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2 questions: Make or buying starter row &cap shingles? and...

2 questions: Make or buying starter row &cap shingles? and...


  #1  
Old 06-14-19, 06:44 AM
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2 questions: Make or buying starter row &cap shingles? and...

Getting up the courage to do my first roofing project - re roofing our gambrel roofed shed.

Watching lots of videos on youtube, some talk of using cut regular shingles for the starter row. And cutting 3 tab shingles to make cap shingles.

a couple questions, tied to that:

1) What do you think of that - making the starter and cap shingles rather than buy them? For a first project for a shed.

2) for the few dollars more per bundle, I was thinking of using architectural shingles rather than 3 tab. Can you still make the starter row / cap shingles with architechtural shingles?

2) Is 1 (archtechtural vs. 3 tab) harder to work with as a first project?

3) Is one more forgiving on appearance? Or sealing ability?

4) I thought I'd have to buy a roofing nail gun. But these instructional videos on you tube from people that seem to know what they are doing / pros? they are using nails and a hammer. For a first time / 1 time project - better to do nailing manually / slower or with the nailer?
 

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06-29-19, 04:23 PM
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Ed, I have no idea what to say. You got good prices on the material, delivery, an offer for labor that falls into the category of too good to be true, and you shut it all down, so are right back where you started. I don't get it. If not for the fact that I perceived sincerity in your questions I would think this was a hoax. For goodness sake, make a decision, and, unless this roof is going to put you in an uncomfortable financial position, the only rationale decision is to call the young man who was willing to do the work, then, assuming he is, to call ABC, apologize for waffling, and ask how soon they can deliver it to you. Forget the EDPM, forget the tarps, shingle it, and enjoy it. It's really that easy.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 09:00 AM
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1. I have always made my starter and cap shingles from the regular roofing shingles.

2. Starter rows are easy to make as you're using the part of the shingle that's not visible and often only a single layer thick. If you want you can also buy a bundle of cheaper 3 tab shingles to make your starter. The cap shingles will depend on the type you buy. Some are easy to cut into cap pieces while others can be a bugger.

3. I think architectural shingles are more forgiving for appearance as they often have a more varied appearance and texture. They are also usually a higher quality shingle, thicker and better able to withstand high winds.

4. When I was young and poor I hand nailed. Now that I'm older and more lazy I rely on power tools as much as possible. For a one time project I would hand nail. Buying a air compressor, a roofing/snail gun and hoses can add a considerable cost to the project.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 09:04 AM
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I agree with PD but if you can justify buying an air compressor [I couldn't imagine not having one] it might make sense to buy either a cheaper roofing nailer, a used one or a good one that you could sell when you are done. That said, it isn't a big deal to hand nail a shed roof.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 09:38 AM
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Thank you both! Yeah, I have that $35 compressor from Harbor Freight. I think I looked and the CFM isn't enough for a nailer. I sell things on facebook / ebay. I could use the nailer / compressor then sell them.

But I'm likely safer without power tools : )

https://youtu.be/EVfbn3Go-M8?t=108
 
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Old 06-14-19, 09:51 AM
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1) You can make starters... you can also buy them. If you want to make more work for yourself, make your own.

2a) IMO, architectural shingles are worth it. Less prone to leak, no tabs to mess with, and they look better. Plus there is usually less waste with them.

2b) Architectural are easier to keep straight, and no tabs to line up. A bad 3 tab job looks real bad to anyone who knows roofing. It's pretty hard to screw up architectural shingles.

3) Yes, architectural seal better.

4) I would never go back to hand nailing, but did quite a few roofs in my teens by hand nailing. A gun and compressor were among my very first tools.

