Best friend's house burned on Easter five years ago

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We got a tarp for my friend to put on top of his roof to stop leaks & it worked during the summer & fall but I don't know if it tore or if something happened to let water in at a specific spot, but the roof has been leaking like crazy over the pantry & bathroom-- down the wall toward the electrical for the washer & dryer (the laundry room is in the bathroom). He sent me this picture of the pantry. So we'll have to figure out how to fix this asap. His fiance is pregnant & they don't need black mold forming in the house.
pantryleak1.jpg
 
If you got the lower priced tarp like harbor freight sells they don't last very long in sunlight. One summer and they will break down enough to let water thru.
 
It was actually a rather pricey tarp that is supposed to be UV resistant, long-lasting in weather, and thick. It's possible it slipped or that shrinkage/contraction from the cold contributed to it. But now we need to figure out what materials he needs for the roof and price them out. Would pressure treated plywood be necessary if it's covered by roofing wrap? Or whatever gets put on... He wants to put metal roofing on.
 
No, you do not need pressure treated ply for roof decking, C/D ply is fine. A tarp is never a good option for use long term as a weather barrier.

If he's wanting a metal roof, strip off the old shingles, apply a high temp underlayment then the metal roofing complete with drip edge.
 
Thanks! He was insisting that he leave the old shingles on and I said "Nooooooo!" Old stuff needs to come off so we can see what it looks like underneath. Plus the added weight isn't good for the structure. I told him we might as well do it right the first time instead of having to redo it down the road. I offered to go up there & help if need be.
Found a C/D pine sheathing. Trying to find the right underlayment that is available at the nearest HD.
Any more info on the drip edge? Is that a particular type of flashing?
 
@zannej

What is his budget? How big is the roof area? What is the pitch? How complicated are the roof surfaces? Example dormers and all kinds of facets or just a simple two pitch roof with maybe a vent stack and a chimney poking thru it.


There are metal roofs and there are metal roofs. A true residential metal roof is a pretty expensive deal and the installation IMO should be done by a pro and the material maker likely wont guarantee the product unless it is installed by a pro that is approved and trained for that product. Then there is what a lot of people around here are doing (myself included) and that is to use agricultural / pole barn roofing and a method of installing it that is kind of a hybrid method like they do barns. I was never a fan of it and around here the Amish both make the steel roofing in a factory here and there are dozens of Amish roofers and now some general roofers putting ag roofs on homes. The Amish are so cheap that they kind of cornered the market here. Lots of farmers and handy men doing it for themselves as well.


Around here it started about 30 years ago and I talked to so many people that have had one up for 20 plus years to see if they still liked them. I couldn’t find anyone that had any complaints except maybe the color they picked. I talked to our insurance adjuster and he didn’t seem to have any problem with them and said a large percentage of his home owners have them now. The fire department had some issues at first as they didn’t have a good way to cut holes thru the roof to get water in, but now they can cut the steel as easily as the wood when there is a major fire. Even the fire department re-roofed with this stuff when they needed a new roof.


Based on all the above I decided to give it a try against my better judgment based on cost. I bought the steel from one set of Amish delivered and then my local Amish guy did the work. the final cost was less than a shingle roof by quite a bit. They did as your friend suggested leaving the shingles on and then built the roof out 1.5” with 2x4s on the flat. They do a ridge vent that has a open foam strip to keep bugs out of at the top and bottomand they have all kinds of caps and strips for flashing and edges all bent and ready to go. It is all put down with self tapping self drilling screws with a rubber seal washer built in. He had a big box of snow grabbers he asked if I wanted the snow to slide off or stay on the roof. I opted for slide off. You have to be careful how your roof is pitched and such if you live in the north because when that 1-2’ of snow comes off it comes right now and you don’t want it landing on you or your car. Now that we have had it a few years I’m going to put a few on in just one place. The rest it is nice not having ice dams and all that stuff. We also don’t have gutters only in a couple spots.


To your point you need to know what’s under that roof and you don’t want to build on rotten wood. I knew it was all solid and what the roofing on there was like.


So far so good for me. and my roof was too steep 11/12 pitch and a full 2 stories for me to even think about DIYing that roof. With a step pitch rain doesn’t stay to long on that tin.


Post a pic or two and I think you will get better advice. And you be careful getting on that roof.
 
I'll have to get my friend to do the measurements & send pictures. I think he only wants to do about half of the roof right now. The back side if the roof is fairly simple. It's a gabled roof and it goes down-- not sure of the slope. I know on the back side of the house there is a lot of wood rot at the end of the supports and possibly in the walls though.
His budget is very small-- he wants it as cheap as possible so long as it will stop his roof from leaking. I believe there is one plumbing vent or pipe of some sort sticking up through the roof so he'll need a roof boot there. The house has no fireplace. It's in the south so we very rarely get snow but we get a lot of rain.
We saw another type of roofing material that was textured. Not sure what it was made from but it seemed sort of like fiberglass or something- not sure if that would be any good or not.
 
