Re: Tender Foot Needs Advise on Historic Home Purc

by **Jann Woodard** on Mon Mar 01, 1999 12:02 pm

We have purchased an 1899 historic house in dis-repair. The house has the front (main part) of the house running east and west with a gable and joining from the back running north and south are two more gables with a 5ft. flat top roof between. We placed the rubberized rolled roofing on, heating the seams as directed. We still have leaks in this area. Any suggestions??

jann.woodard@eudoramail.com

by **Ken Holmes** on Mon Mar 01, 1999 12:03 pm

Jann,

Any "flat" roof can be a prescription for trouble -- especially if it is nearly flat as opposed to having, say, a pitch of one or two inches for every 12 inches of run.

That said, I can't really get a mental picture from your note as to whether the flat section abuts any sidewalls of the house. If they do, the flashing between the flat section and the sidewalls could be the problem.

Another potential problem with a fairly flat roof is often at the edge. If the overhang isn't sufficient enough, or if the drip-edge details aren't carefully attended to, water clears the edge of the roof too slowly and wicks itself back up under the edge of the roof, along rafters and roofing boards -- and eventually into your living space. (This latter action describes the leaks in a sunporch in my summer place in Maine. Some summer I've got to fix it!)

I hope this helps, Ken Holmes

kholmes@mail.oldhouseweb.com