A mansard roof will be a little harder to hand nail because part of it is so steep that you will need 3 hands... one to hold the shingle to keep it from sliding off, one to grab the nail out of your bag and one to hold the hammer. I'd only want to use a gun on a mansard because of that alone.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 10:26 AM
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My recommendation is architectural shingles, hands down. While pneumatic nailers are great, the one thing you need to keep an eye on with shingles, and particularly ones on a section like your lower roofs, is the pressure, so that you're not setting the nails too deep. It's real easy to do so you need to remember to watch that. The back of the shingle bundles will have instructions, which you will want to read before you start, particularly the section pertaining to high slope roofs, such as your lower sections. On a lot of roofs, the the shingles somewhat lay in place, they're heavy, they have adhesive on the back, and they typically don't go any place. On those lower roofs, the adhesive is still significant, and the shingles are still going be flat against the structure, but there is a lot more weight hanging on those nails, so number, placement, and depth, meaning not driven too deep, is increasingly important.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 12:24 PM
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X - great point about the mansard and 3 hands : ) nail gun sounds better

Pedro -Driiving too deep / not deep enough!? Argh! hammer sounds better....
 
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Old 06-14-19, 12:27 PM
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Setting your pressure regulator on your compressor to around 80 lbs will give you a more consistent depth for your nail. Nailing in the right place (as the mfg recommends) plus having solid sheathing underneath is equally important.

The depth of the nail is important no matter what pitch it is. Package will likely show an illustration of an overdriven nail.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 12:35 PM
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It's not that much of a problem to deal with, so not trying to scare you. Just something to watch, particularly as the temperature goes up through the day. Personally, I might still hand nail that one, especially if I was doing it by myself, and even though I own a couple of nice roofing nailers, but X raised an excellent point because yes, you will have your hands full between the hammer, nails, and the shingles wanting to slide down.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 12:55 PM
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I'm not sure what a $35 air compressor is but it doesn't take a big compressor for nail guns. True they use more cfm than most small compressors put out but it's not like the nail gun is running constantly. Most air tanks are big enough to allow the compressor to catch up in between nails.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 12:58 PM
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Can you still make the starter row / cap shingles with architechtural shingles?
Starters yes, cap shingles, no. You use a matching 3 tab if you want to cut your own or just by the pre-serrated hip and ridge bundles.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 02:16 PM
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re the compressor - I paid $35 a couple years ago and with a coupon : )

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...sor-61615.html

matching 3 tab?! I was looing at GAF / ones at home depot and thought the 3 tab and architecturals were different names / colors - they don't match up?
 
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Old 06-14-19, 03:26 PM
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If you are buying at Home Depot your options are probably limited to buying their hip and ridge tabs only. If you were using some other brand, such as Tamko, their architectural and 3 tab colors line up. That's why I mentioned the 2 options.
 
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Old 06-14-19, 06:53 PM
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I thought I asked too many questions already : )

So where do you guys buy roofing materials? And what brand / grade of architechtural shingles would you recommend for a shed.

I know the crap guy that did our house roof last year got materials from ABC Supply. Yeah, they'd have more variety, but I envision they see an end user / noob coming in and mark things up : ) ? Nothing has prices posted at supply houses, etc.

My shopping list (I have to figure quantities, but feel free to change / add brands & models/ grades). I'm going to hand nail so I can do things slow / pay attention to what I am doing?

architectural shingles
3 tab shingles in same color for at least starter row, maybe also cap
Cap shingles?
underlayment - is #30 ok?
drip edge - is it the same on the bottom edge as on the sides?
sheathing - 1/2" OSB?
roofing nails for the shingles and drip edge (same ones?)
staples for the underlayment?
What do you use to attach sheathing to trusses? what type nails? screws?

It's a gambrel roof. I haven't seen anything on the web about the horizontal gap in the middle where the 2 roof surfaces touch...I envision covering that with the underlayment and then shingles continue over the slope change (ie, just keep doing the same as the rest of the roof?).
its a m
 
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Old 06-15-19, 02:58 AM
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Nobody here can do the shopping for you, and no, nobody at a supply house is going to mark the price up because they don't recognize you, so ask them for a price on however many squares you need. They probably won't give you the same price as contractors who buy from them virtually every day of the year, but they will give you a fair price. And it may be more or it may be less than the big box stores, but, again, it will be a fair price.

