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The joys of home ownership..

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mikephillips

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My house is pushing 50 years old and needed to have the roof replaced this summer. With two layers on it I knew that it would all need to be stripped back to the sheathing to be done right. When they started yesterday it was discovered that the builder in the 1960s "skimped" on the materials when it was built. No felt underneath the original shingles and the plywood used was 3/8 inch. In the end the years and weight had caused much of the plywood to delaminate. No rot, but none of it was reusable. But I have to say the crew doing the work really went to it and got it stripped back to the rafters, new heavier plywood and shingles on in a day. From just after dawn to dark the 6 guys went. Have to admire the work ethic that there was no standing around. Just wish the bill wasn't as big as it ended up...
 
Hopefully they used chip board on the main section and a 2' rip of ply on all the eves.
 
About 10 years ago (give or take) we suffered some serious roof damage due to a severe T-storm. After the insurance claim setteled, we decided to spend some additional money and have the roof replaced with an interlocking architectural metal shingle roof. It does not look like a metal roof and it cost a few thousand beyond what the insurance was going to pay to just have shingles replaced. Turned out to be a great investment. Unless we get hit by a tornado that roof isn't going anywhere.
 
DNK said:
Hopefully they used chip board on the main section and a 2' rip of ply on all the eves.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's what they did, I used plywood as a sort of generic term for the 4x8 sheets. And along with it got modern ice and water protection, new drip edging to replace, well, nothing previously, and proper attic venting. With a 30 year warranty and being just short of 60 I figure the next time round should be someone else's problem. But oh the cost, could have used a storm taking off some of the old shingles so I could get some insurance help. Where's the wind when you need it....
 
There is a certain satisfaction in knowing you won't have to do it again. I have a 90-year-old Mediterranean house, tile roof, which I replaced about 25 years ago. That's about standard for those roofs (~ 60 years). It's still going strong, and with modern materials, I suspect it's good for maybe another 50 years. I'll be 115 then, if I'm still around, which is highly unlikely.

A couple years ago, I took a break from my TD restoration to rebuild the balcony on the front of the house. I had worked on it shortly after we moved in, maybe 30 years ago, and since then it developed a lot of termite damage and dry rot. This time I painted all the lumber before replacing it and sealed up every joint. I'm optimistic that I'll never do that job again!
 
Mike, don't put too much faith in the 30 year "warranty" as it is not a warranty, just an life estimate. We had 50 year shingles on ours and the last big hail storm took it out. Fortunately insurance covered it. Oh, that hail storm did have baseball-size stones. We do get some of those in Oklahoma.
 
The warranty is on wear...not damage by mom nature.
Many things attribute to the number changing as in trees, shade....
In the NW if you had a 25 yr roof.
You were hoping for 20
 
We had our new house built 4 years ago, we recently had a bad storm with 90 mph winds that took off a few heavy gauge shingles on one dormer, when the roofers came to replace the shingles, they were amazed that we have 3/4 inch plywood on the whole roof. I thought it was 5/8s, but they said no, 3/4! Nice to know. :encouragement: PJ
 
It's 3/4 inch exterior plywood finished on one side, which is facing up. All I know. :rolleyes:

I know the fellas who installed it worked their tails off just getting it up there. The main roof on the 4,000 sq. ft. house is a 12-12 and the same on the 3 car garage. Lotta roof.
 
My Wife decided we needed to redo the kitchen (House was built around '59).
I think I'll take a long vacation until it's finished!
 
My roof decking is 1x6, guess how old my house is.
 
Ours is the same and was built in 1951. Has real 2 X 4's too (and they are straight!).
 
Don, I double checked the measurement and they are just a hair over 1" so they probably are 5/4, they are also tongue and groove.
 
AngliaGT said:
My Wife decided we needed to redo the kitchen (House was built around '59).
I think I'll take a long vacation until it's finished!
Click to expand...

I feel your pain - we are just about to commence the kitchen in the apartment - good news is that a week or so ago we started "research" at Lowes and found quite by coincidence that they had a discontinued brand for 50% OFF - took about 5 stores to get all we needed but I think it is all there and considerably cheaper! Now to actually do it :(
 
Returned from a short trip to Philadelphia to find our a/c fan inoperative on the hottest day of the summer. Repairman showed up (at time and 1/2) and found a dead circuit board. Current in, no current out. He spliced wire together and bypassed the board and now we have a/c again but we have to turn the fan off with the kill switch at the top of the cellar stairs. They'll order the new board but it may not be available since our system is old. The compressor is original to the house which was built in 1950 or so. They built them to last in those days. Today, they build them to fail according to our repairman. BTW, Philly these days is a great place to visit. We rode for nothing on city buses as seniors. Great restaurants too as well as the usual tourist stiff - Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Barnes Museum, Art Museum with "Rocky" steps, etc. A far cry from the 1950s when I was a student there.
 
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