On Jan 16, 5:51*pm, "SteveBell" wrote:
I have a ranch house that has a small decorative gable (I think
that's what it's called). *It's like a short (maybe 2 feet tall)
and wide (maybe 7 feet across) section of roof that juts out,
kind of like a dormer with no windows. *This feature ends about
2-3 inches from the roof line (think of a dormer where the window
would be about three inches form the edge of the roof). *the
shingles in this narrow strip of roof need to be replaced,
they're all cracked, curling. *The rest of the roof is fine
(second layer is about 6-7 years old, we bought the house with
two layers a few years ago). *There's no water coming in (that I
can see in attic or in the house), but I want to try to address
this myself. *How would I arrange the shingles in a 3 inch wide
by 7 foot long strip of roof? *It's narrower than even the tabs
of a shingle. *Just get several rectangular pieces and lay them in
a row each overlaopping the previous one?? *I'll work on posting
a picture if you think it'll help.
A picture would be nice, but it sounds to me like you've got a
gable.
I hate it when they leave the tiny little piece of roof for purely
decorative purposes. It's a pain to maintain roof that doesn't
actually do anything.
Here are some options:
** Ask three roofers to look at it. If that section is failing,
likely the rest of the roof is about to go. If you catch it early,
you might be able to use the manufacturer's warranty. If nothing
else, you'll be prepared for the worst. You don't have to actually
hire the roofers if you don't want to.
** To fix it yourself, remove all the shingles and underlayment
down to bare wood. Replace any damaged wood. Apply new
underlayment. Apply a layer of shingles with the tabs hanging off
the edge of the roof (assuming three-tab shingles). Cut off the
overhang. Apply roofing tar to the nails if you want. Cut tabs off
shingles so they'll fit, then nail them on top of the solid layer.
Do apply roofing tar to these nails. Install and seal flashing,
and you're done.
I just took a picture of the area.... so you see these shingles are
done... It appears (from my perspective that when the second layer
was put on, this area never got it, as the rest of the roof edges look
to have more layers than this section). No other areas of the roof
look at all like this......
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
Why would this one area look so beaten, while the rest of the roof
appears fine? I'd send a shot of the rest of the roof, but its all
snow. The rest of the shingles are in the same shape as the ones you
see going up the gable (though I'm sure there's no where near enough
showing to get an idea.)
Look at the shingle at the right edge of the photo. I think this was
the original installation method:
* Decking material (but I can't really see it)
* Covered with underlayment, such as roofing felt
* Covered with a base layer of solid shingle material (no slots to
make the tabs)
* With flashing on top of the base layer
* Covered with a finish layer of trimmed shingle tabs for appearance
It looks like everything was fastened together with roofing tar. Tar
gets brittle in the cold and can lose its hold. It gets sticky again in
hot weather. That's probably why this area failed and nothing else did.
I find it strange that the top layer of shingles looks like it was on
_top_ of the flashing. That is a no-no, because it allows water to run
between the shingle layers. On a tiny span like this, it probably won't
leak, but it _will_ contribute to the failure of the tar.
Beyond that nearest shingle, it looks like both layers of shingles are
missing and the underlayment is failing.
Fixing this won't be hard, just time-consuming, frustrating, and messy.
I think my previous description of repair still applies. Use some
roofing nails to fasten mechanically, and put both layers of shingle
under the flashing.
Of course, I'm in Texas and you're up in the Northeast somewhere,
guessing by the architecture. You'll have to check locally to see if
there are different requirements in your area.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA