New Roof On Cabin - Pt 1

Our cabin has two additions built on to the original cabin and the additions both have flat roofs.  Over the years we have had new roofs, repaired roofs, leaks, patches, branch through the roof and other assorted problems with it.  We finally decided to have a new metal roof installed and started the process on October 2011.  Due to scheduling problems, and other hangups we kept either putting it off or the contractor couldn't do it in the time frame that we were in the area.

Finally, this was the year to complete the job.  We contracted with a local construction company, Bryan Gaul Construction to have him do the job.  We picked out the color in August and finally Bryan worked us into his schedule.  He showed up bright and early Wednesday morning with his three man work crew and started the job.

 First they had to remove all the old shingles and padding.  This looked a lot like back breaking work, but they had special shovels that made it easier to pull up the old shingles.  The trash trailer was parked near the cabin and they shoveled the debris right into the trailer. They had a neat tool with a large magnet that would pick up the old roofing nails and other metal objects.

Shingles removal from the screened in porch, along with some rotted wood.

 Here I am supervising the removal of the bad wood on the porch.  I think they could have finished the job a lot sooner if I hadn't helped them.  Notice in the picture above how bad the pitch is on the porch.  In the winter time the snow would melt and freeze and get under the shingles and eventually rot out the support beams and plywood underlayment.

You can see the rotted roof joists in the top four joists.  This is the part above the bedroom and we've had a leak problem in the corner next to the porch numerous times.  Different roofing contractors have tried to fix it correctly, however they all failed in the long run.  I hope we have better luck with Bryan repairing the problem.

Hey guys, check this out.  It took a few minutes for them to come up with a plan to make the repairs.  In the end the joists were replaced and new plywood was put down.
 

For some reason they decided to work on the small entrance porch first, rather than the bedroom area.  As it turns out, that was a mistake.  It was interesting to watch them work and to see all the equipment they have to make the job faster and easier.  The worker on the right has a machine that inserts the screws in the footers.  The screws are on a plastic belt and he made short work on placing the screws in their proper places.  
 

Bryan is the one not working in the picture above since he is the boss.  Actually, he was a hard worker and all business.  The small porch roof was completed and they called it a day.  

2nd mistake of the day.  It was obvious that we were in for a number of hours of rain.  The only thing protecting the roof was a paper underlayment.  I was assured it wouldn't leak and everything would be fine.

 Then they quit for the day and left without putting the metal roof on the back part of the cabin.  Of course, that is where the flat roofs are and with the heavy rain we received that night, the outcome was easy to predict.

Since I'm writing this a day after this part of the job, I am going to close for now and continue on with day two of the work on Friday.  Stay tuned, it gets better.

We did visit with Sherwin and Linda on Thursday when we met them for dinner.  They are on their way to Tucson for the winter and made Chambersburg, PA their first stopover for the night.  They had a long day of driving and we also had a long day, so it was a quick meal at the Longhorn Steakhouse and some fast conversation.

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal selection and I was very pleased with the chicken I ordered.  We all were fading fast so we took them back to their motel and bid them farewell until we see them again in December.  Thanks for stopping by and taking time for the visit.

That was our day, how was yours?