Help with a major home repair problem

[Alan Shaw]

Since June I have been remodeling my wife’s house. It is a 150-year-old twin. This is a two-phase project. The person who owned the house before my wife did threw together an addition and call it a kitchen. The roof is beginning to sage and is leaking. I need a quick fix not pretty that will take me into spring when we will be tearing down the back part of the house and put up a two stories addition correctly and with in code.

The kitchen right now is leaking like there is no tomorrow. Anyone knows of a way to patch this. Dimension are 12'w x 27' long.

The rest of the remodel is going fine just long. Replaced all of the wiring was tube and knob that was in bad shape. Enlarge a bathroom to one that is normal size. Had to tear out the plaster from all the walls and ceiling. Found issues when I opened everywall:eek: .

Any help would be helpful.
Thanks

Alan

[John Harris]

Alan, if you just need to get to spring and are tearing the roof down... just tar the heck out of the leak areas!

[Marcus Ward]

You might try getting up on the roof with a big tarp, pulling back the top layer of shingles and stapling the tarp down under there and then laying them back down. Staple it around the edge of the eave too and maybe lay some bricks on it to keep it flat. Good luck! A leaking roof is no fun and the water is an invitation for termites.

[Alan Shaw]

I used the seal a roof 5 gal cans from Lowes. That stop the problem for a couple of days then the problem occured again.

[Alan Shaw]

Thanks. That was my though. A big blue tarp. Once the rains stop and as long as the roof dows not ice up I wil be out there this weekend.

Alan

[Frank Chaffee]

Alan,
I am no stranger to weather induced emergency shelter protection. Recently I have found a tarp that is more durable than the green and blue ones I used in the past. It is silver and I keep one over my travel trailer.

A tarp as large as you need will become a sail if wind gets under it!!!

One method I can think of to protect your roof until spring is this:

Cover the leaking side of your roof with a silver tarp. Run that tarp over the ridge and down a foot or two onto the other side. Put a long board (1x or 2x) on the edge of the tarp and use nylon rope to lash the tarp thru the grommets to nails in the board.

Lay at least several boards on the long side of the tarp where it is on the roof you need to protect, again, 1x’s or 2x’s. These boards run from peak to eave. If there is a roof pitch change here, you can deal with it some how I am sure. Actually, these boards should run a minimum of a couple feet up past the peak.

Connect some three or four foot boards from the lashed board near the peak to the long boards weighing down the major side of the tarp. These boards cross the long boards and run a couple feet into space too. Now connect the tops of the two sets of boards with an upside down collar tie like you would do with a roof ladder.

Weight the assembly down per your best judgment.

Anchor the low side of the tarp via nails thru the facia and into the rafter tails, also per your judgment. For safety I would also use nylon rope from the ridge end of the tarp to the rafter tails on that side.

Hope this is easier to read than it was to write.

Frank

[Darrick Robbins]

How about rolled roofing? It may be a bit more expensive than a tarp but it will certainly hold out the water until spring. Easy to put on, and durable. If it only leaks in one area just do that one and everything upward toward the peak. If you don't want to go that far just use tar paper. It will keep alot of water out if you put it up there and nail it down with strips of lathe. Good Luck.
Darrick

[Rob Will]

How about rolled roofing? It may be a bit more expensive than a tarp but it will certainly hold out the water until spring. Easy to put on, and durable. If it only leaks in one area just do that one and everything upward toward the peak. If you don't want to go that far just use tar paper. It will keep alot of water out if you put it up there and nail it down with strips of lathe. Good Luck.
Darrick

I vote for roll roofing.
Also there is a product called "Ice & Water Shield". It has to be covered with roofing but it is very sticky and will seal around nails, especially in critical areas. A bit pricey though.

Rob

[Andy Hoyt]

Try a closed cell polyisocyanurate sprayed foam insulation applied to the exterior.

It'll hold up just fine for one winter and seal every leak, nook, and cranny.

If you know where they are.

[Frank Chaffee]

Alan,
I guess it depends what is in your budget and what the weather does over the next couple of days.

Poly isocyanurate foam is quite expensive, especially for temporary use. And I question whether it can be applied at current temps.

If roll roofing is beyond your budget, 30# building felt with 36” lath may hold thru the winter.

Good luck guy, we’re here in the wings, willing to help!

Frank

[tod evans]

barn tin.......02

[Walt Pater]

grace brand ice & water shield.......02

[Tim Devery]

Why not just convert it over to an inlaw suite!
Then tell your mother in-law, she is welcome to stay over any time.:D

[Rick Thom]

I would definitely tarp it. A good one (size, quality, durability, price, availabilty etc) is a swimming pool cover, and they generally are available with or without gromets for inground or above ground applications. Maybe @ $120 for the tarp.
I suggest 1x2 nailers to afix it (running peak to valley) spaced sufficiently close together to prevent tarp from flapping. A dab of roof caulking at nail entry points between 1x2 and tarp will seal it. You've got to prevent wind from getting under tarp. Toss the tarp in the spring. Should do the job. The normally dark colour of the tarp will prevent any ice/ snow collection and sun will melt any accumulation that does occur. This job is not a 1 person job unless of course you are a master sailor.

[Matt Meiser]

I've got one of the green tarps from Harbor Freight on our camper. We've used it every winter for the past 4 years and its holding up well. Since you are going to tear the whole thing down in 4-6 months, I'd just do that, but make sure its secured well as others have mentioned. on the camper, I use a bungie cord in every eyelet and it still flaps around.

[Craig Feuerzeig]

My first house had a leak that couldn't be fixed (by me it turns out). We lived in that room for a season with a thick plastic drop cloth tacked to the sealing, pitched to drain into a garbage can (behind the couch). If you closed your eyes and imagined you were near a babbling brook, it really wasn't so bad.

[Rob Will]

grace brand ice & water shield.......02

I just finished using this product on a problem roof.....(low pitch)
Installed the ice & water shield (in place of tar paper) on the entire roof. Worked gggrrreat.

3 tab asphalt shingles were applied over the ice & water shield.

.05 Rob

[Alan Shaw]

thanks everyone for your help. I be working on it this weekend.

[Alan Shaw]

Again thanks for everyone help. Put down a rolled roof last weekend.

Cured leaking problem in the area of the kitchen. But I now have a new leak where there was no leaks before:mad: . I got to check for Nails that were not sealed properly. No biggy.

I biggest problem I had was the same thing theat happens to me when I paint. I had more tar on me then on the roof.:eek:

Again thanks for everyones. help

[Vaughn McMillan]

...
I biggest problem I had was the same thing theat happens to me when I paint. I had more tar on me then on the roof.:eek: ...

A old friend of mine showed me a trick on the roof of our cabin years ago. As soon as we got up on the roof, he took a big gob of asphaltic cement (roof pookey is the technical term) and smeared it on his jeans. He said he figured he might as well get it over with, since, without fail, he always got pookey on himnself. He figured if he beat himself to it, he'd get more work done by not having to worry about it any more. :p Good luck and stay dry...

- Vaughn