It's a gambrel roof. I haven't seen anything on the web about the horizontal gap in the middle where the 2 roof surfaces touch
Yes you have. I cannot readily tell you where it is because you have started at least 4 different threads for this one shed roof, so you'll have to find it, but in one of them I briefly explained how you needed to see where the rows would fall on your particular roof and adjust accordingly for the transition and Joe gave what I thought was a fairly comprehensive explanation on how he handles those transitions.
 
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Old 06-15-19, 03:12 AM
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Your compressor should operate a nail gun although it might not handle rapid fire .... and a roofing nailer usually shoots 5-6 nails in short order before it gets time to recover.
 
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Old 06-16-19, 07:51 PM
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Thanks again. Sorry, I am new to this... s it better to have several threads, each related to a certain question / keep the thread short and to the point or 1 'a newbie is trying to reroof a gambrel shed roof' And then have a really long thread with all different questions as I go along (I don't have all the questions when I first posted the first thread).

I think a long thread is just too hard even for you guys to keep up with what the latest questions I am asking?

But I defer to the group's request!

Pedro - not sure if you were following what I was asking about the 'shopping list'. I was just asking what things I need to get and I will figure quantities. And looking for brand and model recommendations and maybe recommendation on where to go for the materials. I hadn't heard of ABC supply before my roof was done by someone last year. But it's a national company?. Abd I'm certainly not looking for someone to 'do the shopping for me' : )

And yes, I worded the question about the slope change on the gambrel roof wrong. Joe gave me that detailed explanation a couple times:

1) Where that roof made the angle change there should have been drip cap added and installed as to seperate roofs, not bent over the angle like that because cheap three tabs always crack and fall off.

2) Where most Gambrel style roofs fail is where the pitch changes and they tried to just bend the shingle over the roof and they just crack over time.
An easy way to address that is to run the two roofs like you where installing 2 different roofs.
Run the steep side first and stop it where it angles, install drip cap (better yet coil stock that's been bent to match the roof pitch) then Install a starter strip of shingles and run the shingles like normal.

I mean to refer to that and that I didn't find anything (else) on the web about the transition. Not sure if I fully understand his instructions / I was hoping for a video / pictures on the web about that or some other way. ending that first surface at the horizontal line - I'm envisioning that's like a lower roof coming up to a vertical part of the house and seems more complicated to try to finish than a 'regular' roof ending with cap shingles?
 
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Old 06-22-19, 06:04 AM
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Ed, sorry if I came across as snarky or whatever. I know that you were not literally expecting anyone to do the shopping for you, and my comment in that regard was not meant to imply that you were, but you mentioned thinking that supply houses are going to mark up the prices up for the average Joe, and that's not a fair way to look at it, in my opinion. Do they they sell the same product for the same price to anyone who walks in the door? No, they typically do not. But, what they do is discount prices to contractors who are regular customers, and they can do this because of the volume those customers purchase, the fact that they generally know exactly what they want when they walk in, how much lead time is required, etc. So yes, the guy next to you at the counter may very well buy at a lower price, but they are getting a discount that you are not. It's not because anyone is marking up the price "just because it's Ed". So walk in and check them out. The guys in such supply houses know their stuff, and you'll get a lot better answers than you will at a big box. But, if possible, plan your visit a little bit so that they are best suited to help you. First thing in the morning when they open is usually not the best time because that's when the contractors are in there picking up their material, so they are busy taking care of their bread and butter.

As far as your list, yes, it's pretty good. For fastening your sheathing, you want 8 pd common nails. Spacing is 6" minimum along the edges and 12" minimum in the field, but I generally tend to go around 8" in the field, especially on something like an unconditioned shed because of the temperature extremes in the peak. On the edges, hold your nails in about 3/8" and angle them toward the center of the rafter. Goggles are always a good idea, and even more so with OSB because you will definitely have some fliers, and I can only imagine that finishing it with only one good eye is going to be difficult.

