Roof Progress (the continuing story)

This saga has been going on for quite some time but the reality is that I have actually only worked on the place for 14 days. Six of those days involved tear down of the front porch and fire escape and one day was spent forming copper gutters. After rebuilding the structural elements and filling the gaping big hole in the roof, it left about 4 days of actual work on the roof. Here is the progress.

Tar paper on one side of the chimney.



Tar paper on both sides of the chimney.



Faux slate on one side of the chimney.



Faux slate on both sides of the chimney.



A close up peak at the composite shingles.



This stuff is made by Tamko and is called Lamerite. It is a composite material that is warranted for 50 years and comes in assorted shapes and sizes. It is easy to cut and can be applied using a nail gun which makes attaching them so much easier than original slate.

They look good too and from the ground, they look like slate!

The bad news is that I suspect that I will run out of daylight and time before I run out of roof to replace. The good news is that I can apply this and the gutters in sections. The flashing around the windows and chimneys is a bear to do and there are two chimneys and 5 windows total. Currently I am one chimney and one window down. I forsee plenty of roof work in my future!

About Copper Gutters.

I have never done copper gutters before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to line the box gutters with copper. I didn't choose copper because I wanted fancy gutters that no one would see. I chose copper simply because I would be able to solder it 30+ feet off the ground while kneeling on an 18 inch gutter ledge using this soldering iron.



Here is a section of the copper gutter. I had to make these (with the help of a friend) from 10' X 3' sheets of 16 ounce copper that cost $160 a sheet. I have 17 sheets. I hope it is enough.



Well I have some spare copper, so I am using it for various channel drains and flashing. This is a channel that I had to construct that lies in a very narrow gap between the chimney and the window. This channel has been one of my major sources of leaks for the last nine years! This copper should more than do the trick. That yellow stuff is "Great Stuff" expanding foam. I am using it as a filler to reduce the amount of tarring that I have to do.



And here is some chimney flashing that I had to make from scratch. This was another major source of leaks. The original metal flashing had rusted out after 120 years.



While I haven't mastered the art of soldering, I am getting better. The flat parts are quick and easy. The slopes are a pain because gravity causes the solder to run and pool in the trough.



The copper is 10X better than the original sheet metal which was quite thin and a whole lot better than the tar covered gutters that still encompass three quarters of the roof!

Song of the Week!