Hi

I am having difficulty with a Mobile Home Roof. The previous landlords tarred half the roof, the other half, was done by us in an acrylic sealer. The roof is still leaking. The quote for a PVC roof was $5000. Way too much. I am in Ontario and I am wondering what product would be able to cover both coatings, relatively cheap etc.

I had thought of strapping and putting up sheet steel, looked into Techni Seal, (won't work because of the tar area, as with other options in the elastomeric realm).

What to do????

We picked it up to use as a rental, which it was, until recently. It is also an American MH. So if we decided to build a new roof with trusses etc, we would have to do new footing supposedly, because of the loads.

Anyone have any ideas as to what should be done? How hard is tar to remove? (the previous landlord just threw gobs of it on, and didn't really fix any problems, just added new ones).

We need a quicky, cheap, solution, because winter is coming.

Thanks again,

 

Welcome to the forums

MH roofs can be troublesome - I know tell you something you don't know With all the expansion and contractions the roof makes due to temp changes it is a never ending job fixing the leaks.

It has always been my opinion that a roof over is the best solution. It gives added insulation value [even if you don't add any] and the overhang helps to solve the problem of water leaking in and rotting the floors.

Elastromeric coatings should work over tar painted with a good latex primer. I prefer using the asphalt based aluminum coatings as they will also deter rust. Usually tarring or siliconing the leaks and then coating with fibered aluminum will last 3-5 yrs, longer on roofs in good shape.

It would be next to impossible to disolve and remove the tar.

hope this helps

 

Thanks for the info,

Just a couple of questions. .. by roof over do you mean strapping and sheet metal roofing? Keeping the same pitch?

My father also gave me an idea, using rain sheild (the stuff used under the first row of shingles on a normal home (the sticky backed tar paper), overlapping these, then applying the elastomeric product. That way the stuff would definitely stick.
"I prefer using the asphalt based aluminum coatings as they will also deter rust. Usually tarring or siliconing the leaks and then coating with fibered aluminum will last 3-5 yrs, longer on roofs in good shape." I will definitely look into that as well. Any idea on costs for this option, the MH is about 12*70 feet long.


Thank you for the latex paint idea, that is very helpful! I truly appreciate your response.

Thanks again!

 

The construction method should be determined by several factors. It is possible for all the framing to be supported by the MH *IF* it can support the load. I have an older MH which I built a house around. Part of my roof is supported by the MH but we don't have much heavy snow fall in tenn. I wouldn't advise any pitch lower than a 3/12. Mine is a 4.5/12 pitch.

I would suspect that in canada you woud need to support the roof framing better than the MH will allow. This can be done several different ways. The most common is to support 4x4's along the sides of the MH and frame the roof rafters off of the lumber attached to the 4x4s. You could also block up a foundation and support a new exterior wall on it up against the MH walls - this would allow you to add insulation and new siding [really nice but not cheap]

The newer MHs with the 3/12 pitch roof may be able to support an additional roof but you should find out locally if it is advisable in your location.

Because of the differences in how it's framed [and lack of plywood] a metal roof should weigh less than a shingled roof.

Fibered aluminum paint comes in 5 gal buckets [sometimes you can find it in gals] US prices are $25-$40 per 5 gal. Your MH should take 5-7 gals to coat. Use a 1"-1.5" thick roller cover to apply it. The thicker you can apply it [and still look good] the better it will protect and last.

 

we are in N.H. and we did a roof over by adding footings (4'deep required) in sona tubes. we then put the four by four posts at a distance of 8 feet apart. with a double 2x6 header attached to the top of the posts. we then used a 2x8 ridge beam and 2x6 rafters. then 1/2" CDX plywood and felt paper and asphalt shingles. for a 12x60 older MH home it was a great investment and not that difficult a fix. a little trim work for the soffits and we are proud of our finished product. hope this helps. Bob

 

Wow!

Thanks so much for all the information!!! Keep it coming! I have been showing them all to my husband, and we really appreciate it.

I wonder if you need a building permit to do the roof with the new footings etc.

Your suggestions are really great because, although we live in Canada, the MH itself is an American one. When we had a quote from Dura Last, it was going to be 5000, which is a bit hard to handle right now, the tenant who had occupied it, really messed it up, (dog & cat peeing on the floor), so not only do we have to do floors, but ceilings and a roof.

Thanks so much, and please feel free to give me anyother suggestions!

Lisa