Home Repair Handbook.pdf

Most homeowners don't pay much

attention to their roof until rain or melt-

ing snow starts to leak through it—then

it demands immediate action. But if

you periodically inspect your roof, you

can correct minor problems before

they become serious enough to cause

damage.

Understanding the structure of

your roof (see below) is the first step

toward diagnosing possible problems.

On the facing page, you'll find direc-

tions for inspecting your roof from the

inside and outside. If your inspection in-

dicates that repairs are necessary refer

to pages 31-38.

CAUTION; Tile and slate roofs are

extremely slippery, and the materials

can break easily; metal and plastic

roofs also tend to be slippery. If your

house has one of these out-of-the-

ordinary roofs, it's best to leave inspec-

tion and repairs to a professional roof-

ing contractor.

A roof protects a house from damage

by the elements, especially water.

Roofs are designed to shed water; the

parts comprising a roof combine to di-

rect water off the roof and away from

the house.

Anatomy of a roof

A typical roof (see illustration at right)

begins with a framework of rafters

which supports a roof deck (sometimes

called a subroof) consisting of sheath-

ing and underlayment. The roof deck,

in turn, provides a nailing base for the

roof surface material.

The roof deck. Though the type of roof

deck used can vary depending on the

roof surface material, most decks have

both sheathing and underlayment.

Sheathing, the material that pro-

vides the nailing base for the roof sur-

face material, ranges from solid ply-

wood to fiberboard to open sheathing

(used with wood shakes).

Sandwiched between the sheath-

ing and the surface material is the

underlayment, usually roofing felt. A

heavy, fibrous black paper saturated

with asphalt, roofing felt is thick enough

to resist water penetration from outside,

yet thin enough to allow moisture from

inside the attic to escape.

of which require weatherproofing—

usually provided by the flashing. Made

from malleable metal or plastic, flash-

ing appears as the drip edge along the

eaves and rakes of a roof, the collars

around ventilation and plumbing pipes,

the valleys between two roof planes,

and the "steps" along a chimney or

dormer. Less obvious flashing also pro-

tects other breaks in the roof, such as

around some solar panels and sky-

lights. At the roof edges, metal, wood,

or vinyl gutters catch water runoff and

channel it to the ground via the down-

spouts, which direct water away from

the house and into the soil.

Types of roofing materials

Roofing varies widely in size, shape,

and material. Traditional sloping roofs

are usually covered with overlapping

layers of asphalt shingles, wood shin-

gles or shakes, or tile, though you can

find such roofs covered with slate, alu-

minum, or galvanized steel.

Flat or low-sloping roofs are most

often surfaced with alternating layers of

roofing felt and asphalt, with a layer of

gravel on top. These are known as

built-up, or tar-and-gravel, roofs. Some

flat roofs are covered with insulating

Polyurethane foam.

The roof surface. The material on the

roof must be able to withstand wind,

rain, snow, hail, and sun. A wide variety

of roof surface materials is available—

the different types are discussed at

right and on pages 31-33.

The surface of the roof is often bro-

ken by angles and protrusions, all

It's a good idea to inspect and repair

your roof in autumn, before the hard

weather hits. Then examine the roof

again in spring to assess whatever

damage may have occurred during the

winter. If you discover problems, make

the necessary repairs, following the in-

structions on pages 31-38.

Next, turn off any lights. If you see

any holes above you, drive nails or

poke wire through them so they'll be

visible from the roof's surface. (In a

wood shingle roof, small shafts of light

coming in at an angle indicate cracks

that may swell shut when the shingles

are wet.)

Next, inspect the roof's surface.

Before climbing up on your roof, be

sure to read the safety tips on page 30.

If you're at all nervous about going up

on the roof, make the inspection from a

ladder, using a pair of binoculars. Don't

walk on the roof any more than is abso-

lutely necessary; you can easily cause

more damage.

Inspecting from inside. Begin an in-

spection in the attic, using a strong

flashlight, a thin screwdriver, a knife,

and a piece of chalk to examine the

ridge beam, rafters, and sheathing.

Look for water stains, dark-colored

areas of wet wood, moisture, and soft

spots that may indicate dry rot. Mark

the wet spots with chalk so you can find

them easily later on.

If it's necessary to remove fiber-

glass insulation batts to examine the

sheathing, be sure to wear loose cloth-

ing, gloves, goggles, and a respirator

for protection.

Inspecting from outside. When you

examine the roof from outdoors, evalu-

ate the condition of the roof structure,

surface material, flashings, eaves, and

gutters.

To check the roof structure, stand

back from the house and look at the

lines of the ridge and rafters. The ridge

line should be perfectly horizontal, and

the line of the rafters, which you can

assess by looking along the plane of

each roof section, should be straight. If

either sags, call in a professional

contractor—you may have a structural

problem.

Inspect the flashings for rust spots

and broken seals along the edges. If

you have metal gutters and down-

spouts, look for rust spots and holes.

Then examine the roof surface for

signs of wear, loose or broken nails, or

curled, broken, or missing shingles.

