First Floor Additions: More Room More Happiness
(Part Five: Roofing – Finishing Off Your Addition’s Roof )

by: Liz Roberts

Now that you’ve got the major work out of the way, it’s time to concentrate on finishing your addition’s roof. As you did with the beginning steps, make sure you’re cautious and conscientious. Also make sure there are plenty of helping hands around and that you have all the needed supplies and equipment. Remember every step in roofing is important. Do it with precision and care for a long lasting roof.

After the sheathing and before the shingles there is the application of roofing felt. This is another vital layer that will keep your addition dry and moisture free. Install it correctly and you will never have a problem with melting snow or torrential rains. Use a fifteen pound roofing felt or tar paper. Remember it has to be applied to a clean, dry surface. If your sheathing gets wet, then allow it to dry out for a few days. You don’t want any moisture to become trapped and cause future problems or damage. If you’re opting for a metal drip edge, install this first before the felt paper. For those living in areas where there is heavy precipitation (whether rain or snow), put in eave flashing which is a strip of smooth or mineral faced roll roofing. Cut this to extend from the roof’s edge to a point about twelve inches inside the wall line. Place the lower edge of the strip evenly with the drip edge. Apply the felt in accordance to what type of roofing will be used. Snap horizontal lines on the sheathing to align the felt’s upper edge. The first line should be snapped at 35 5/8 inches directly above the eave. (36 inch felt will overlap the eave by 3/8 inches.) Snap succeeding lines at 34 inch intervals allowing for a 2 inch overlap of each course. The felt must be flush at the side edges, having 4 inch overlaps where two pieces are joined. There should be 6 inch overlaps as well at the hips and ridges. Make sure the felt is smooth and flat, tacking it down with ¼ inch stapes. Use a staple gun or a pneumatic stapler (or a hammer tacker) for this, stapling it down every 12 inches.

The next and last big step is applying the shingles. Most homeowners agree that asphalt shingles are the best. They can survive all seasons and weather conditions, lasting up to twenty years in some cases. Asphalt shingles are composed of asphalt impregnated paper with mineral granules coating the exterior surface. Another kind, called wind sealed have a dab of roofing cement under the bottom edge of each shingle. This melts when the suns beats down on it, sticking to the shingle below. This is great to have in areas where there is a lot of high winds or hurricanes. Shingles come in a variety of colors so they’re easy to match with your existing ones along with being easy to repair.

When you get your shingles the first step is to install a drip edge. This is a modified L shaped flashing used along the eaves and rakes of your roof. It should be placed approximately ¼ inch away from the edge of the flashing and the fascia (roof sheathing). It will not be butted directly against the wood trim. Your starter course (the first row) goes on top of the drip edge at the eaves and under it at the rakes (sides). It has to have its’ bottom or tab ends cut 3 inches.(or you could also use a 9 inch wide strip of roll flooring as your starter course). You’ll install these in an inverted position with the tabs facing the ridge, the wind seal being down and the mineral surface being exposed to the weather. Overhang the eave by ½ inch, leaving a 1/16th inch space between every shingle. Nail these with four 12 galvanized roofing nails placed 3 inches above the eaves, 1 inch and 12 inches from each end of the shingle. The first full size course is to be installed directly on top of this starter course. The tabs will now be placed facing down towards the eaves. Nail the first and subsequent courses, again using four nails per shingle, placed 5 and 5/8th inches above the butt or bottom line (approximately 5/8th inches) above the top of each cutout. Then drive a nail 1 inch and 12 inches from each end. To prevent your shingles from future buckling, start nailing each shingle to the end next to the previously laid shingle. Leave a 1/16th inch gap between them. Pop a vertical chalk line for the remaining courses on the roofing felt about every 36 inches and also a horizontal one every 10 inches. This will enable you to align both the top and side edges of each shingle along a straight line.

You also have to stagger the joints between tabs. They must not be aligned in adjoining courses. To do this cut approximately 6 inches off the first shingle of the second course of the rake or side of the slope. Cut 12 inches or one full tab off the third course, then 18 inches off the off the fourth course then 24 inches or two full tabs off the fifth course. Begin the sixth course with a 6 inch length of shingle. Begin this pattern again from the start on the seventh course.

Once the roof’s flat planes have been shingled it is now time to put on the hip shingles if you have a hip roof. These shingles will be overlapped by ridge shingles. You can buy these prefabricated or make them yourself. Cut a standard shingle that has been folded in the middle. Pop chalk lines 6 inches on each side of the hip and/or ridge centerlines. Use these as the guidelines for the edges of these shingles. Start at the eaves of the hip, working your way up the ridge and using a standard 5 inch exposure. Nail one on each side 5 ½ inches above the butt (bottom) of each shingle. Where the hip and ridge intersect cut 4 inches up the center of a tab and nail this so the uncut portion is nailed to the ridge. The 4 inch slit will then overlap and is nailed to the top of the hip, covering the last of the hip shingles. Begin to apply the ridge shingles at the ends, working each end towards the center, nailing a center tab where they meet. Finish with nailing the saddle in all four corners. Cover any exposed nails with roofing cement.

Be proud of yourself now because you’re are all done with your done with your addition’s construction. You’ve tackled a difficult task and created a long lasting, durable roof. This will last you and your addition many years.