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On Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:32:26 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Mar 23, 11:47Â*am, "Len56" wrote:
I recently bought a bank-owned, 3 BR, 1 bath semi-detached home that I am
going to be renting out. Â*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. Â*I own my side and someone else owns the attached
property next door.

The home has an unfinished walk-up third floor attic. Â*The previous owner
had framed out the attic to create walls and a walk-in closet, but didn't do
any sheetrock, etc. Â*The existing roof Â*is asphalt shingle in poor condition
over a prior cedar shake roof. Â*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. Â*I could either have the
new roof done now, or wait until later. Â*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. Â*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?"

Definitely wait until the roof is done before doing the insulation.
You are right that there will be significant debris from the removal
of the cedar shakes. Having had a complete tear-off of an old asphalt
shingle roof over cedar shakes on two houses, I can personally attest
to the fact that loads of debris falls through the skipped
sheathing.

One day when the roofers where doing the tearoff for our current
house, one of them rang the doorbell. My wife came to the door and
the guy sheepishly said, "Uh, I dropped my shovel through the roof,
can I please go in your attic to retrieve it?" So you may end up with
more than just the old roof pieces weighting down any insulation that
you put up before hand. ;-)

Ken

I'd say don't even finish the attic before the roof is done. And if
you do your side before the other side, depending on th style of the
building, a false wall on the top, looking like the fire-wall extends
through the roof, CAN be an attractive way to separate the 2 roof
styles. You would "step flash" both sides to keep water from getting
under the shingles at the dividing line - they would re-flash their
side when they do their roof. The wall would be capped with a metal
flashing "cap"

Len56

wrote:

I'd say don't even finish the attic before the roof is done. And if
you do your side before the other side, depending on th style of the
building, a false wall on the top, looking like the fire-wall extends
through the roof, CAN be an attractive way to separate the 2 roof
styles. You would "step flash" both sides to keep water from getting
under the shingles at the dividing line - they would re-flash their
side when they do their roof. The wall would be capped with a metal
flashing "cap"

I think that may end up being the plan -- get the roof done now, and then
finish the attic.

What you described regarding the transition between the two attached houses
is basically what two different roofers explained to me when giving me
estimates on this job. Both also pointed examples of how the same thing had
been done on similar twin houses across the street from mine, so I could see
how the end product would look.

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