Use a knife and screwdriver to test

the boards along the eaves and rakes.

Scrape out any damage caused by dry

rot, treat with a wood preservative, and

fill the holes with wood putty If the dam-

age is extensive, replace the boards and

finish them to match the existing areas.

Roof leaks usually appear during

storms, when you can't make per-

manent repairs. But you can take some

steps to temporarily divert or halt the

flow of water, as shown below.

Generally leaks begin at a roof's

most vulnerable spots—at flashings,

where shingles are damaged or miss-

ing, in valleys, or at eaves. Often, the

water shows up far from its point of ori-

gin after working its way through layers

of roofing materials and down rafters to

collect in a puddle on the attic or bed-

room floor.

During a storm, trace the course of

water from where it's dripping through

the ceiling to where it's coming through

the roof. Drive a nail or poke wire

through the hole so you can find the

hole later when you get up on the roof.

Once the roof is dry enough,

check it thoroughly looking for weak

spots that indicate a source for the leak.

Keep in mind that the point where a nail

or wire is poking through may be below

the actual source. Make permanent re-

pairs as described on pages 31-33.

Asphalt shingles are composed of mats

made from organic or fiberglass mate-

rial impregnated with asphalt, in which

are embedded colored mineral gran-

ules. Organic-base asphalt shingles,

also called composition shingles, have

a felt mat made from wood and paper

fibers. Fiberglass-base asphalt shin-

gles, commonly called fiberglass shin-

gles, have a fiberglass mat. Asphalt

roofing is also manufactured in the form

of roll roofing (page 33).

lation of granules in the gutters, indi-

cating crumbling shingles.

Check your roof's condition on a

warm day when the shingles are flex-

ible. Remove a tiny piece of the corner

from one or two shingles on each roof

plane; the core of the shingle should be

black. Gently bend several shingles

back to see if they're flexible. If a num-

ber of shingles appear gray and

bloated, if the material crumbles easily

or if you see large bare spots or dam-

aged areas, consider replacing the

roof.

nal roof installation. If you don't have

any leftover shingles, you'll have to buy

new ones—identical in brand, color,

and size, if possible. Fasten the shin-

gles with galvanized roofing nails long

enough to penetrate all roofing layers

(at least 11/2 inches long).

Don't remove a damaged shingle

that's on a ridge or along a hip; instead,

nail each corner in place. Then apply

roofing cement to the bottom of a new

shingle and place it over the defective

one. Nail each corner, then cover the

nail heads with roofing cement.

When you repair asphalt shingles,

do the work on a warm day when the

shingles are more pliable; cold shingles

are brittle and can break easily Also,

have roofing cement at room tempera-

ture so it will spread more easily

Though shapes vary, many as-

phalt shingles are notched at intervals

to form tabs, giving the appearance of

smaller units. They usually last from 15

to 25 years, depending on the climate

and type of mat. Asphalt shingles that

are aging may show bald spots; an-

other clue to aging is a heavy accumu-

Cracked, torn, or curled shingles

can be repaired, as shown below; re-

place any loose or missing nails. If

some of the shingles are badly worn or

damaged, replace them (see below).

Use shingles that remain from the origi-

Wood shingles have a smooth, finished

appearance; wood shakes have a

rough-hewn look. Both are made from

western red cedar. Shingles are sawn

into lengths of 16, 18, or 24 inches.

Shakes, which are thicker than shin-

gles, are split by machine or by hand

into 18 or 24-inch lengths. Both come in

random widths.

Shingles and shakes are laid in

overlapping courses, or rows. Shingles

either have a continuous underlayment

of roofing felt or none at all; shakes

alternate with strips of felt. Both shin-

gles and shakes may be laid directly on

the sheathing or over an earlier roof-

ing surface, such as asphalt shingles.

They are attached with galvanized

roofing nails.

Wood shingles and shakes usually

last between 15 and 25 years, depend-

ing on the roof slope and the climate. If

you suspect wear, inspect the roof for

curled, broken, or split shingles, and for

shingles that have been lifted by wind.

Look also for shingles thinned by

weathering and erosion, especially

around areas where an attic inspection

reveals pinpoints of light (page 29).

Wood shakes show their age when the

wood crumbles easily underfoot or be-

tween your fingers.

The extent of the defects you find

will indicate whether you need to repair

or replace shingles or shakes. If only a

few shingles or shakes are split or wind-

lifted, you can repair them; those that

are badly splintered or curled or that

have begun to crumble should be re-

placed (for instructions, see illustrations

at right). If the damage is extensive,

consider replacing the entire roof.

To remove the nails from a dam-

aged shingle or shake you're re-

placing, either rent a shingle ripper or

use a hacksaw blade. To use the ripper,

slide it under the shingle and around a

nail; then cut the shank of the nail with a

hammer blow (see at right).

Since shingles and shakes are ran-

dom widths, you'll need to trim the new

ones to fit the space, using a roofer's

hatchet or a saw. Leave a V4-inch clear-

ance on each side of every replace-

ment piece to allow for expansion of the

wood.

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