I can't remember now from your other posts if you have the old roof all stripped, but, if not, a couple of inexpensive tarps on the ground really help with cleanup.

Where your roof transitions from lower to upper, what I have done, consistent with Joe's recommendation, is slice the top course such that I have what I want exposed below the drip edge plus the amount that the drip edge will cover, and nail it such that the drip edge will cover all of the nail heads. This is where you want to do a little preplanning. Measure the rise of the bottom roof, subtract the amount the drip edge will cover, then see how much exposure you want on each course of shingles. Done right, holding consistent coverage on each course, they can be a thing of beauty. Otherwise, simply starting at the bottom and waiting until you get to the last course to make your adjustment, well, they can look hacked.
 
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Old 06-25-19, 07:04 PM
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Pedro - thank you again - here and on my other posts!

I went to ABC Supply - a roofing supply house. Such a NICE experience. Sorry for my jaded attitude. Very helpful staff! I took your advice and came in during the afternoon. I was the only customer and a couple employees chimed in with comments.

I mentioned the shed was made by the amish / no tar paper. and one of the people added 'and stapled'. He nailed that : ) He also talked about wanting to build his own shed... but priced things out and talked about a local shed place that had a cheaper price for a built / painted shed than he would have to spend on materials and then have to build it ; )

They will deliver the sheathing, shingles, nails, tar paper (they said 15 pound was good... tar paper is only to protect the sheathing till the roof is on? The amish build in a big barn / building so it's not going to get wet and thats why they leave off the tar paper? They said 30 pound can buckle if it gets wet?)

And they don't carry OSB so plywood is what I am using. They mentioned that OSB can 'blow out in the back' from a nail so there's less material holding the nail. And that's why they built the shed with staples on OSB - staples don't do that to the OSB.

I'm not even going to bother pricing home depot or elsewhere. It all came in to about $800 with tax and delivery - cheaper than I expected. and that's with splurging on pre-made cap shingles - I have enough going on getting this right to have to start cutting shingles to make them. , and we rounded up on materials (like 2-5 pound packs of roofing nails for a 10x16 shed) so I might be able to bring some things back. Same for having them deliver... I'll waste more time / maybe money renting a Home depot truck or annoy my wife trying to get 4x8s in her lexus RX350 if they'd even fit.

Over the last few weekends a couple hours at a time, I've been taking off shingles & sheathing, pulling staples from the trusses, then putting the sheathing back on with 1 - 2 nails and then tarps over that to keep the shed dry till the next weekend when I do it again. it's gotta be comical for the neighbors if they are watching. some of the sheathing broke as I take it off so there's holes in the roof now - trying to deal with the tarps, not step in the holes, the wind blows and takes the tarps ... I've spent more time covering / uncovering the shed than the real work will take. I am finally getting the hang of covering the shed. just in time to actually do the job.

As for the way to finish the transition. Funny - I only found this one picture on the web showing something other than keep going over the transition. I've been driving around looking for gambrel roofs to see how they were done. Hard to find : )

Another question:

part of the truss against the T111 / front end of the shed that has rotted. I took out the 1/2 of the truss with the rotted wood. to use as a guide to make a replacement for that half of that truss.

1) Would you use pressure treated 2x4s? for those replacement pieces of the truss? certainly above ground. but the last ones did rot away over several years.
 
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Old 06-25-19, 07:20 PM
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If you use pressure treated all your fasteners must be ACQ approved. Use standard SPF or cedar.
 
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Old 06-25-19, 07:21 PM
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Ah! 1 more thing...

As much as I am getting very informed on these forums, I still think about the material costs and not wanting to find that I have a leak afterwards / the roof just looks terrible in the end. I've been asking around about what someone who's done a roof before would charge. I found someone who works for a contractor acquantance and he gave me a price - 'bob said to take care of you so I'm charging you $x'. If I go with him doing the work, I want to give him a higher / more fair price. But don't know what that would be.

