"Tater" wrote

BTW know anything about replacing steel roofs of 1940s vintage?

Yep. First, get real drunk, to decide if this is a job your really want to, or
have to do yourself, or get it hired out. If the answer is yes, get real, real
drunk, to get you ready for a really miserable job.

Buy a lot of tarps so you can cover the whole house, tear it all off, then start
repairing all of the rotted wood, (note that I didn't say "if" there is rotted
wood) or replacing all of the random width planks, if it is more than about 20%
rotten. Go with plywood, depending on the spacing of the rafters, whether to
use 1/2" or 5/8".

Be sure you have modern amounts of attic ventilation, both inlets on the
overhangs, and outlets, consisting of ridge vents, gable vents, or powered
vents. Powered vents are the best at keeping an attic cool in the summer,
especially if you are in a hot climate. Beef up any weak or rotted rafters.
Houses of that age tend to sometimes have very erratic rafter spacing, and at
times, spacing way too wide. Add new ones, if there are spaces wider than 24".

Always use tar paper (felt) under new roofs. It is a water vapor issue, not a
waterproof issue.

Decide on going with shingles or galvanized steel roof (with baked on enamel
finish), depending on how long you want the new roof to last, and the
aesthetics. Sometimes metal or tiles are desirable in high fire danger areas.
Go with shingles if you are not going to be there for more than 15 or 20 years,
unless shingles would not look right.

Whatever you do, do it right, so you will have plenty of time to fly in the
future, instead of repairing your roof, again. (see how I fit aviation in there?
g )
--
Jim in NC