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Sagged ridge cap

| Posted in General Discussion on May 29, 2000 12:12pm

*
> Creative flashing for a deck at the rim joist

I’m adding a deck to a ranch style house sided in T-111 siding. The siding is relatively new and securely fastened with stainless steel ring shank nails.

Our local code requires flashing at the joist/house connection, and I really don’t want to remove the sidingto add flashing. I though about kerfing the siding and using a modified “z” flashing siliconed (if that’s a word) into the kerf. The flashing would be between the edge of the decking and the siding and the kerf will be above the deck surface. it seems to me that’s more water-tight than resting the bottom of the siding in or near the water collecting on the top of the rim joist, anyway.

Anybody else have a better idea? I really don’t want to remove siding, and I’m sure I can’t match the paint.

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Replies

  1. Gary_Wibracht | May 30, 2000 03:29am | #16

    *
    Thanks Bob and Red Dog.

    I actually thought I was starting a new thread, but I'm better at finishing drywall than using the computer. Plus I was so wrapped up in the sagging roof problem I forgot where I was.

    I had a similar problem in California where the rafters spread because the collar ties had been cut. I laid short sleepers over the ridge and sheathed over them. I wrapped the bottoms of the sleepers with flashing and shimmed the tops to get a straight ridge. I opened the original ridge for venting and shingled the new site built ridge vent to match the roof. It took care of the sag and added venting that wasn't previously there.

    Thanks again for the deck suggestions. Red Dog - I don't suppose you would send me some simple instructions for starting a new thread? I actually read the instructions off the Fine Homebuilding page before I glommed onto you conversation.

    Thanks

  2. Guest_ | May 30, 2000 02:23pm | #17

    *
    gary... you go to the top of the discussion board you want to post on and click (((add discussion))..
    then you give it a title like ***best damn question ever asked**

    then you can add a body to it and post it.... or not add a body to it....

    or you can go back to work ....and leave the posting to those of us who get paid by the word... like blodgett...

  3. Guest_ | May 30, 2000 02:23pm | #18

    *
    I looked at a house today where the roof ridge cap was sagged, actually being concave at spots. The house had a structural ridge beam (tripled 2x12) and the framers had stopped the roof sheathing an inch or so shy of the ridge, apparently thinking a ridge vent would be used, and, I suppose, the roofers couldn't find a ridge vent to span the beam.

    Questions: is a ridge vent available for such an application? If not, what's the best way to fix this?

    Bob

    1. Guest_ | May 26, 2000 08:59pm | #1

      *bob.. i've sketched this out a few times and all i can sat is dey is screwed, blued , and tatooed..it would have been an easy fix if they had framed it to accomodate a ridge vent.. they COULD have held the rafters up so they came up and over the ridge.. but now, i don't see any way of changing the roof sheathing plane to get it up over the outside member of the triple 2x12...this is just basic incompetence on someone's part...the detail would suck even without a ridge vent..the concave ridge is a leaker for sure... any good builder/designer/ architect could sketch out a proper framing detail that would have accomadated the vent.. now they are going to have to block up the ridge just to have something to support the cap shingles...a tripled ridge should have set off alarm bells all over theplace.b but hey, whadda i no?

      1. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 05:03am | #2

        *Nice roofing job. Bet they mentioned it to no one. The guys who did mine (for the previous owner) dealt with holes rotted in the plank sheathing by putting pieces of flashing over them.Not hard to fix, if I understand you right -- at least I figured you meant the rafters do go to the top of the beam, it's just the sheathing is short -- or the upper corners of the ridge beam could be ripped off -- but how can it be fixed without being obvious? Can the cap shingles be teased off without damage, sheathing fixed and/or support for ridge cap shingles inserted, maybe bituminous membrane placed, and cap reinstalled? If you want venting ... maybe there is a stock vent out there, or astock vent could be divided in half to straddle a 2x down the ridge, or a vent could be site-built, baffle and all.waiting for roofing experts to weigh in!

        1. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 09:40am | #3

          *The problem is the 4 1/2 inches across the top of the beam.Here's a photo of it (note, its a largeish file, 110K -I don't know enough about graphics files to make it smaller - I tried saving as .gif and it got bigger!)Bob

          1. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 09:40am | #4

            *The problem is the 4 1/2 inches across the top of the beam.

