We are getting a new roof today and are starting be taking off the old roof. But we will be taking off two roofs.
The house has a shaker shingle layered on top of a old wood shingle. This will be on of many challenges we have to face with the roof. The pitch of the roof and the wood slats are another challenge with the removal of the old roof and installation of the new roof.
Wood slats were commonly used in the era when the home was built. The idea behind using the slats was that the wood shingle would be installed on the slats. When it would rain, the shingles would expand and contract which would keep the house dry by preventing water from going into the home. Since the shingles were installed on slats, and the interior/back side of the shingle was open, it would allow the shingle to air dry.
Was is common for a shake shingle to be installed on top of a wood shingle?
Back then you were able to put a new roof on top of a wood shingle. So, it is common to find a shake shingle installed on top of a wood shingle.
We have wood slats on the home, can we install decking on top of them?
Absolutely!
What other challenges are there with this project?
Well, the roof is quite steep. It has a 14 12 pitch, which means it’s approximately 49 degrees. This makes it difficult to stay upright and level to do any work and removal.
The home also has three fireplaces with original flashing around them and we need to replace all of those as well.
Is it common to have a lot of different levels of roof on a project?
Yes, in the 1930s it was quite common. Throughout the years, this is not as commonplace because it presents unique challenges to projects. It makes it difficult to tie into all the various planes.
Tell us about the wood siding?
The wood siding you see is original to the house and has been painted over many times. And since we are installing the new roof, we must change out the wall flashing. This forces us to have to remove not just the wood shingles but also the siding too for proper installation of the flashing along the side walls of the home.
What will replace the shake shingles?
As we put the new decking on the roof, we are installing a synthetic underlayment and a lifetime warranted asphalt shingle. The shingle also comes with a 130 mile per hour wind warranty and a lifetime manufacture warranty.
Is the trim being replaced too?
Yes, we are removing the old gutter system and takin off the old facia. We are replacing all the trim around the house with a with 5 ¼ fiber-cement trim product. It is a pre-finished product that will never need to be painted.
