How To Sheet A House Roof

Roofing a house can easily become a full weekend diy project especially if you are looking to install a roof on a house that is non traditional in size or style.

How to sheet a house roof.

Begin applying the sheets from the bottom of the roof the eaves and work your way up to the ridge. Minor metal roof repairs are quick and easy to perform. However it can be expensive because a square feet of metal roof can cost about 15 60. Place a piece of sheathing above the first piece that was installed to begin the second row.

Remove roofing and turn each sheet over. The connection between the roof sheathing and the structure is a vulnerable point that is known to fail during a hurricane. The typical thickness range for sheathing is 3 8 to 3 4 inch. You will have to paint the roof but is cheaper than buying new roofing.

As a general rule of thumb roofing a house involves more than just adding exterior shingles. Sheathing should be a minimum of 19 32 inch thick. Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame. Steel or aluminum roofing can last from 30 50 years.

Felt paper also called tar paper or builder s paper helps shed water that gets under the shingles protects the asphalt shingles from the resins in the wood decking increases a roof s fire rating and helps keep your house dry if it rains during the job. Never attach roof sheathing with staples. If fixing screws are left in the valleys your roof will leak in hundreds of places. 8d ring shank nails should be used instead.

This video shows how some roofs fail under heavy winds in uplift situations. Most roofing suppliers carry 15 lb. It is important here that the sheathing at the eave line be exactly perpendicular to the rafters so that the sheets will meet at the centers of the rafters. Slide the sheet one rafter width over the end of the roof so the edge is centered on the next.

What was previously a valley in the corrugations will now be a ridge and the nail hole will be in the correct place. During a hurricane the strength of the sheathing on the roof can greatly impact the homes ability to weather the storm. The last course at the top may need to be rip cut if the roof is not in 4 foot increments.