I know it's a DIY forum, but would anyone care to comment what you would think a fair price would be for labor (in the northeast US) would be to do the roof of a shed? I supply the materials, they supply the labor and their tools (I have hand tools and I have circular saw, but haven't changed the blade in a while / it's a low end unit, etc.).

And / or a fair rate per hour these days for someone who knows what they are doing in installing a roof. (and how many hours should it take for 1 person to do a 10x16 shed).

I've joked in me saying I'd want to help.. but that it might slow them down (me making mistakes / getting in their way)..

Even just an order of magnitude on the price of the job? - closer to $250? $500? $1000?

Or hourly rate? minimum wage is around $10. Friends joke about going to a nearby town and contractors get day laborers there. Certainly want to pay more / get someone that actually knows how to do roofs.
 
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Old 06-25-19, 07:26 PM
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Labor from a decent contractor is usually equal to materials. You can always find someone who can work cheaper... course if he ruins all your materials by doing a crappy job then that's not really worth it, is it?
 
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Old 06-26-19, 05:57 AM
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Well there you go. Glad that you had a good experience at ABC. I've seen too many people be intimidated going into a traditional supplier like that, roofing, lumber yard or whatever, so they go to the bog box, then wonder why they got the wrong answers, why they didn't get the same quality product as the guy down the street, why nobody would deliver it to them, or whatever. And, although not relevant in your case, but, if you had been roofing your house for example, I assume ABC provides roof top delivery. Anyway, good that it worked out for you.

As far as tar paper, I guess someone else may say different, but I would use it on the entire roof, and no, it is not for the purpose of keeping the roof dry until the shingles are on. In fact, except when I have had to in the event of an unexpected rain showing up on the horizon, I try to not lay any more than what I will be able to get shingles over because it will buckle, and, depending on how much it buckles, can show when you're done. You're doing right by covering it with tarps. Probably not of any value in this case but sometimes when I have had to overlap tarps in a place where they're hard to tie off I have used feed bags with sand in them tied to the tarp.

I agree with X as far as a good starting point for labor cost. But, as with many things, it's going to vary, and is worth whatever you think it is worth to avoid doing it yourself and assuming that whoever you hire is licensed, insured, and you are ultimately satisfied with their work.

As far as worrying about leaks if you do it yourself, I'll share my opinion on it. What most people see when they look at a roof is the shingles, and shingles don't leak. What leaks are the transitions, like vent stacks, chimneys, roof mounted antennas, etc., which you don't have. Or, as in this case, the transition from the lower roofs to the uppers. So, other than reading and understanding the instructions that are clearly provided on each bundle of shingles, the only thing you need to really focus on is the that one pair of transitions, which you can open a bundle of shingles, mock up a model with some of the scrap you're pulling off, grab a piece of drip edge, and play around with. When you get down to it, no tricks to it, just a matter of paying attention to detail.
 
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Old 06-29-19, 09:08 AM
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OK... who's up for offering some mental health / DIY help (if you haven't already in this thread : )

TLDR: What's a good, easy to install material for reroofing a shed... I kinda wonder if my wife or neighbors wouldn't complain, I'd just use a tarp. Maybe a rolled material like _____?



Recap: I've been 'scared' on pulling off this project... this would be the biggest project i have done in years and my perception is that has the biggest opportunities for errors / mistakes resulting in being back where I was - a shed with water leaks.

Asking around, I found a very nice, friendly worker of an acquaintance that said he could do the roof. He said his boss said to 'help Ed out' so he was going to charge me $250 for labor - to add 2x4 extensions around the shed to support larger overhangs (virtually none previously), put on new plywood and re-roof the shed. I had a piece of ridge vent material I dumpster dived when I got my house re-roofed last year. He said he'd use that and had me get longer nails for that.(and at the same time I wonder - do I really need a ridge vent. It worked fine for 20 years without it)... I'd supply all the materials and he wrote out a nice list. My wife,my son and I all agreed that was way too low for labor... I was certainly going to give him more - $150? $250? Some other number? but how much / what's a good rate? Hence the questions above. I wondered what a young guy gets paid hourly at a construction job. Was the acquaintance chipping in some money (he knows I help out gratis at our church. maybe he's paying this guy something in addition to what I'll pay). It's cash vs. a paycheck - no taxes coming out, etc.. yes. way overthinking.

