Water will find any imperfection in a roofing system, and once it does the damage it can cause will have you doing some things all over again.
Leaks in a roof are very difficult to locate. Once the water has made its way inside a structure, it will follow the path of least resistance, sometimes traveling many feet from where it entered. Most times the leak is small and damage will not be visible until it is too late.
Wind-driven rain is sure to test the integrity of any roof.
There is no sense in changing a #DIY project into a #DIA NIGHTMARE.
https://hive.blog/hive-189641/@thebigsweed/dia-kind-of-like-diy-but-not-really
One of the most common areas that water will find its way into your living space is through improperly installed STEP FLASHING.
The step flashing is used to seal off the roof shingles where they butt up against a sidewall.
Making your own step flashing is simple and it will save you a couple of bucks.
Making your own flashing will also give you the option of stepping up the gauge of the metal you use for fabricating the pieces.
Standard flashing is made from .009mm aluminum, while the aluminum coil stock I used is .024mm.
Using a framing square gives you a nice straight edge as your guide when scoring the aluminum with a utility knife.
Once your piece of metal has been scored with the knife, simply bend the metal a couple of times to separate it from the coil.
These flashing can be cut with a pair of metal shears, but the cut edge will not be as smooth as the edge of a piece cut with a knife.
Making the flashings this way will also save some time. The straight line is the line to be scored. The smaller lines are where the metal will be folded.
Each leg of the flashing should be 4".
Because I'm using a heavier gauge metal for the flashings, putting a small cut on each side of the metal will ensure that the bend will be perfect.
Using an old rail from the mill to bend the metal around worked great. Any rigid piece of material will work just as well.
In less than an hour, I had all of the step flashing fabricated.
In this picture, you see some standard aluminum flashing. This aluminum can be purchased at any building supply store.
The gauge of this aluminum is very thin. (.oo9)
Bending this material is very simple. Take one piece of flashing and bend it completely in half, then take every other piece and slide it into the folded piece and bend it to approximately a 90-degree angle.
When making the bend you want to bend it slightly under 90-degrees.
In the next two pictures, I will show you why.
With the flashing being under bent, when fastening the flashing to the wall, it will sit tight against the roof shingle.
The two red dots indicate where the flashing should be nailed. Proper location of the nails will keep everything watertight. The nails should be kept about 2+ inches up from the fold in the flashing and about an inch in from the edges.
Here is an example of bending the flashing past the 90-degree mark. Let's see what happens when this piece is installed.
That is not what you want as the flashing is lifting away from the surface it needs to make watertight.
Two different styles of roofing shingles are pictured here. The shingle to your left is the standard three-tab shingle.
The shingle to your right is an architectural shingle.
Each style shingle requires a different size flashing.
The three-tab shingle measures about an inch less in width than the architectural shingle.
Architectural shingle flashing size 8" wide x 10" long
Three-tab shingle flashing size 8" wide x 8" long.
I don't believe I have ever heard someone say, "This is so much fun, I'll do it wrong so that I can do it again."
This was awesome! I loved every minute of it. These are the types of things that I enjoy learning about because as you say the smallest thing will go wrong and you’ll have one hell of a time trying to figure out how to fix it lol.
The bend in the flashing makes total sense. Those are the small things that people don’t think about much but if you want it done right you have to put in the effort to do it. I would have definitely done what you did and put the upgraded aluminum on it. Might be overkill but some of the stuff at the store pre-designed for this gives you about the amount of money you spent on it which isn’t a lot.
Thanks for stopping in @cmplxty.
Having done hundreds of roofs while in business, I learned early on that product and addressing even the smallest of issues is the only way to roll.
A few extra bucks spent on items that will last longer seems like the right move. It makes no sense to me to install a shingle with a thirty-year life span and then use an inferior flashing.
Have a great weekend!
Hi thebigsweed,
Visit curiehive.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Good morning @curie, thanks for the upvote and for taking the time to curate this post.
Waking up and seeing that you folks have stopped in, is always exciting.
Your support is always appreciated and NEVER taken for granted!
Just love how you've gone through this step by step. I just hate having to deal with leaks!
I've featured your post in the Lotus Garden which will be published tomorrow.
You've been curated by @minismallholding for Natural Medicine's homesteading newsletter, supporting gardeners, permaculturalists, foragers, environmentalists and other earth centred relationships with the earth.
CommunityIIDiscord
My apology for the late reply @naturalmedicine. To be featured in the Lotus Garden is an honor.
Thanks, @minismallholding for your support!
Check you out, drawing pictures and stuff. Quite an improvement since that PB&J. Dude have you ever subbed anything out?
This is so much fun, I'll do it wrong so that I can do it again
Stepping up my game, shit I even learned this trick without having to call in the master @dandays. The only thing that hasn't improved since that PB&J post is my cooking.
Electrical work is about the only thing construction wise that I need to call in the troops for.
I have been scoping out some sites on basic wiring, which is what it will take to electrify the sunroom. I'm going to tackle that as soon as we get back from FL.
I'm sure that I'll make the local papers if something goes wrong.
Headlines may go something like this.
Local Hillbilly Sets House Ablaze in Effort to Off Wife.
Local Redneck Missing, Will His Remains Be found Among the Ashes.
Fake news at its best.
Our local volunteer fire department is referred to as cellar savers, by the time they get to the fire that's all that is left.
Lol love cellar savers. That's some funny stuff!
Sweed, after 22 years there, I pride myself in being able to fix whatever it is over the phone. Man, you need any help whether it's just basic info or serious info or recommendations, whatever. Gimme a ring.
You an electrician man? My dads one, grandfather was one and my wife's dad is one lol. Lots of electricity around here! I would've done it as an additional license but it wasn't in the cards at the time. Wish it was but things happen ya know.
Yeah man, journeyman wireman. Swore in to IBEW in 1995. Same on my end actually, in third generation. My grandfather was a wireman too.
That's awesome! There's one thing that I learned working with my dad for years: electrical work isn't a hobby, hire an electrician lol! We cleaned up so many disasters over the years. Was a lot of fun doing it and learning it. Did it for 7 years with him while I was in college.
Oh yeah. People love lights, chicks love hair dryers.
Why only seven years?
Thanks my friend, once again you are there offering your help.
It has been a very sad couple of days here on the farm.
Times like this make me want to let everyone that I care for know how much I love them because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
With that said, I just want to let you know what a pleasure it has been crossing paths with you.
We've never met face to face, but I consider you guys my dear friends.
LOL and that doesn't stand for laugh out loud.
The pleasure's all mine @thebigsweed. Have a safe trip.
Oh man you are rock star when it comes to getting the job done right.
You know with each step of this project I get a little more excited, can't wait to furnish and decorate.
You will reap great returns on this one. And I am not talking about all those single dollar bills I seem to endlessly collect.😁😂🤣😘
My plan is to sloooooow down the construction, that way it will give us some time to save for what you are planning on doing with the interior, that is unless BTC hits 1,000,000.00 by the time we get back from vacation.
GO BITCOIN