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Installing a metal roof on a woodshed

Buzzsaw | Posted in General Discussion on July 7, 2005 07:51am

I am currently building a woodshed out in my yard for storing my firewood and boards that I have cut for logs for building furniture.  The woodshed is pretty much a 4’deep  by 20′ long by 6′ high (7′ in the back) structure with an open front.  It will pretty much look like a front porch if you are looking at it straight on with the roof sloping toward the front of the building. I didn’t want the roof sloping to the back because all I can think of is an outhouse. The roof is a 3 in 12 pitch.

I really want to install a metal roof on this structure and I’ve been searching around for a book or a video on how to install the panels.  I have seen the ProPanel II at HD and this is probably what I will be buying.  I plan on putting 1X4s as strapping over the rafters and installing the panels on top of these with the screws that are recommended with these panels. I want this to look professional but I am not a roofer so I’m a little unclear about when to use flashing, etc. Also since this is like a half of a gable roof what do I do on the ridge as the roof will just end at the ridge and what do I do at the ends of the metal roof in the front and the sides.  So I’m really looking for a book that will have pictures on installing a metal roof or a web site that will describe installation.  Any help? I can post pictures after I get the rafters up which may be after this weekend.

Regards,

Buzzsaw

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Replies

  1. User avater
    johnnyd | Jul 07, 2005 08:37pm | #1

    Short of actually finding a book or website that will help, you might try visiting a nieghbor of friend who has a metal building (Morton or similar) and look at the detailing they use.  Then take that knowledge to the lumber yard and find the actual pieces required.

    1. User avater
      Sailfish | Jul 07, 2005 09:12pm | #2

      be sure to search Breaktime

       

      here's a link too

      http://www.semetals.com/MetalRoofing/5V-CRIMP_DETAIL_MANUAL.pdf-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      "Have you seen my baseball?"

       

       

  2. DanH | Jul 07, 2005 09:15pm | #3

    Fer cryin' out loud, this is a WOODSHED! Just nail/screw the stuff down and don't worry about it.

    1. User avater
      Sailfish | Jul 07, 2005 09:20pm | #4

      With 2" Piffins screws-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      "Have you seen my baseball?"

       

       

      1. Nails | Jul 08, 2005 04:15pm | #14

        sailfish..."with 2in Piffin screws."  Naw..naw ...naw.........1 5/8 in , you can get from your drywaller or your cabinet hanger ,Piffin's probably got some "used ones" he would part with .      :)

    2. Buzzsaw | Jul 07, 2005 09:56pm | #6

      I understand Dan but I really would like to learn something with this project rather than just screwing it down and then end up having leaks and, on top of it, having it look like cr&p...I'm a pretty meticulous guy and may be closing in part of this woodshed on one end for storage. Just want to do it right...Regards,

      Buzzsaw

  3. User avater
    boiler7904 | Jul 07, 2005 09:52pm | #5

    Try looking at http://www.pac-clad.com and click on "drawings/pdfs" at the bottom of the page.  This will bring up a matrix of their various panel systems and applicable details.  From what you've said, peak 143 is the ridge condition that you are looking for.  Based on using Pac-clad and several other metal roof systems for commercial projects, the details that you see will be similar in nature to what other manufacturer's will suggest.  Hope this helps

     

    1. Buzzsaw | Jul 07, 2005 10:04pm | #8

      great site.  thanks for that...i knew i came to the right place...Regards,

      Buzzsaw

  4. User avater
    CapnMac | Jul 07, 2005 10:01pm | #7

    so I'm a little unclear about when to use flashing, etc.

    Try this page out:  http://www.stockyardsupply.com/page25/metalindex.html

    Here's installation destructions:  http://www.mtlsales.com/Technical/TechSheets/ProPanelII-TS.pdf

    It can be worth a bit of browsing to find more.

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
    1. Buzzsaw | Jul 07, 2005 10:39pm | #9

      CapnMac,

        Thanks for the sites.  I already had the mtlsales.com one but I'm looking for more detail on what to do at the edges.  I think the best thing might be to find one in my town that has already been done and just start snapping some pictures...Regards,

      Buzzsaw

      1. User avater
        Sailfish | Jul 07, 2005 10:50pm | #10

        did you not see my link?

        It has what your asking about-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Have you seen my baseball?"

