Repair Of The Roof Of A Private House, Including With Your Own Hands, As Well As How To Calculate The Cost Of Work

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

When a roof needs repair

The durability of the building and the tranquility of the inhabitants of the house depend on the quality and reliability of the roof. The roof is the key to protection from rain, snow and other weather conditions and can stand for half a century, or even a hundred years. But no matter how efficiently and skillfully the roofing material is laid, after 15–20 years its condition deteriorates noticeably. In order to repair the roof of a private house with your own hands, it is not necessary to have the skills of a practicing roofer, but the desire, building materials and tools will certainly come in handy.

Content

• 1 Prerequisites for repairing a roof in a private house

• 2 DIY roof repair

  • 2.1 Sealing gaps between wall and roof

    • 2.1.1 Step-by-step instructions for sealing joints
    • 2.1.2 Video: Roof Pipe Waterproofing
  • 2.2 How to get rid of condensation on a metal roof

  • 2.3 The roof sagged - how to get out of the situation

    2.3.1 How to level the roof yourself: work steps

  • 2.4 How to patch a roof

    • 2.4.1 Putting a patch on a slate roof: step by step instructions
    • 2.4.2 Video: DIY roof glue
  • 2.5 Sealing Tin Roof Seams
  • 2.6 Video: DIY roof repair
• 3 Calculation of the cost of repairs

Prerequisites for repairing a roof in a private house

To determine the degree of damage to the roof, you do not need to look under a microscope every day for how it looks. It is important to pay attention to its condition after strong winds, storms, tornadoes, round-the-clock torrential rains, or after snow melts from the slopes. It is clear that sometimes you have to solve the problem in an emergency at any time of the year, and the weather is in no hurry to become our assistant. In case of serious damage to the roofing material, rafter system, Mauerlat, major repairs may be needed, and in case of minor damage, cosmetic corrections will be enough. Many people are aware of situations when the roof unambiguously reminds the owner of the need for emergency repairs with wet spots on the ceiling or, even worse, running streams along the walls.

If minor defects in the roof are not corrected in time, they can turn into large damage, which will cause a ceiling leak

Sometimes the problem goes much deeper and you won't be able to get by with a simple replacement of a sheet of slate or tiles. The prerequisites for a roof overhaul may be:

• violations in the technology of laying roofing and its fastening;
• inconsistency of the roofing material with the roof slope;
• errors in the design of the rafter or drainage system;
• incorrect calculations of the pitch of the crate or the section of the rafter legs;
• the use of an unsuitable lathing for the selected type of roof;
• poor-quality installation of heat and vapor barrier material;
• incorrectly executed junctions at the joints of the valleys, chimneys, Mauerlat or ventilation pipes.

DIY roof repair

Revealing the causes of roof leaks, mechanical defects, leakage and other inconsistencies is most often possible only with a thorough examination. If the weather conditions permit, and the necessary building materials and tools are available, proceed with your own troubleshooting on the roof of your mansion or country house.

If defects on the roof have just begun to appear, they can only be detected with a thorough examination

Sealing gaps between wall and roof

The areas of contact between the wall and the roof are the most vulnerable place in the entire building: moisture and debris brought by the wind accumulate there, which, as a result of frequent temperature changes, contributes to the violation of the tightness of the waterproofing material. If there are no obvious mechanical damage, the problem is solved with a cement mortar or construction sealant.

Building sealant is used to seal small-sized gaps

The choice of sealant depends on the type of roof covering. For example, when repairing a soft roof at the joints, it is more convenient to use the flashing method. It involves a double alternation of water-repellent mastic with a layer of geotextile. Each layer should dry for up to 24 hours. Compliance with the technology guarantees the most tight and elastic joint, resistant to temperature extremes from -40 to +70 ^o C and the effects of precipitation of any intensity.

Step-by-step instructions for sealing joints

1. Before starting repair work on sealing, remove wind-blown debris and dust from the joint. All irregularities in the places where the sealant is applied must be cleaned and leveled.

2. If the wall is made of bricks, apply a layer of plaster to the joint, level well with a trowel and leave to dry completely. Apply a bitumen base (primer) to the concrete wall.

   

   The junction of the roof to the wall is primed with a layer of plaster or bitumen primer

3. Using anchor bolts, reinforce the joint with an abutment bar.

4. Apply silicone sealant or liquid rubber to the surface to be repaired. It can be applied by hand or by spray. The surface treated in this way forms a durable, strong and elastic connection.

