Len56 wrote:
I recently bought a bank-owned, 3 BR, 1 bath semi-detached home that
I am going to be renting out. In my area, a "semi-detached home"
means there are two homes side by side, which share a common wall in
the middle, but each home has a separate owner. I own my side and
someone else owns the attached property next door.

The home has an unfinished walk-up third floor attic. The previous
owner had framed out the attic to create walls and a walk-in closet,
but didn't do any sheetrock, etc. The existing roof is asphalt
shingle in poor condition over a prior cedar shake roof. The roof
doesn't leak, but my guess is that it will need a new roof within a
year or so.
A new roof will cost around $8,500 and it will involve a complete
tear-off of the asphalt shingles and cedar shakes, all new plywood
decking, and then the new asphalt shingle roof over the new plywood. I could
either have the new roof done now, or wait until later. My
attached neighbor's roof is also asphalt shingle over an old cedar
shake roof and is in similar condition. He does not want to have his
roof done unless and until it starts to leak. Ordinarily, I would
just have my roof done now, but because the two homes are attached,
it would be better to do both roofs at the same time.
My question is about what the differences would be in terms of
finishing off the attic before or after I have a new roof put on.

If I have a new roof put on before finishing the attic, I would then
have the attic finished and would have insulation put in between the
attic rafters with proper venting etc. That would be easy to figure
out.
But, if I decide to wait on the roof, and have the attic finished
first, I think I have two options:

1) finish the attic now, but do not do the insulation in the rafters
for now; then when the new roof is done in a year or so, have the
insulation put in from the top after the roof tear-off and before the
new plywood decking goes down; or,

2) finish the attic now, and do the insulation now; and then have the
new roof done later.

I am thinking that if I do the insulation now, when the tear-off is
done for the new roof later on, the debris will end up in the
insulation and will be a huge mess.

So, I guess my question is, "If I decide to do the roof later, and I
finish the attic now, do I go ahead and do the insulation now or wait
on the insulation until the new roof is done later on?"

When I had my similar roof replaced, I covered all the insulation in the attic
with 4 mil plastic before the job began. There was a lot of crud on that plastic
after they finished. I picked up the big pieces, then rolled up the plastic and
removed it. The insulation would have been really messed up without the plastic.

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:14:20 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

Len56 wrote:
I recently bought a bank-owned, 3 BR, 1 bath semi-detached home that
I am going to be renting out. In my area, a "semi-detached home"
means there are two homes side by side, which share a common wall in
the middle, but each home has a separate owner. I own my side and
someone else owns the attached property next door.

The home has an unfinished walk-up third floor attic. The previous
owner had framed out the attic to create walls and a walk-in closet,
but didn't do any sheetrock, etc. The existing roof is asphalt
shingle in poor condition over a prior cedar shake roof. The roof
doesn't leak, but my guess is that it will need a new roof within a
year or so.
A new roof will cost around $8,500 and it will involve a complete
tear-off of the asphalt shingles and cedar shakes, all new plywood
decking, and then the new asphalt shingle roof over the new plywood. I could
either have the new roof done now, or wait until later. My
attached neighbor's roof is also asphalt shingle over an old cedar
shake roof and is in similar condition. He does not want to have his
roof done unless and until it starts to leak. Ordinarily, I would
just have my roof done now, but because the two homes are attached,
it would be better to do both roofs at the same time.
My question is about what the differences would be in terms of
finishing off the attic before or after I have a new roof put on.

If I have a new roof put on before finishing the attic, I would then
have the attic finished and would have insulation put in between the
attic rafters with proper venting etc. That would be easy to figure
out.
But, if I decide to wait on the roof, and have the attic finished
first, I think I have two options:

1) finish the attic now, but do not do the insulation in the rafters
for now; then when the new roof is done in a year or so, have the
insulation put in from the top after the roof tear-off and before the
new plywood decking goes down; or,

2) finish the attic now, and do the insulation now; and then have the
new roof done later.

I am thinking that if I do the insulation now, when the tear-off is
done for the new roof later on, the debris will end up in the
insulation and will be a huge mess.

So, I guess my question is, "If I decide to do the roof later, and I
finish the attic now, do I go ahead and do the insulation now or wait
on the insulation until the new roof is done later on?"

When I had my similar roof replaced, I covered all the insulation in the attic
with 4 mil plastic before the job began. There was a lot of crud on that plastic
after they finished. I picked up the big pieces, then rolled up the plastic and
removed it. The insulation would have been really messed up without the plastic.


But I'll bet your insulationwas on the "attic floor" between the
joists,not between the rafters. He's talking a "finished" attic.