under the shingles.)
If one or both roof sides end in a valley or at a vertical house wall, use flashing. The lowest level of flashing, which is done now, is made of tar paper. For a valley, simply carry the end of the sheet across the valley onto the next roof. It will of course go up that roof at an angle. Then, before doing any shingling, tar paper the other roof, carrying the end through the valley and well onto the first roof at an angle. The whole idea is to present an unbroken surface to water at the bottom of the valley and well up the sides. Intersections of roofs and walls are even easier: Just carry the tar paper well up the wall. Don’t worry about how it looks; it will all be covered by exterior siding.
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