Hello,

I want to help someone who does not have the funds to do it right. The roof is sagging and has a number of holes. I'm thinking of tearing off some sections that are badly sagged and nailing in a few pieces of sheathing grade plywood where there are open holes (it will be hard to stop once I start that, but finances are a factor).
I'm thinking of tacking a large, fairly thick, vinyl tarp over the whole mess, just to get them through the winter.
I have a couple of questions (keep low cost in mind):
1.) Is there a better choice than a vinyl tarp (for example, would heavy gauge tar paper be better).
2.) What are the chances that the old shingles have asbestos in them? I'm not looking forward to ripping them off and causing a lot of dust.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and comments.

I believe that I would use ice/storm guard instead. One roll will cover a good bit of area. Use button nails to secure it in place although it usually is self adhesive. The holes by the button nails will self seal. There are several manufacturers but here is one.

http://roofing.owenscorning.co...e-and-water-barrier/

don't know about "sheathing grade" ply, you want good solid water-resistant roof grade. that would be 5/8 exterior BC or thicker with low voids in the plies. depends on the local code.

if the structure for the roof is sagging, you could fall into the house while putting this up. roofs have to hold at least 75 pounds per square inch in this neck of the woods, and when we get very heavy snowfalls you still have to shovel off the weight. check out the rafters first, does no good to cover rotten and split wood.

I'm with redover farm, either EPDM roofing base or storm guard, or roll roofing over tar paper is a short-term waterproofer.

we had a neighbor a block away that had a tarp over the peak of the roof for a couple years... but there was no sagging, it was just where a tree fell and they had to put a slaphappy patch in there. structure counts. nothing else will stay in place if the structure is shifting around.

I can't speak to the technical issues but there may be a code enforcement issue if the roof is covered with a tarp. In my neck of the woods, the code enforcement people are very aggressive, and some neighbors exploit that to their advantage.

When a hole developed in my roof, the code enforcement officer cited me with a violation before I even knew about the hole. In fact, I couldn't even see it. But one of the "observant" neighbors did!

I think you're to be congratulated on your generosity and concern for this homeowner. It's heartwarming to read about your efforts to help this struggling homeowner.

Thank you for your feedback "redoverfarm", "swschrad", and "GardenSprite".
"redoverfarm", I had a quick look at the site you referenced. It seems that I'd need to remove the shingles before putting on "ice/storm guard". True?

"swschrad", I'd love 5/8" exterior BC on my own roof. My roof has wimpy 3/8" sheathing under my shingles. We actually had a tare-off, re-roof, about 7 years ago, but, at the time I hadn't paid any attention to the sheathing. The roofing contractor just went right over it and never suggested upgrading the sheathing.

"GardenSprite", don't you just love "attentive" neighbors. Many years ago, I lived in a different area and had a neighbor call me to point out that my drapes were uneven.

I hadn't considered the possibility of a tarp being a code infraction. It's sweet of you to congratulate me for "generosity". Thank you. I haven't done anything useful yet though.

Today, I got up on the roof and ended up "chickening out". It just seemed like too big a job to try to patch up with a tarp. I didn't know what to do with the plumbing and bathroom vents.

Yes the shingles will need to be removed so that the ice/storm guard is attached to the sheeting. You can just tuck the membrane under the upper row of shingles above the bad area and allow it to lay on top of the lower row of shingles below the bad area.

If this is temporary then you could probably just cover the affected area w/o shingle removal but you need to still tuck/overlay as described above. Then extend it 6-8" on each side over the shingles past the serious areas. I would still nail it down. Not sure the size nails on button nails would be long enough to reach through the shingles. Maybe replace the nails in the buttons w/ 2-1/2" roofing nails. The membrane should heal the nail to keep it from leaking.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: redoverfarm,

Do you know if these folks are eligible for any kind of assistance from the local community goverment? I would think that roofing holes constitute an emergency, health, and safety issue and could qualify for community funds through HUD.

In my area, there's an agency (Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency) that also provides some assistance for emergency repairs. The closest Area Agency on Aging might be able to help locate a similar agency to help these folks.

And there's Habitat for Humanity, although I imagine the lead time to get the roofing project in the queue might take too long given the apparent urgency of the situation.

Rodoverfarm, thanks for the additional information. I definitely want to find out if the shingles have asbestos before removing any of them.

GardenSprite, thank you for the ideas regarding help with funding the project. Definitely worth looking into.

Thanks again.

in some areas, city or county government will be able to front some low or zero interest loans for code-required repairs if you qualify.

sounds like your subjects should.

call the inspector and pose one of those "I got a friend who has a neighbor who knows somebody who... "