          2. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 03:18pm | #5

            *Bob,Thanks for the laugh. Think I would screw a plain metal 12x12 ridge cap the same color over that shit.KK

          3. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 04:02pm | #6

            *Very simple solutin Bob, if you are a boogerin' master. Of course you are not, or you're not listed in the boogerer register.Just goop tar in the flat protion of the ridge. Then, if you are particular, spray paint the tar brown to match the shingles.Or, call the roofers back and demand that they remove the shingles. Then call the framers back and demand that they install the sheathing in conformance to the manufacturer's requirements, and also meet the roofing and ridge vent recomendaations.If they don't want to come back, go after their licenses or sue them.But I still like the gooped up tar solution.blue

          4. Guest_ | May 27, 2000 05:22pm | #7

            *yur pic is exactly the pic i had in my head...and they can do one of two things..booger it ala blue's advice...er rip off the top course, block the ridge .. and install sheathing to support the missing courses and reinstall the ridge cap...assuming they had their calculations right,, they NEEDED (3) 2x12 ..if they did , you can't notch the ridge to allow for ventilation...as i said in post #1....<<<the concave ridge is a leaker for sure... any good builder/designer/ architect could sketch out a proper framing detail that would have accomadated the vent.. now they are going to have to block up the ridge just to have something to support the cap shingles... >>>>>>if the ventilation is required , which i would assume.. then you need an engineer to tell you how much of the ridge can be removed...and a good designer to sketch a correction..this is a major defect that needs immediate correctionb but hey, whadda i no?

          5. Guest_ | May 28, 2000 08:44pm | #8

            *Unless I am missing something,this looks like more of a small annoyance than anything else.Remove ridge caps.2-3 minutes on the roof with a pencil,a bevel gauge,and a scrap peice of wood will give you the measurements and angles you need.Rip 2 pieces of 1X to proper angles and teepee the ridge.The teepee will set on top of the triple 2x12 and you will have cut it to continue the roof planes to their proper conclusion.Toe nail in place.Ad one more course of shingles on each roof plane and cap as usual.Vent elsewhere.Still want to vent this ridge?I would not necissarily recommend it,but you could try the following.----stop thinking of the ridge conventionally. Look at it as 2 shed roofs.There is a type of vent Designed to vent shed roofs which intersect side walls. similar to coravent I believe.Install this vent at existing location. Build teepee to overlap existing roof planes instead of continuing the existing roof plane.Now add the additional required courses and cap.Not that big of a problem,stephen

          6. Guest_ | May 28, 2000 11:27pm | #9

            *Thanks for the thoughts, folks.The house was 10 years old, so we can't go after the contractors. When it was roofed, they included through roof vents every 2' +/- OC (I suspect when they realized they couldn't find a ridge vent to fit - There is a ridge vent on the street-side garage, but that roof is framed conventionally.)I'd post a pic I took, but it looks like you can't do that directly anymore.Bob

          7. Gary_Wibracht | May 29, 2000 12:12am | #10

            *> Creative flashing for a deck at the rim joistI'm adding a deck to a ranch style house sided in T-111 siding. The siding is relatively new and securely fastened with stainless steel ring shank nails.Our local code requires flashing at the joist/house connection, and I really don't want to remove the sidingto add flashing. I though about kerfing the siding and using a modified "z" flashing siliconed (if that's a word) into the kerf. The flashing would be between the edge of the decking and the siding and the kerf will be above the deck surface. it seems to me that's more water-tight than resting the bottom of the siding in or near the water collecting on the top of the rim joist, anyway.Anybody else have a better idea? I really don't want to remove siding, and I'm sure I can't match the paint.

          8. Guest_ | May 29, 2000 02:00am | #11

            *andrew - I don't know about "rot" but it was a real common technique to cover any dead knots in sheathing with a small piece of flashing - when the knot eventually cracked and fell out, the flashing provides backing. Of course, this was in the days before everyone sheathed with plywood. We still find it all time when we uncover shiplap.

          9. Guest_ | May 29, 2000 04:41am | #12

            *Gary,How about not attaching the deck to the house? Keep the two of them independent of each other. Leave a small gap between the T-111 and the decking for water coming off the deck and rain water washing down the sidewall.You'll get more responses on this if you start your own thread.Red dog

          10. Guest_ | May 29, 2000 10:44am | #13

            *Gary, Ditto to MD's suggestion. FWIW, In my neck of the wood's (NW Ohio) most decks are "posted" (e.g., not attached to the house) because property taxes go higher when they're attached!?!Bob

          11. Guest_ | May 29, 2000 05:03pm | #14

            *I'm with you on this one Stephen. The board tepee will easily handle the new roofing materials.blue

          12. Guest_ | May 29, 2000 08:55pm | #15

            *Mike, I was being facetious, although it might not be too obvious.I've gooped a lot of things, but never an improperly framed ridge.Incidently I once had a foreman tell me the roof was done. He had left a six inch hole for the ridge vent. I think a little too much beer clouded his judgment.blue

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