Bitumen Woes

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

adzeman

Established Member
Joined
5 Jul 2008
Messages
513
Reaction score
0
Location
East Sussex
We have had some fine weather over the past week and there are a number of jobs which were required to be started or completed. At the top of the list is to replace the roof to the workshop, damaged by the wet heavy snow earlier in the year. I am blaming the snow but it could have been me! The roof is corrugated bitumen and at the eaves prior to insulating between the sheets and the purlins I foamed the corrugation gaps to form a seal. These are rigid with no flexibility at the eves. I should have done the gaps at the purlins so, when it snowed the sheets flexed and twisted not springing back. Consequently I now have a roof that is as watertight as a colander letting in water at the lower end where my machines are placed. Because I had insulated the roof space I was unaware of the fault until we had the first heavy downpour and one bay of insulation was on the floor in a soggy mess. Fortunately it was in a spot where there was no kit or electrics giving me time to move everything into the garage.

As this section of the Forum is called “projects and mistakes” and I have
Made a few, mistakes in particular, I thought it would also give an opportunity show my home workshop and progress in renewing the roof and………….
Friends and relations in the North are interested and this is a good way of letting them know.

I have been in this property for two years now and the shed (workshop) was here at the bottom of the garden.

3483332085_30e7942237.jpg


The shed was covered with rampant clematis, honey suckle and a viscous berberis. Some was growing inside the shed through the corrugations and gaps in the cladding. The door being difficult to open and close so, a pruning, repair job was in order. Fascias erected, trellising to tie the plants back and what I think are called Brea Solais fixed over the doors and windows.

3483332551_d152119384.jpg


Now the problem...

A Leaking Roof

3483337751_42ef80cd09.jpg


This is a view on the under side showing a joint, 50mm from the purlin, a 70mm x 50mm timber laid on the flat.

You will observe some foam filler at the eaves which I used instead of the proprietary PVC strip filler which at a £1.00 is more expensive than a £5.00 can of foam. How much this has contributed to my problem not sure. The foam sets rigid, the strip foam filler is flexible and would possibly have sprung back when the snow melted. Also thought that when the foam continued expanding when setting would push the sheets upwards, but it didn’t. Does keep the insect out though and the spiders in, who are reduced in numbers and very thin.

3484152282_981f7cb719.jpg


View to the other Truss where there is also a sheet edge joint. You can see daylight here which did not come out on the photo.

This stripped area shown is where I propose to install a Roof Light, directly above my Radial Arm Saw. (see drawing)

3484153108_ab0eae8590.jpg


But before I sart stripping I must complete the roof light. Intended to start this weekend but all I got was rain.
 
adzeman,

Have you considered polycarb? 32mm sheets will give you strength over a long span and some insulation. My workshed has a poly roof and the amount of light is huge as the sheets are clear. To be honest its a bit too warm in the shed when the suns been up all day!

Scroll down on this thread to see a few pics of the roof:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... c&start=15
 
TRy and keep the montana rubens to the left of the door, they smell BEAUTIFUL at about 6 pm, good luck with the roof.

Rich.
 
Looks good owtintshed certainly improves the natural light levels.
I have this air management fan which I aquired, still not decided if to pull in the fresh air from the roof surface?
Still think it was a mistake when I sealed the ends of the sheets with foam, too rigid.

:D Give my regards to the Land of Green Ginger

Regards
 
Thanks Rich, is that the Honeysuckle? To be honest when I moved in I wanted to strip them out but S.W.M.B.O. insisted they stayed. First year I pruned them well back which gave me the display this year, but I have to tell you they need a lot of attention, its like fighting Triffids. :D

Regards
 
No mate montana rubens is a clematis, and will come back year after year, all you need to do is cut back the new growth every so often, the aroma is DELICIOUS. :D keep the honeysuckle too, they invite bees and butterflies and encourage further growth and pollination resulting in homegrown honey, and all for nothing, that's worth something in this day and age.

Rich,
 
Thanks for that Rich
:D Forecast is good for the weekend and bank holiday so must call into the timber yard this afternoon so I can build the roof light.[/img]
 
Here are the latest photos from the shed project:

Materials laid out ready for machining.

3504685137_a0be079ab3.jpg


Jointed and assembled

3505495710_491fb53410.jpg


Cleaned up ready for top frame

3505497452_c88b642b70.jpg


Top Frame fixed

3505499164_e368edc22b.jpg


Top frame pelleted

3504691927_d9dd2e2373.jpg


Next job is to clean up the frame and edges need to be rounded off to receive the roof felt and then I can start making the base frame for the opening fan light.
 
Looking good Mike and very interesting too, I see your Daniel deronda's are out to the right of the door, another lovely clematis and you should get 2 flowerings, mine have just erupted this week, keep the pics coming.

Rich.
 
Thanks Rich, they came out since the last post. The viscous pyrocantheus should give a good show this year.

Have tried the box up dry just make sure it fits and it does.

Thoughts running through my head at the moment, do I fix it prior to stripping the existing roof deck? Do I hinge from the bottom of the slope (as the sketch, or at the top?
 
Latest Pictures
[DSCN3177] [DSCN3178][DSCN3179][DSCN3180][DSCN3182][DSCN3184][DSCN3185][DSCN3186][DSCN3180][DSCN3187][DSCN3187][DSCN3189][/img]
 
You are so right Dave but it was a bit more than brain fade more like senile decay!
Kept losing the signal last night plus other interuptions Will try again tonight.
Cheers
 
Interesting thread as I've been thinking of doing something similar to stop the rain and drafts creeping in through my corrugated asbestos roof - nice to know expanding foam does work! :wink:

Did you have to run any sealant up and down the joins on the outside?
 
Hi OPJ No I did not run any sealant. The problem I have with the bitumen sheets is there flexibility. By injecting the foam into the corrugations made them rigid at that point but still flexing mid span so the became twisted and mishaped.
You would not have that problem with corrugated asbestos though I would be concerned with asbestos sheets on my roof.
If there condition is good then thats the time to remove them. as long as you double bag them and deposit at a registered tip its quite cheap. If they are in poor condition its a risk to your health and also costs an arm and a leg to remove
 
Back
Top