Apparently the tarp tore from the winds & that is why it was leaking. My friend didn't get pictures but he measured and described the roof to me. He said it's a gabled roof but it changes angle for the lower 10' (sort of the reverse of a gambrel where instead of going steeper, the slope goes flatter). It's 30' wide and the top 14' have the steep slope then the angle changes. Only the lower 10' seem to be leaking so he's trying to figure out the best way to patch it. There are asphalt shingles on it currently. When he was first describing it, I thought that it was only 10' to the peak but it's 24'- which would be a lot more expensive to cover.
He's wondering if he can leave the top 14' with shingles and then convert to metal using some sort of flashing when the angle changes. Or maybe there is some sort of roof sealant that can be spread over the shingles liberally to stop the leaking.
Here is a rough sketch I did of the side view of the house from what he described.
mitchroofrough.png
Any suggestions? Budget is very small (probably under $1,000).
 
My friend just informed me that the part of the roof over his pantry room doesn't even have shingles. It's just wood and felt overlay. Yikes.
 
Ask around if any churches or charity groups will assist in helping with his roof or other repairs.
Especially after a fire, and he is in tough situation.
 
Ask around if any churches or charity groups will assist in helping with his roof or other repairs.
Especially after a fire, and he is in tough situation.
He's tried that. Some a-hole started a rumor that the fire was caused by a meth cooking accident & none of the churches are willing to help. He lives directly next door to a church, but the parishioners there have actually vandalized his property in the past.
The upside is, I went to price out the stuff at the local hardware store & their metal roofing is cheaper than at Lowes & HD. The owner installs roofing but he wasn't in (his daughter said he'd be in Monday) so I can pick his brain about what all is needed for that job. He's a nice enough guy & he's given discounts on stuff to my friend before, so we'll see if he can come up with a full materials list. I'm going to have a sketch with measurements and some photos ready to show him what we're dealing with.
Turns out the change in angle on the roof is very subtle. I never really looked at it so I didn't notice that there was an angle.
MroofRside.jpg MroofLside.jpg

I'm currently working on something in Sketchup (just a rough sketch).
 
Owner of the hardware store who does roofing said the angle change is small enough that my friend could just put a single thicker gauge roof panel up. It's the stuff used on his store & is strong enough to walk on without plywood underneath. He said my friend could put some boards underneath for extra support and anchoring if he wanted. The gaps will be covered with rake trim that he said he'd give my friend for free since he's got some "off color" pieces. He'll even deliver all the stuff for free (my friend doesn't live very far from the store). So, all we have to do is order the panels + ridge caps & get about 300 of the screws. He recommended going with 25' long panels. He said if my friend had any questions about how to do stuff to just give him a call & he'll help him out.
 
My friend pulled a stainless steel napkin holder out of the trash at the hospital (not sure why they were throwing it away as it's perfectly good). I've been joking that it was contaminated with ebola. I refer to it as "the ebola napkin holder". He scrubbed it with bleach. LOL. I thought it looked lonely up on the pantry so I got him a magnetic whiteboard. I told him when he realized he was out of something he could write it on the board, then snap a picture before going to the store so he would remember the list. Or he could send the list to his fiance if she's at the store with me or someone. I made a face out of the magnets that came with it.
Mpantryboard1.jpg Mpantryboard2.jpg Mpantryboard3.jpg Mpantryboard4.jpg

Meanwhile, the top to his vanity was on slightly crooked so water dripped on part of the front & it's particle board so it expanded. I suggested pulling it off & replacing it with a waterproof board that tips out to have storage for his toothbrushes and stuff. He likes that idea. He wants to change up the bathroom. For one, the vertical support for the floor under the shower slipped off the foundation block & the floor is sagging. He needs to jack it back up and get it secured. He also wants to get rid of the small shower & replace it with a tub/shower combo. The vanity would then get moved next to the toilet. He wants to turn the toilet facing straight but there isn't enough room between center of toilet and wall (it's diagonal right now) for that-- I suggested an offset flange. I'm going to have him give me the measurements of his rooms so I can plan stuff out in sketchup.
 
Found this flooring on clearance for $11 cheaper per box https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-De...ank-Flooring-20-34-sq-ft-case-60198/207047495
He liked it and since it was on clearance we got it for him. It looks better in person than on the website. Now the problem is prepping the floor for it. His floor is all kinds of uneven and the corner with the cabinets is considerably lower. I think it's over 1-inch drop from one corner to the other so I think the best we can do is get it so there aren't valleys and peaks but I'm not sure how to go about it.

