(Feb 26) Roofing Steel Goes On

Wow. we had some pretty cool weather (for Texas) in the 20's and we had a lot of ice on the roof. I'm glad we took the extra time to put the plastic sheeting down. I think the tar paper would have held but I was happy to have the extra layer anyway. We built a frame of PT 2x4s and 2x3s as a perimeter around the roof and then across in rows every 2'. This will give us a frame to screw the roofing to without risking holes all the way through to the interior.

Now we begin putting on the steel panels. Took a while to lay them out and figure out the overlaps and where to begin and where we would end but once we got the pattern down, we were able to cut the steel with a circular saw using the blade turned backwards. I was surprised how well it cut. We ripped the 1st piece to start the pattern and make sure we ended on a valley that we could attach at the other end of the roof. We ruined the first blade which was a nice carbon steel tipped one. The next one which was a plain wood framing blade worked fine. The screws were self-tapping with a rubber gasket under the built in washer. We also used butyl tape (sticky putty stuff that comes in ½" wide rolls) to seal between each overlap. I was tempted to pull a chalkline to set my screw pattern but I remembered a blog where someone was talking about being able to see their chalk lines even 3 years after they put the roof on. The panels were only 30" across so it was not a problem setting the 1st and last screw and then going back later and filling in the gaps between. Kim had to constantly reassure me not to over do the screws. Enough to hold it on securely but the more screws we put in it, the more opportunities for leaks. I agreed and successfully held my OCD in check, at least for this leg of the project! :)

We worked pretty hard to make sure the bottom edge, which would be the most visible, was nice and straight. I think it came out pretty nice.