Yeah, you knew that. But I mean right now I’m literally lame, as in I’d need a good reason to painfully stumble across the room and brew a cup of tea. Overwalked. I’ve been on my feet and actively working since 6:30, and now at 4:30 I can sit down. I’m in pain. And I was just trying to keep up with two 70-year-old guys.
But we got everything done I hoped for!
This is the Lair’s new profile…
Rear view…
Of course there are no windows or doors yet. In fact one window and the door won’t arrive until next weekend.
I’ll obviously be working on this thing all through the summer and beyond, as resources permit. But the shell is up, and the roofing is totally complete except for two sides of front and rear drip edge, which goes on last but which I do possess.
The flashing I ordered got completely dicked up by the lumber yard. It was not actually for nothing I ordered this particular metal roofing, which happens to be exactly like the thousands of square feet of metal roofing laid down, often in exciting geometric patterns, by Neighbor D. The lumber yard sent me twice as much drip edge as I needed and no flashing at all. Now, numerous readers have quite correctly pointed out that the Secret Lair’s roof flashing is rather lacking. True, but the damage the current inadequate roofing can do to the main structure is pretty much nonexistent given the climate. But even I know that you don’t attach a lean-to structure to a vertical wall without serious layered flashing, because the water running down the wall has no choice but to flow into the room with the occupants. And their textiles, and their electrical appliances, and all that jazz. You just don’t do it. I physically described the flashing I was specially concerned with. Really. I didn’t neglect it. And they sent me too much drip edge and no flashing at all.
Flashing such as Neighbor D had 20 feet of, in his barn. 😉
It all took longer than expected, which shouldn’t have been unexpected. But this job’s principal screw-up has to do with the unintended consequences of my panicked last-minute snap decision.
(Landlady will back me up on this, she was there.) When I ordered the materials, I freaked out over the price; I simply spent more money than existed to be budgeted for the job. Landlady bailed me out. I had to cut somewhere, and on impulse I cut the OSB roof sheathing, that needed to go under the metal roofing. I did this because (I figured) I could go without it. I had five spare sheets of T1-11 squirreled away, and it’s basically 3/8 exterior plywood, right? A little thin, maybe, but it’s going over 2X6 joists and under lifetime metal roofing. What could go wrong?
Neighbors S and D…
That’s S on the left, D on the right
…agreed that it could be done, but not with joists on 24″ centers. I had 10 10′ 2X6s, and suddenly I needed 14. Also more hangers. Also more hurricane straps. Scrounging ensued, and it and the extra labor took extra time. But S&L stuck with me until the last full sheet of sheathing went up on the walls. (I left the very last one off so I could get in and out.) Other neighbors lent moral support (there really wasn’t room for more than 3 people to work) and food and such. In fact L of S&L…
Unexpectedly brought refreshments today about 11, and almost made a terrible mistake. Having already dug herself pretty deep but at the very last moment before irredeemable disaster, she stopped trying to drive to the Lair in an ordinary low-slung 4X2 car. Even where she stopped it, she needed help getting out. No ordinary car has ever visited the Lair, nor ever should try.
But we sure appreciated the watermelon. 🙂
I am very sore. I have to go talk to a man about a paying gig on Tuesday, and tomorrow morning I have to go to town, but other than that I have literally nothing scheduled.
Little Bear was kind of freaked out by this whole thing, but he really did try to be a good boy. When Auntie L showed up, he howled for attention from a familiar voice. But other than that he stayed out of the way and didn’t actively offer futile resistance.
Even with the flashing, is the pitch of that roof sufficient for your climate?
Oh that’s great to see Joel! My thanks to your neighborly neighbors. Sometimes it truly does take a village. Yes on the layered flashing, and yes on taking the time to do anything you can do to make it air and water tight. In future years, you will be happy you did.
I know it’s way too late to point this out, and there are certainly factors that I haven’t considered, but since you made the bedroom the full depth of the original lair, it wouldn’t have taken much more material to “go full size” and extend the original roof line so that your bedroom wouldn’t look like an addition.
Given that it’s basically dried in, and you make mention both of your lameness and the possibility of a paying gig, it’s probably time for you to give construction a rest for a few days.
Miller time! (Or, have a beer)
Mark there may be a few very isolated gullywashers where I’ll wish I had more pitch. And I’d really have given up a few inches of headroom for a little more than I’ve got. But that only became clear when progress was much too far along. And even considering that there might be some twice-a-decade downpours that back up water against the wall. that wall is pretty well sealed now. The flashing is six inches up under the siding, which is interlocking.
What Ben said. From the photo it looks like no pitch to the roof at all! How much did you allow? Gotta have something to make water run downhill (and with enough wind, it runs uphill too).
Again, the roof has a quite shallow pitch but it does have a pitch. I confirmed it with a level. Considering that everything you look at is on a slope here, it’s easy to fool the eye. I’ve got upright timbers I’d swear are tilted, when a level bubble always assures me they’re fine.
It looks to my unschooled eyes like you have flashed that job pretty well. Still, you are likely to have some good rains before you get the interior walls in, and that will be the time to pro-actively search for any signs of water intrusion. Its far easier to find and fix leaks before your walls are closed, rather than after. It’s amazing the places that water will find to seep in!
Also, wait until funds show up if necessary, but insulate that thing as if you were building a meat locker. Good insulation will forever pay dividends in comfort and future gas consumption.
Mark & Terrapod: I live in an area that seasonally sees torrential rain and tropical winds, but snow isn’t much of a problem. “Flat” roofs are common here, especially for additions. I think that steep roof slopes are mostly about limiting snow load.
Each type of roofing has a minimum pitch specified somewhere that ensures no water intrusion through the roofing joins. Likely Joel’s addition meets that.
To those concerned: metal roof pitch is largely a function of snow load shedding and ice dam avoidance rather than for water drainage. Water will drain nicely off a metal roof pitched as little as 1/2 to 12. If it ever backs up because of ice dam or debris it will pool and leak, but joel would never allow that. Right joel?
Source: am contractor 16 years,.
But is that roof pitched at even 1/2:12?
Guys. Please. I tried to tell you before, you’re looking at false perspective. The ground slopes more than the roof, so it looks as if the roof doesn’t slope.
The roof pitches (I just went out and measured it, just for you) 9 1/4 inches in 8 feet. That’s more like 1:12, if I understand the roofing term correctly.
Really tired of this topic now. How ’bout them Trump tweets?
Good on ya, Joel!
The pain will fade (at least somewhat), but you’ll still have a nice addition to the Lair! Did you remember to dig the pool beneath it for the piranhas, to which to consign failed or insufficiently evil minions? Or maybe a snake pit, considering the climate. An Evil Overlord’s Secret Lair must, of course, be tailored to the requirements of the Overlord in question.
Nice work!
Glad you’ve got that much pitch on the roof, and per Goober that should be plenty. I realize that one cannot consider ground to be “level”. I was instead looking at the studs and top plate still showing in the second photo, and was assuming they were somewhat level and plumb.