What should a house be like? First of all, it should be dry and warm. The roof is responsible for these two important criteria. If the roof is not in order, problems will not take long to appear. Leaks, dampness, high heating bills, damage to the appearance of the house – this is only a partial list.
But how to understand in time that the roof needs to be replaced? For this, a high-quality inspection of the roof and rafter system is necessary. It should be done annually, even for owners of new roofs. As a result of the inspection, problems may be revealed that will indicate the scale of the necessary repairs.
- Small cracks were found on the roof covering, it has lost its aesthetic appearance. At the same time, there are no questions about the rafter system – no rot, cracks or fungus were noticed on the wood. This option is the simplest, it is enough to buy a new roofing material for the roof and replace the old one with it.
- Traces of moisture have been found on the walls of the attic or loft space. High humidity is noted in the house. All this indicates that the roof is leaking or excessively accumulating moisture. When removing the roof covering, traces of rot or even fungus will most often be found on the lathing. As a result, not only the covering will need to be replaced, but also the frame.
- Serious damage to the rafter system, heat-insulating layer and holes in the roof covering were found. This option is the most difficult. A complete reconstruction of the entire roof will be required. The owner of the house should be prepared that the cost of replacing a roof of this scale will be significant. If expenses are inevitable, it is worth considering whether it makes sense to increase the area of the house by building an attic.
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Dismantling of the old roof
The decision to partially or completely repair the roof has been made. The next stage of replacing the roof is dismantling the old covering. If the flooring is slate, then a crowbar and a hammer will be required to remove it. If the owner of the house does not plan to use the sheets in the future, then holes can be punched in the slate in the places where it is attached to the sheathing and the sheets can be thrown to the ground. When reuse is relevant, then the work of removing the old slate should be done more carefully and always with an assistant.
Dismantling of the lathing and the entire rafter system is carried out using a crowbar or saw.
If the roof was covered with more modern materials, such as corrugated sheets, metal tiles or ceramic tiles, then the roof is dismantled as carefully as possible. This covering can always be reused for roofs of small areas – a garage or a summer house.
What type of roofing is best to replace an old roof with?
If the roof requires major repairs or a complete replacement of the structure, then there are no restrictions on the choice of material for the coating. If the roof is to be replaced on the old rafter system, then experts recommend using metal tiles or corrugated sheets. Both of these materials will cover the shortcomings of the old structure (all old roofs have them).
How to replace slate with metal tiles without consequences
Replacing a slate roof with a new material begins with dismantling and inspecting the rafter system. If traces of rot or damage from insects are found, the damaged sections of the wood are eliminated and replaced with new ones. Then a layer of waterproofing is spread out, it is fastened over the entire area of the rafters using a construction stapler. Then the installation of the lathing begins – the beam is mounted perpendicular to the ridge of the roof, with its help the final fastening of the waterproofing layer is carried out.
We continue installing the lathing – we attach bars of the same section (usually 25*120 mm) on top of the beams. It is necessary to start installing the bars from the edge, it is important to check the accuracy of the level during the work using a cord installed diagonally.
Laying metal roofing sheets starts from right to left! This is important, as the sheets have their own fastening system, if you lay them in the right direction, then the whole work will be done quickly and smoothly. If protruding areas are found, then they must be cut off with a grinder. The bottom of each sheet must be mounted below the rafters by about 8 cm.
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Features of replacing slate with corrugated sheets
Profiled sheet is available in different sizes, in our case it should correspond to the following dimensions: width from 980 to 1800 mm, length from 0.6 to 0.8 mm. Replacing the roof of a house begins in the same way as in the case of metal tiles – with the installation of slate and checking the rafters.
Next, a waterproofing coating is laid directly on the old rafters, necessarily with an overlap. The joints of the film must be properly glued with self-adhesive tape. Next comes a layer of thermal insulation, usually mineral wool.
The installation of the corrugated sheets themselves begins from the end side of the roof in one or two waves (depending on the type of roof). In places where the sheets overlap, they must be fastened well.
If the roof has a slight slope, it is recommended to additionally seal it. The material is fastened to the lathing exclusively with self-tapping screws with rubber gaskets.
Roof replacement, whether partial or complete, requires large material and labor costs. Today, you can find different prices for roofing work. The main thing to remember is that the roof is not a place for unreasonable savings.