You can't see from the pics, but the stain on the top of the lower pantry door had scraped off on the top left corner so I touched it up. I also touched up the range wall cabinet to get some spots I'd missed.
mpantrytouchup1-jpg.23275
mwallcabtouchup1-jpg.23276


Meanwhile, I took measurements and found that the bathroom plan was not great-- space between the front of the tub & front of washing machine would be 24" and it would just be awkward to have to squeeze through a tight space like that. Granted, the machines can be bumped over, but a big wall right there when you walk in would block light & wouldn't look good. Moving the toilet next to the vanity & putting the shower on the opposite wall won't work because the ceiling gets too low on that side. So, I measured & found that the showertub could fit perpendicular against the side wall. Toilet would still have to be moved so it would pretty much be across from the vanity but offset a bit. There would be room for a small storage space and plumbing access if the tub is right hand drain. My friend wants the American Standard Saver tub (which has a curved bumpout). It's the same as the American Standard Ovation tub but it's cheaper at Lowes & comes with a better surround.

I did some very rough crappy sketches of the current bathroom layout (although I put the toilet straight instead of at an angle like it actually is) as well as the plan.
mb-roomcurrent1-png.23273
mb-roomplan1-png.23274


Eventually he needs a better toilet-- preferably an elongated one. Hoping the Toto Entrada will come down in price more.
 
My friend didn't want to wait to put his new flooring in & didn't want to mess with leveling. The planks he got are quite flexible so they just followed the contours of the floor. I tried to get him to do some kind of leveling first, but he insisted on installing forthwith so I helped him. I brought my flooring saw, a plastic mallet (the one I was nicknaming Mjolnir), a speed square, pencil, safety glasses, hand saw, & Matrix 6-piece kit. I also brought over my battery charger but forgot to charge his battery. I left the charger there I think so he can still charge up. Ended up needing the oscillating attachment to trim the shims on the cabinets. We left expansion gaps around the perimeter and stuff isn't even at some of the edges because we plan to put shoe molding over things. At first I wasn't sure what to do to help but then I got in the groove (pun intended) of setting up the planks and even marking the end piece for cuts while he started the next row. He patiently showed me how to put the planks in so I slowly put a few starters in while he was putting the end pieces in. We used a scrap piece for the tapping block. Once we got the first few rows in, the shims weren't necessary & we moved the full boxes of planks on top of the flooring to hold it down. My brother was able to cook while we were working on the last 1/4 of the room. It would have been faster if my friend hadn't started on the wrong end. He was going from left to right & it was very hard to get things to lock into place that way. He realized that he needed to go from right to left so he switched on the 2nd row. He didn't do too much of a staggering pattern but it worked out. He had a box & a half left after the job. Since it was clearance material & they charge a restocking fee, we wouldn't get the full amount back if we returned the box, so he's keeping it in case he needs to replace something or if he wants to use it for something else.

Even with only 1/3 of the room done there was a vast improvement. The light was reflecting from the floor and made the room brighter. He said it felt like he was in a new house & everyone kept commenting on how much nicer the room looked. It even felt better in there-- maybe because of the light. The floor seems very easy to clean & stuff just slides across when sweeping. I was in my socks so I didn't get mud on the floor from my shoes & I didn't slip, but it was still smooth for sweeping & cleaning.

In my own house I want to level the floors first, but in his house this is a vast improvement. I still need to get some kind of pull bar for the very first row to make some adjustments in the middle, but overall, it turned out better than I'd anticipated and all parties involved are happy.mkitnewflrinstall2.jpg mkitnewflrinstall3.jpg mkitnewflrinstall7.jpg mkitnewflrinstall8.jpg mkitnewflrinstall9.jpg mkitnewflrinstall10.jpg mkitnewflrdone3.jpg mkitnewflrdone5.jpg mkitnewflrdone6.jpg

The floor is actually more gray than it appears in the photos. The bulbs in the kitchen light have a yellowish tint & the floor looks more blonde in the photos but it's ash gray.
 
@slownsteady mentioned that the wall needs a backsplash behind the range. Something like https://www.amazon.com/Broan-SP3004-Backsplash-30-Inch-Stainless/dp/B000AMOBA8/ might work if adhered to cementboard. He could make a channel in the cementboard behind the stainless steel to run the power cord for his range hood. Or he can hide the cord behind the window trim.

For the sidesplash I'm leaning toward https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AFTOAMO/but don't know if my friend likes it or not. If he gets a stainless steel backsplash, he can get magnetic metal shelf thingies that are designed to go above stoves.

Something like this could go on the side of the fridge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TYZ7RHS/
 
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I forgot to get pictures of the roof panels before they went up. Roof is on now but still needs rake trim and some flashing. I couldn't get up on the roof to take pictures. My friends said the new roof was very slippery & they both slid and fell a couple of times. I had told one of them previously to walk on the bolts after they are in.
I did get pics of his new fridge. This is the only pic that turned out to my liking.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/6395fa9.../2c3e633ae60042e15b04438ec538a411669b105b.jpg
2c3e633ae60042e15b04438ec538a411669b105b.jpg


It wouldn't let me upload it here so I had to upload it to Tumblr.
 
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