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Roofs - Page 66 of 66

When someone tells you he’s working to “keep a roof over his head,” the phrase instantly reminds us of a basic human need — safe shelter from the elements. And that’s exactly what a roof will do, providing it’s appropriately designed and installed.

Roofing is at the same time an important visual and functional part of a house. Like siding and windows, roofing is highly visible because there’s so much of it. So homeowners often spend a lot of time weighing the relative merits of asphalt shingles over metal roofing or one of the many other options now on the market. All the old standbys are still available, if you can afford them or are permitted by code to use them— cedar shakes, slate, copper standing seam, and tile. Now there also are synthetic alternatives made to look like the real thing. All of these options come with different price tags, and service lives of various lengths.

As houses are built to ever-stricter energy codes, there are other issues to consider:  controlling the movement of moisture and limiting thermal bridging. These are two potential problems that no builder can afford to overlook. The rules are certainly changing.

Most everyone in the trades has spent some time on a roof. It’s also a job many homeowners feel they can tackle, at least on a shed-sized project. But roofing is a specialty, just like framing or finish carpentry. If you want the skinny on how to install a vent boot, weave a valley, or put down a waterproof roofing membrane, you might as well start with solid advice from Fine Homebuilding’s roofing specialists. Come on up and we’ll have a look.

  • Non-clogging sawblades

    Have you ever tried cutting through a composition-shingle roof, only to find that your reciprocating sawblade has become totally fouled with tar and refuses to cut? It's frustrating to stop…

  • The Rafter Square

    Laying out a roof with this basic tool and a new generation of accessories.

  • Roof Framing Simplified

    This direct approach involves full-size layouts and stringing rafter lines.

  • Putting the Lid On

    A primer on production cutting and raising a hip and gable roof.

  • Flashing

    Anticipate the flow of water to keep it outside your house, where it belongs.

  • Extruded Flashing

    Bending your own flashing on site usually produces wavy, crinkled pieces of sheet metal that make you wish you'd had them made up at a shop. Here's a fixture you…

  • Stepping Up

    I recently added three dormers on a 12:12 roof, using a toe-board and roof-stair system that saved me a lot of time, risk and effort. As shown in the drawing,…

  • Double-Develed Rafters

    Carpenters in central California use this technique for cutting double bevels on hip or valley rafters fashioned from conventional 2x framing lumber. Set the tongue of the framing square on…

  • Holding Down a Temporary Roof

    This tip is for the homebuilder who has either run out of time, money or both and needs to get a roof covered before the next rain. I've tried it…

  • Valley Flashing

    Successful valley flashing is one of the fine points of making a wood-shingle roof weathertight. I favor the old-fashioned method of nailing shingles into 1x3 horizontal stripping; fixing shingles to…

Page 66 of 66 Previous
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