It’s been about two weeks now and I have finally finished the roof of the shed. It was much more work than I thought it would be, because there were quite a few unexpected issues that emerged during each part.
For example I knew I was going to be replacing the sheathing, but I didn’t know I was going to be replacing the rafters due to a sagging, damaged roof inhabited by carpenter ants. They actually rushed out of the holes when I pulled some nails out of a few of the old rafters. I was also planning to add a vent along the ridge of the roof, but I didn’t realize that I’d be need to add ventilation along the eaves. Each undertaking revealed additional problems that needed to be resolved as I went along.
In all, we ended up spending about $1,500 on materials (rafters, plywood, underlayment, trim boards, drip edge, shingles, ridge vent, nails, screws and roofing cement). I feel good about the quality and choice of materials and the overall result. I also ended up spending 13 part-time days (not counting rain-outs) even though I had a significant amount of assistance from my brother.
Coby Butzien, is a handyman in Portland. He probably deserves his own post, but suffice for now to say that I call on him to help me with some of the big jobs that come along.
Here is what the roof looks like today:
It is gratifying to complete a large task like this. If you are at a barbeque at our house in the future, don’t be surprised if I nonchalantly point and say, “Yeah, I decided to rebuild that roof right after we moved in. I think it’s holding up pretty well, don’t you think?”
In the spring, I may add some gutters and a couple of rain barrels. We will look into re-siding at some point, but for now, I want to relax a little bit.