Diy Metal

Diy Metal

Installing a Standing-Seam Roof: Really a DIY Job?

If you're seriously considering a DIY standing-seam roof installation, you'd best bone up on your general knowledge regarding what is undoubtedly a great roofing solution. While successful amateur installations are not unheard of, your surest bet is to seek the help of a professional. Standing-seam roofs are made of numerous interlocking panels, which run vertically from the ridge, or edge, of the roof to its apex at the eave. The seam where any two panels interlock is raised just above the surface of the roof, allowing water to run off the roof without it dripping in between the panels. This simple structure belies numerous details of installation that, if not properly attended to, can lessen the efficacy and lifespan of the roof.

Also, should you choose to hire a professional accomplished in the craft of roofing, you're probably not going to find yourself looking at roof installation costs that are anywhere near as expensive as those of ordinary clay or fiber-glass shingle installation. Metal roofs in general and standing-seam roofs in particular are lightweight (between 1 and 2 pounds apiece), making them very easy to move around. They can also be installed over the old roof, which eliminates the time and manpower it might have required to tear the whole previous layer of roof off.

This is why, if you've already got your roofing materials, that trying to do a DIY standing-seam roof installation is going to be so much more trouble than it's really worth. If this sounds like a load of codswallop to you, and you intend to forge on no matter what the challenges, then here's a couple of metal roof installation tips. First off, after everything's been covered with a protective plastic membrane to prevent unexpected water seepage from entering the house, you should put down some roofing paper. Scratch that - lots of roofing paper. In fact, it needs to fill just about every bit of roofscape you can find, including the roof valleys (these are the spaces in between roof surfaces, which often resemble gutters). On top of that you'll need to lay a ridge cap, a preformed cover that fits over the roof's peak. The edges of this will be covered by your shingle, but it rounded apex will still peak out from the shingles, giving the roof it its essential character.

Now that that's all done, you're ready to start worrying about the shingles, or roof paneling. Ask around at the construction outlet or hardware store where you first procured your shingles and find someone that can demonstrate the manner in which the shingles need to be fitted together. If you haven't bought the materials yet, you should know that there are a bunch of companies that make panel solutions that are really easy to clip into place, designed for DIY standing-seam roof installation and requiring nothing but your hands and perhaps the most rudimentary assortment of tools. Check out the website of Permanent Roofing Systems (permanentroofing.com), where you'll find a PDF full of DIY metal roof installation tips available for download and instant reference.

If your roof is irregularly constructed - with features like skylights, dormers or chimneys - then you need to reconsider what your goal is in doing this job on your own. In such cases, pre-made shingles just aren't going to be enough to cover the entire roof surface. The irregular areas are going to require custom-cut shingles, and working with a saw and some chalk just isn't going to be enough. What's needed is hydraulic shear called a break, a portable device used by professionals to shape standing-seam panels on-site, a feat that would take a human ten times as long to replicate.

Should you attempt to do the job yourself, the most likely result will be a standing seam roof that either looks slapped together or else is easily damaged by leaking or swelling ice caught between panels. This is when the cost of DIY standing-seam roof installation can actually outstrip that of professionals - because you'll probably need to redo the entire job at some point.

If under such circumstances you persist in your DIY efforts, the odds are that patch jobs around irregular areas are either going to look bad or result in your standing-seam roof being compromised, leading to leaking and other forms of weather damage, such as the negative effects that swelling ice can cause when caught between panels. Properly installed standing-seam roofs are subject to warranties of up to fifty years, given the nigh-on invulnerable hardiness of the materials. So don't skimp now - a once-off investment could leave you with a roof that lasts a lifetime.

DIY help needed for a fence post?

It's not technically a "fence" post. It will be a metal post to secure a chain gate. The post will be 2-3" in diameter. I want the post to be approximately 48" above ground. The place where it's going in has some old asphalt and/or concrete, but it's old and worn down. I do need to remove the old post that broke off at ground level.

I'll be getting the post from a welding shop because I need to have eye bolts welded on for securing the chain.

You don't NEED to remove the old post. You could move the new hole to one side or the other. Aesthetics will determine this. If you don't mind the old post at ground level, then just leave it.