Worked with the great guys at ABC and got the items on order - $800 delivered with tax. went to home depot to get 2x4s, caulk, paint, a sheet of T111 for replacement of rotted areas along roof and now I see along the bottom edge a bit.. another $200.

Remembering the guy at ABC that talked about being able to buy a finished shed for less than what it would cost him in materials (likely figuratively speaking). I got a price for $4,000 for a 10x16 shed - having learned from you guys and comparing to what mine looks like, It seems well constructed - plywood sheathing, drip edge, tar paper, etc. I forgot to ask how they do it now, but saw some gambrel roofs in their yard that had drip edge / flashing at the transition edge! They'd charge $600 to take the old shed away. A friend mentioned I could give it away / maybe even get money if I listed on Craigslist. But then how much would the lawn get rutted up?

Doing what I could before the guy comes, i was replacing 1/2 of truss at front of shed that had rotted. Using circular saw and rotted truss as a template, I am reminded how my craftsmanship is sub par. Keep muttering 'it's only a shed'. but also 'I'm spending a fair amount on materials, I don't want there to be a problem / look like a kluge job'.

And realizing I need this part or that tool which is in the house, I am spending what feels like at least 1/2 my time walking back and forth into the house. Or not wearing a tool belt (which I DO have and use more for holding shotgun shells when trap shooting with my son : ) so I put something down, go to another part of the shed and wonder where I put that tool... YES I cause my own problems : ) what would take me 2 hours would likely take most anyone else 1/2 hour with measure 4 times, cut once, and then the cut isn't the best, cut again, then it's too small, start over...

ABC was delivering the materials Friday (yesterday) and the worker would be here today. I jokingly told the guy I want to help... sorry if that slows him down : ) But lifting the plywood, etc. a 2nd person has to be beneficial, right?

Moving the tractor and other things from the shed into the garage just to make room. Realizing we don't use the tractor much at all now (we have someone cut our lawn). lots of what's in the shed is just clutter.

Working on the shed repairs, realizing what a time suck it is for me... there's real work I could be doing / $4K for a new shed is almost 'noise' / trivial amount in the grand scheme of things. But I DO enjoy doing things (more fun / more room for errors taking off the sheathing / roof than building things, but still fun / enjoyable to patch, fix, build things. So I kinda keep wanting to do DIY things.)

Faced with the choices - fix the shed / questions with paying the worker, get a new shed, but getting rid of old ched.... or do we even need a shed (and then questions of what to do with the gravel pad / electrical wires coming out of ground from house and water faucet...)

Got into a fight with my wife about a trivial matter about the shed and I said screw it - we don't even need a shed. I'll sell the tractor, keep other things in the garage. I canceled the ABC delivery 1 hour before they showed up.

Texted the worker we're not doing the work / getting rid of the shed. I offered to send him money for his time to come out here, work out the materials list, etc. but he declined.

So now we have a shed that's pretty good other than no roof. It has tarps over it. I have the shed listed on craigslist to sell it (would someone really spend to get a 20 year old shed, then put a roof on it?) or even if I give it away? Or I could (would love) to take it down myself and take it to the town dump over a bunch of trips in my 2010 Honda Civic with no AC (see my other posts in autos...) .rather than pay someone to take it away. But still wonder if getting rid of it is the right thing. the garage is cramped already with clutter. and I'll have to / want to buid shelving in there (with the 2x4s so I don't have to bother returning them too).

Then I realized (ah, here's the DIY question).... I could go back to ABC (after they refunded the full amount /.. no restocking fee, etc.) they did say 'feel free to come back if you change your mind / decide to do the job) and get materials for something I could do myself at a lower cost... I'd feel better if it leaks and I only spent a couple (few?) hundred than over $1,000.