         

         

        1. Buzzsaw | Jul 07, 2005 11:33pm | #11

          thank you sailfish.  this gives me a lot of the detail that I was looking for. I still would like to find a book that shows, in detail, someone actually installing each of the items shown in the link. Something like the shed book that I have that shows someone building the base, walls, framing the roof, installing shingles, etc...thanks a lot...Regards,

          Buzzsaw

          1. User avater
            Sphere | Jul 08, 2005 01:35am | #12

            I still await the secret of "storing boards for log furniture"...Man, do you reassenble them?  Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            Iffin ya cain't spell it, don't eat it

          2. Buzzsaw | Jul 08, 2005 02:23pm | #13

            i apologize.  i wrote that incorrectly.  i meant to say for storing boards that have been milled. this shed will give me the ability to dry boards for furniture...Regards,

            Buzzsaw

          3. DanH | Jul 11, 2005 08:06pm | #15

            This really isn't rocket science but half the job is in the planning. You want to plan the length/width of the roof to not leave too much waste and not leave you with a narrow strip on one end. It looks nicer if you can plan it to be essentially symmetrical left-to-right.Plan how much "eave" you want. Generally (depending on style) corrugated roofing is quite stiff in the up-down direction, but not so stiff side-to-side. You can generally go a foot or so beyond the roof framing in the up-down direction, but if you go more than about 4" on the sides you should have purlin extensions to support the edges.(When planning the down-side edge, consider head height and the hazards of bumping your head against the metal edge. If there is any danger of this, change your design or install some sort of wood detail on the bottom edge to protect sculls from the metal.)On a shed roof there's no real flashing to worry about. If you want a really weather-tight building (not really an issue for an open-sided woodshed) you can get wood or foam sealer strips, cut to the same profile as the metal, to seal between roofing and frame on the uphill and downhill joints. Along the sides the "profile" will be fixed, and simple wood or foam strips can be used.Fastening the roofing to the building takes a little thought. For profiles that have frequent corrugations it's better to fasten on a "hill" than in a "valley", but for some profiles you have mostly flat metal and can't do this, at least not all the time. When fastening on a "hill", you need to have some sort of spacer under the roofing to keep it from crushing. If pre-cut wood (or perhaps hard plastic) purlins are sold for the material you're using then those work fine. Otherwise, plan where the fasteners will go and pre-place spacers on the framing as needed. If you can plan to have a rafter under each "hill" where the fasteners will go, then a simple extension on the rafter top will work. If you instead screw to purlins (which lets your rafter spacing be relatively independent of the profile of the roofing), you will need spacers of some sort.Fasten with gasket-headed screws or nails. Generally a fastening schedule will be specified for the material you use, but using more fasteners rarely hurts. Be sure to use fasteners long enough to reach down through any spacer and into the rafter/purlin.Be sure you don't get ahead of yourself and fasten down an edge that will be overlapped with the next piece. Wait until both pieces are in place to install fasteners along the joints.The only thing really resembling "flashing" you might want to do is to pop-rivet a narrow (eg 3-inch) strip of your roofing to the underside of the upper edge, a few inches from the wall, to provide a drip edge so that water doesn't run down the underside of the roofing and into the building. Or just a bead of caulk or construction adhesive can applied to the underside of the upper edge, about 2" from the wall.

          4. Buzzsaw | Jul 11, 2005 08:22pm | #16

            Dan,

              Thanks for the information.  I especially like the idea of using a 3" piece of the roofing material underneath the peak to prevent water from backing in.  I just asked this question to Framer. You say pop-rivet this on. I never used pop rivets. Do these require a special gun of some sort?  You see, I am a novice...Regards,

            Buzzsaw

          5. DanH | Jul 11, 2005 09:30pm | #17

            Short sheet metal screws will work just as well, if you don't have a pop rivet gun.

          6. Buzzsaw | Jul 11, 2005 10:12pm | #18

            Dan,

             Is this what you are referring to. Would the 3" piece of roof underneath hang like shown?Regards,

            Buzzsaw

          7. DanH | Jul 11, 2005 10:21pm | #19

            No, just flat against the roof, with maybe the lower edge pried downward a tad. You just need a very slight dip to create a dripline that will keep the water from running down the underside of the roof and into the structure. What's critical is that it be tight against the roof on the upper edge, so that water doesn't run between the two very easily. If you can't get the two pieces to fit tightly together then it would be better to go with the bead of caulk instead.

          8. Buzzsaw | Jul 11, 2005 10:32pm | #20

            So the bead of caulk would go underneath the roof a few inches in from the peak and just run that the complete length of the roof?Regards,

            Buzzsaw

          9. DanH | Jul 12, 2005 12:17am | #21

            Yeah. That's the basic idea, though probably closer to the wall than the roof edge. You just want a bump there where the water will travel down and get "trapped" so it drips off vs clinging to the metal and running down to the structure.

          10. Buzzsaw | Jul 12, 2005 02:46pm | #22

            Ok Thanks...Regards,

            Buzzsaw

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