   

   The abutment strip is fixed to the wall with anchor bolts and additionally treated with silicone sealant

The use of a bitumen tape with a reinforced aluminum coating on an adhesive base makes it possible to seal the most difficult joints of the roof and wall, regardless of what type of roofing was used in the construction.

The use of bitumen tape will allow hermetically to connect surfaces of any complex shape

Video: roof pipe waterproofing

How to get rid of condensation on a metal roof

The appearance of condensation on the metal roof significantly reduces the life of the roof and becomes the reason for its overhaul. This problem is caused by the temperature difference between the environment and the material from which the roof covering is made. The resulting moisture gets into the insulation, penetrates through it, and over time, the owners begin to notice drops under the surface of the metal roof and wet circles on the walls and ceiling.

Condensation on the metal surface of the roof is formed due to the temperature difference in the interior and the environment

Condensation can be caused by:

• gross violations of construction technology when installing the roof;
• insufficient insulation of the roof or upper floor of the building;
• insufficient ventilation and poor-quality vapor barrier or their complete absence.

Sometimes there are several reasons for the formation of attic condensation at once, then a major overhaul of the roof is already necessary with the correction of installation errors of all components. Unfortunately, in order to eliminate this problem, it is necessary to completely dismantle the roofing material, roofing film, insulation and redo the roof in accordance with all laws. The desire to save on insulating materials increases the cost of further overhaul several times.

In order not to redo the roof several years after its construction, the roofing cake must be laid in the recommended sequence using only high-quality materials.

Laying is carried out in the reverse order in compliance with the technologies:

1. A vapor barrier film is laid. It is attached to the rafters with staples, and the joints are glued with sealing tape.

   

   The vapor barrier film is laid with an overlap and fixed with a construction stapler

2. Insulation is installed. It is attached to the rafter system without gaps.

   

   Insulation plates are placed in the gaps between the rafter joists so that they enter the designated cells with a noticeable interference

3. Waterproofing is being installed.

   

   The waterproofing film is spread over the rafter joists over the insulation

4. Bars of counter-lattice are nailed to the waterproofing layer along the rafters, and then the longitudinal lathing is laid.

   

   The longitudinal bars of the counter-lattice fasten the waterproofing film, and the transverse lathing serves to fix the topcoat

5. The roofing is laid.

   

   A roof covering is mounted on a pre-installed batten

6. If necessary, redevelopment of attic windows and ventilation systems is carried out.

It is better to foresee the correct laying of the roofing pie in advance than to spend money on overhaul of the roof later. This will save money, labor and hassle.

The roof sank - how to get out of the situation

Roof subsidence can occur due to heavy snowfall and a weak rafter system. To determine the deflection of the roof, draw a visual line along the ridge between the gable rafters. A straight line indicates that the ridge beam and rafters are not damaged. An uneven line indicates internal damage to the ridge or rafter beams.

To determine sagging, you need to mentally draw a line along the ridge bar

It happens that in old buildings the ridge sags from time to time or for some other reason, but this has no effect on the strength of the structure. However, not every owner will be delighted with this appearance of his home.

How to level the roof yourself: stages of work

To correct the situation with roof deflection, you yourself need to adhere to certain rules and sequence:

1. Dismantle the old roofing completely.
2. Level the front rafters at the same height.
3. Pull a rope or cord between them to determine the angles of the slack.
4. Place the new ridge element on top of the old one, keeping a taut horizontal level.

5. Place additional support under the ridge log using a jack.

   

   The ridge bar is leveled with a jack, and then an additional support is installed under it

6. Align all of the rafter triangles with the new ridge.
7. Fill in additional battens as needed.
8. Using a long, flat plank, check that all of the roof recesses have been aligned.
9. If all defects have been repaired, cover the roof with a new covering.

Of course, if, in addition to subsidence, the coating was badly damaged and had multiple defects, you can completely replace the old roofing material with a new one. If finances allow, cover your house with modern roofing material: euro slate, metal tiles, etc.

The second reason for the roof deflection can be the uneven shrinkage of the foundation pillars under the building. More often this problem arises during the construction of wooden dwellings. In this case, you will have to align not only the ridge of the roof, but also the house itself. It will be difficult to solve this problem on your own - you will have to hire a team of qualified builders.