I see the tarped shed out there. It's rained a bunch of times since i took the roof off and it's been dry in the shed. I wonder - could I get away with tarps on an ongoing basis? Would my wife / neighbors complain....

I do have the DIY itch. I have the 2x4s from home depot... what about getting the plywood, drip edge and some rolled materials? I don't think I could screw that up. Cheaper than shingles? I want to ask if it'd be 'as durable'., but I;'m 56. 20 years from now (life of new shingles?) I;ll be 76 and certainly not here taking care of a house / yard.

I can nail 2x4s to the side of a shed to make extensions.(yeah, the angles will look bad/ won't match but I'll caulk it I can cut wavy lines in sheathing with a circular saw (yes, I SHOULD avoid that by clamping a 4' rule to the boards to make a guide for cutting, right?

What material for the roofing would you suggest?

Thanks for getting this far and dealing with my overthinking...
 
  #25  
Old 06-29-19, 10:41 AM
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Sorry, i nodded off somewhere in that manifesto, was there a question?
 
  #26  
Old 06-29-19, 12:04 PM
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Marq: sorry! the question was - is there a cheaper / easier do it yourself roofing solution than shingles? Rolled product? I was seeing EPDM mentioned? Seems cheaper than shingles, seems much easier to install? And has long life?

But that's just me googling. Love to hear what people here say.
 
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Old 06-29-19, 01:12 PM
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Good grief, you could have had it all done by now! If it makes it easier measure each piece you intend to replace and cut out a duplicate piece, install it, move to next piece. Someone once told me: "I am never afraid to try any repair" and I think that is the way you should approach this small issue instead of "worrying it apart" before you even start. You will make mistakes, but that's called learning and gaining experience.
 
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Old 06-29-19, 02:01 PM
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cheaper than shingles
For a simple DIY roofing project there is nothing simple, or the big issue is better looking, and to that I would say no!

You are really over thinking this!
 
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  #29  
Old 06-29-19, 03:00 PM
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Sorry, didn't mention - looks aren't a big deal. and EDPM seems better than some tarps which has been on there for a few months now. Any other alternatives - easy to install, relatively inexpensive and looks nicer than EDPM?
 
  #30  
Old 06-29-19, 04:23 PM
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Ed, I have no idea what to say. You got good prices on the material, delivery, an offer for labor that falls into the category of too good to be true, and you shut it all down, so are right back where you started. I don't get it. If not for the fact that I perceived sincerity in your questions I would think this was a hoax. For goodness sake, make a decision, and, unless this roof is going to put you in an uncomfortable financial position, the only rationale decision is to call the young man who was willing to do the work, then, assuming he is, to call ABC, apologize for waffling, and ask how soon they can deliver it to you. Forget the EDPM, forget the tarps, shingle it, and enjoy it. It's really that easy.
 
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  #31  
Old 06-30-19, 07:53 AM
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Thanks. Certainly not making this up.

Financial - fortunately, not an issue. (other than the idea I've debated ad nauseum - why get rid of a 'good' shed for a new one... 'all it needs is a roof'. and then 'why put $1500? into a 20 year old shed'.

His labor - yes, too good to be true. I wanted to pay him a fair rate. But then that's putting even more into the old shed.

I DO enjoy doing the work / repairs. But because I AM learning, it just takes sooo much longer and I debate the enjoyment value vs. what my time is worth to do my real work - computer network management. Lots to do / learn there too. So I debate spend limited time on doing roof myself, pay someone to do the shed, get a new shed.

And a key thing now is that I am realizing I could do without the shed - jam everything into the garage. so why buy new / why fix old?

I realized the treehouse that was here when we bought the house.... and I made into a 2 story treehouse with spiral staircase years ago!! (so I CAN do stuff). That has a big sheet of thick rubber on the flat roof..

EPDM is really that bad? n Not all that cheaper than shingles for materials? I have to get back to ABC to see. TPO? PVC? a single 20x20 sheet (no seams) (but going over the peak - that angle could stress the materials? it's a shallow angle though.
 
 

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