Carpenter advice.....historic rafter "tails"

[Barnbuilder]

Haha California that would be the easiest! When my Wife and I married we lived in a house that was 105 years young. I was going to remodel it. The more I looked the more I wanted to move. We went to lunch one day and saw a "For Sale" sign. Stopped by and she said " Oh can we call and go see it!?". Sure what the heck. Two months later we were moving the week before Christmas. Glad we moved, miss the $1000 less/month mortgage though. And she finally got a real closet.

 

[jfh28]

Attempting to do any type of repair on the underside is ludicrous if the water leakage issue of the roof/eave is not corrected prior...

the problem the OP is having is due to the roof edge....not the roofing.....the water is running under the shingles at the edge and soaking the decking and rafter tails leading to rot......this is very typical in buildings without proper edge flashing and gutters.......I've seen it many times.......the proper flashing and gutters to correct this situation can only be installed AFTER the damaged wood has been replaced underneath.......there's no reason to replace the roof shingles unless they are damaged and the OP has not said anything about this....the one picture of the roof shows the shingles flat and in place.........what a closeup inspection might reveal I couldn't say......asbestos shingles were mainly a combination of asbestos and cement used from the 20's up into the '60's.......the shingles themselves don't really wear out like asphalt ones it's more they become brittle and break.....most replacement also occurs because they become loose from the rusted fasteners or have prices broken on them.......patching broken shingles is impossible since they obviously don't make them anymore.......the asbestos is only a problem when the shingles are broken and the fibers are released into the air.......this is why you can't just go up there with a rip bar and start wailing away.......Jack

 

[EddieWalker]

....there's no reason to replace the roof shingles unless they are damaged and the OP has not said anything about this....the one picture of the roof shows the shingles flat and in place.......

How do you replace the decking without replacing the shingles?

 

[ddbackhoe]

There are always guidelines for renovating designated historical structures. For Columbus, GA this document seems to be the starting place for property owners:

https://www.columbusga.org/planning/pdfs/Design-Guidelines.pdf

This is really good advice, especially when you look at appendix 5, grant money may be available. This path is often not taken by individuals, but free money is always a good thing. Contacting the building inspections was good advice, but you should start with the Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc. They should be able to explain all of the rules to qualify for and use any grant monies. The foundation also gets to inspect the property before, during and after repair and are probably the ones that spec. out what materials, colors, etc. are allowable to continue a historic distinction. Don't forget to read further and see if the property qualifies for tax freezes and credits.

We have been lucky to get involved with some historic renovations and the rules have to be followed. They can be challenging, fun, frustrating and require lots of time in the library. Figuring out how did they do that or finding the one person that still knows how has definitely been part of the fun and frustration.

 

[MossRoad]

How do you replace the decking without replacing the shingles?

I googled "replace roof sheathing without removing shingles" and got a bunch of hits.... all saying to remove the shingles first. :laughing:

 

[/pine]

FWIW...I've not looked for roofing shingles/tiles per se but I have purchased new siding shingles/tiles that match common asbestos shingles/tiles...I think I found some at Lowes...these are non-asbestos products that are a perfect match for sizes, grain and texture of the old asbestos products...

 

[rScotty]

How do you replace the decking without replacing the shingles?

You do it by first removing the shingles with a flat bar that raises the shingle and nail. Not all the shingles will be re-usable, but most will. It was common practice where I grew up.
rScotty

 

[EddieWalker]

You do it by first removing the shingles with a flat bar that raises the shingle and nail. Not all the shingles will be re-usable, but most will. It was common practice where I grew up.
rScotty

If they are asbestos, I'll take your word for it that you can remove them with a flat bar and not damage them, and then re use them. I have no experience with that type of shingle.


If they are asphalt shingles, and more then a few years old, they always tear, or break on me. I guess there must be people out there who can do this like you can, but I'm no pro at it by any means. As a pro, would you recommend a beginner try to do this? What happens when you tear them or they break in half because they have become so brittle?

Seems to me that removing them is a gamble at best, and replacing them is still the only viable option.

 

[Redlands Okie]

If a person has plenty of time and their real careful and the shingles are in decent shape most of them can probably be salvaged. Are the shingles that hard to match? Keep in mind that every hour or day that the roof shingles are off your increasing the chance of storms showing up that are not forecast. Is it worth it to try to save them? I would be very surprised if it was.

 

[downsizingnow48]

The OP could leave the asbestos shingles there untouched, that is ok. But once removed they would be hazardous waste, which you do not want to be handling repeatedly. The OP could take a minute and call the building department and see if it is OK to re-use old asbestos shingles in downtown Columbus, that would resolve the question. Also, has the OP determined whether it is a designated historic structure or located in a historic neighborhood? As I mentioned before, his best path forward is to have a good conversation with the building department and see what methods and options are available or recommended. The thread has given him lots of best practice suggestions, but he needs to get to the next point of talking with the permitting agency.

If the house was located 10 miles down a dirt road in the middle of a forest and behind a hill, there are a lot of things that could be done, whether best practice or not. In the middle of a dense urban neighborhood, possibly in a historic district, the options are more limited.