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Roofing
Is it possible to re-tile your own roof
Hi
I have over the last few years had to undertake a lot of work to the interior of my house. I never really intended to get involved in renovating a house but having done most of the interior in some depth I have become quite comfortable with a lot of tasks and do really enjoy it now.
I think it started when I couldn't get hold of a replacement wooden arched front door so ended up making one in the garage. I only have one room left inside to gut, board out and plaster etc. and then that's about it. I hate plumbing but everything else I really look forward to doing.
The roof of my house needs re-tiling and a membrane at some stage and I am keen to do it myself. It is from the 1930s has plain clay tiles and just has some mortar pushed between the tiles from the inside which falls out and makes a mess in the attic.
There are two things which hold me back, firstly the height/danger and secondly getting the house wet in the process. I think that with a good scaffold and right equipment I would soon get used to the height and I think I could get the tiles on correctly and do a good quality job ( having said that you can always tell when someone has done there own porch roof !) but I can't imagine how I could stop the house getting wet in the process when it rains.
Clearly it would take quite a while to complete. Getting the house wet during the job seems like the biggest obstacle. Is there a simple solution to that or am I missing the point as to why you hire someone who has a clue.
2 Answers from MyBuilder Roofers
Best Answer
Barnsley • Member since 13 Sep 2012 • 218 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hi,
honestly..... if you have never done any roofing before I think re roofing your home would be quite a task no matter how good you are at picking things up.
1st of all you WILL need help. There will be a lot of waste for a start, as it's a rosemary tiled roof they will be gauges at every 100mm (give or take) so a lot of battens to remove which take time.
Once the roof is stripped (just take on 1 side at a time), you need to de nail and clear all the waste. I always make sure i have some big tarpaulins to hand just in case a downpour turns up which is quite regular in the UK as we all know too well and the tarps can get your roof back water tight(ish) in no time.
When starting the new roof get everything you need to hand on the scaffold, roll your first length of felt half into the gutter, or if using felt support trays (eave protectors) just leave your felt sitting above. Felt from right to left, nailing in the top right corner and rolling half way. Pull tight, straighten it up and then double nail top and bottom and then repeat. (If it's windy don't go as far) but I'm guessing you'll probably know this as your thinking of DIY'ing your roof but remember your first gauge is dependent on the tile or slate you are going to use. Just remember to have at least 50mm overhang at the front of the fascia board into the gutter.
Then work out your even equal gauge from your first batten. Once you have your gauge you can hit one miss one to get it water tight quicker, then fill them in on the way back down. Once the felt is on your water tight :) and inside your house shouldn't get no more than a few drops and you can tile/slate at your leisure.
Just keep an eye on the weather forecast, leave as much of the original lead at the abutments which helps keep water tight, work speedy, get another 2 pairs of hands on the job and you should have your old roof off and water tight within a day.
Good luck,
Kind regards, Ricky Butterworth.
Answered 31st Jul 2014
Inside and Out Roofing and Building
Glasgow • Member since 29 Apr 2014 • 3 jobs, 67% positive feedback
How you doing well done tackling a job yourself hard hat off to you .
If you have a good scaffold fully boarded and properly tied in and once up there you tend to forget about the height.
Stripping the roof start at the top and strip and denail covering with felt thus keeping the rain from affecting the inside .get a hammer tacker fix 3or4 in the centre of the felt then that allows you to roll it out yourself once you have done that install counter batten if it has a sarking board or if you have open rafter then measure out the roof to strike lines for batten gauge I come down inch n quater from apex then 12 inch up from the eaves min is 12 and I dont go any more than 13 for cover to the nail hole then work it out so as all courses are the same most work in mm being awkward I work in inches lol. Also u stike parallel lines to keep all the side bond lines the same the same and square to the verge .verges are straight forward to install .
Then even loading the roof out once u know how many courses then how many along multiply and see amount req easy way of loading for you lie tiles along the bottom course one side to the next lay one miss space of 2 then u see how many lines of tile req. start at the top batten leave down a bundle of 9 come down put 6 repeat with 6 till your knakered or done then start on a full tile put them down dry run tap the left corner tends to square them off .then have three on mark it then slightly space them mark again that gives average play on them best to do this before loading. i always nail first course miss one then nail third and clips next nailing every second tile on the ridgeing its your preference on dry or wet bedded ridges
hope this helps you with the work
Cheers
Answered 30th Jul 2014
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