How to patch the roof

A leaky roof signals that moisture, systematically getting inside, can lead to damage to wooden floors, electrical wiring, interior decoration and other property. If there are no serious mistakes in the design and installation of the coating, you can get by with a cosmetic repair.

In order to patch the roof, you must:

1. Replace the damaged area of the coating along with a part of the waterproofing material (if damaged) with a whole sheet of slate, tile or corrugated board.

   

   If the damaged area is large, you can replace the entire roofing sheet.

2. Restore the tightness of the joints of the structure using bitumen tape or mastic.

3. Replace worn or defective fasteners with a new one suitable for this type of roofing.

   

   When installing new roofing sheets, modern fasteners must be used

A good material for patching on the surface of a metal roof is to alternate four layers of scraps of any fabric and nitro paint. Although such a pie does not look very aesthetically pleasing on the roof, it will practically and reliably protect it from leaks to major repairs.

We put a patch on a slate roof: step by step instructions

Observing all the recommendations and rules, you can easily repair a hole or crack in a slate roof with your own hands. Before this, it is also necessary to inspect the entire rafter system and insulation material, since moisture regularly entering the holes and crevices could harm them. If problems are found, it is better to fix them immediately before doing cosmetic repairs. Otherwise, you will have to cover the roof from scratch.

Following the instructions, it will not be difficult to patch a crack in the slate.

To patch a crack in the slate, we need:

1. Thoroughly clean the repair site from debris and moss with a stiff brush and rinse under a strong stream of water.
2. Prepare a repair mixture, which includes cement and asbestos (in a ratio of 2: 3). Add PVA glue diluted with water 1: 1 to the mixed ingredients to the consistency of thick sour cream.
3. Apply the composition to an absolutely dry surface of damaged slate. The patch can be made in the form of a circle, oval or rectangle, depending on the shape of the defect. The layer thickness should not exceed 1 mm.

4. Alternately spread the crack and the adjoining part of the slate with an adhesive mixture in 3-4 layers, leaving each layer to dry before it is completely hardened.

   

   A crack in the slate can be repaired by applying a special composition of cement and asbestos based on PVA glue

Such repairs should be carried out in dry and cloudy weather, avoiding direct sunlight.

Another possible way to seal cracks on a slate surface is to prepare an adhesive composition from foam, dissolved in gasoline. As a result, a thick sticky mass is formed, which lays down well and quickly hardens on the roof. Fiberglass is used as a reinforcing layer.

There is also a special repair waterproofing mixture on sale, the application scheme of which does not differ from the previous instructions. Only in this case, the crack must be well degreased with a solvent or acetone.

Video: DIY roof glue

Sealing of seams on a tin roof

It is not necessary to dismantle the entire cover to seal the seam joints on the tin roof. Replace only the required damaged area with sheet metal. You can connect two iron plates with the help of folded fasteners. Such connections are reliable and durable. When repairing a roof with your own hands, use a roof frame. In this case, a simple red lead is used as a sealant.

Use roof frames to join sheet metal

However, it should be noted that resin-based mastics are not suitable for a metal roof. The use of polyurethane sealant will be appropriate here. Use it to process the edges of the sheet metal if a small surface of the roof is leaking due to rust. If you degrease everything and follow the instructions, you can postpone the expense of money for overhaul for a while.

Video: DIY roof repair

youtube.com/watch?v=9-Hug4FeaZY

Calculation of the cost of repair work

Calculation of the cost of repairing roofing depends on the area of damage, the material used and the scale of work. If you decide to start replacing the entire roof or a specific section of it yourself, you only have to consider the cost of building materials and their transportation from a warehouse or store to their destination. If you decide to entrust such a responsible job to competent highly qualified roofers, the cost will consist of several components:

• dismantling of the failed coating;
• the price (if necessary) of a new roofing material, a fastening system, a wooden beam for rafters and lathing, as well as materials for steam and thermal insulation;
• delivery;
• installation of the necessary elements in the composition of the roofing cake.

Roof leaks necessarily entail repairing the roofing. Seasonal inspections and damage identification will help to avoid emergency repairs of the roof surface and interior finishing works. Therefore, even minor flaws in the installation of roofing material often smoothly flow into big financial problems. It is enough to inspect the roof before the winter frosts and after the spring snow melt. Inspection after natural disasters - storm, tornado, hurricane will also be useful. And one last word of advice: do not forget to use a safety rope during repairs and never do work at height alone.