January 28th, 2010
Standing seam roof to shingle roof
This is TCS II; it has a core of stainless steel with a zinc/tin overlay. Look at a dime; copper in the middle and shiny nickel/chromium on the outside; TCSII is bonded and laminated in very much the same way.
Why laminate the stainless you ask? Well, stainless steel stays bright and shiny forever, thats not the look most architects are looking for. The zinc overlay on the stainless core starts out shiny and then develops a patina; a light gray color. By marrying these two metals together you get the best of both worlds; you get the longevity of stainless steel and the beauty of zinc.
TCSII standing seam roof
TCSII is one of the most durable metal roofing products available in the world, during corrosion tests it has surpassed all other metal roofs; even copper.
TCSII skylight flashings
Because it lasts virtually forever, TCSII demands precision, all the flashings and transitions must be mechanically sealed; that means that all overlapping pieces of metal are folded over twice to make a waterproof joint. Caulk and sealant will only last a few years, so any detail that relies on it will fail long before the roof is ready to give up.
There isn’t one drop of caulk on this entire roof.
The shingles you see on the other areas are GAF Timberline Weathered Wood; great shingles.
The zinc coating over the stainless will form a patina in about a year; the final patina will be an even cloudy gray. The panels are shipped with a light protective varnish; the blotches you see are places where my knees and tools have worn the varnish off’; these spots will disappear in a month or so.
If you would like to learn more give me a call or you can visit http://www.follansbeeroofing.com/products/TCSII.aspx
Standing seam metal roof with skylights
- Follansbee TCSII standing seam roof
Tags: Follansbee metal roof, standing seam metal roof, Standing seam skylight flashings, TCSII metal roof, Terne metal roof, TImberline roofing shingles, Timberline Weathered Wood, tin roof
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Standing seam tin roof, Virginia roofing contractor, arlington VA roofing contractor, flat seam roofing, northern va roofing | No Comments »
December 28th, 2009
Rotted Roof decking
How long has it been leaking? Its my first question when someone calls about their roof; and sometimes its hard for my clients to answer.
“Not that long”; is by far the most common answer.
However, “Not that long” can mean a week , or it can mean three months and it can mean four years; it depends on the clients perception of time; sometimes the memory devices people use to date the problem can be quite entertaining. The all time longest was an elderly woman who was able to trace the start of her roof problem with the birth of her grandson in 1999; she called me in 2007.
Water damage happens slowly, then all at once.
Water intrusion is unique in the way it damages a house. Usually roofs don’t fail catastrophically, it starts small and slowly gets worse.
The faster you get to the problem the cheaper it will be to fix. If the leaky roof is ignored the damage and cost for repairs grow exponentially; what might cost $565.00 to repair today could turn into $5,650.00 within three months. If water is allowed to come into the structure for extended periods you not only must repair the problem that caused the leak, but sometimes everything below the leak. By the time three rainy months have passed the insulation in the attic, plywood roof decking, rafters, drywall, electrical outlets, lighting and flooring may have been ruined. There are also mold and insect problems that come up when roofs are let go.
If you are having roof problems don’t wait to call; the sooner you deal with it the cheaper it will be. If cash is tight and you can’t pay for it all, ask us for help. If I can afford it I might be able to extend your time to pay. The universe has been good to me and i find that when I am good to others I’m rarely let down by them.
Leaking roof and rotted decking
Tags: cost to repair roofing, how long can a roof leak, how long can i put off repairing my roof, long term roof leaking, roofing repair cost, when to repair roofing
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Arlington VA roof repair, Northern VA roof repair, Roof leak alexandria, Slate roof repair, VA roof repair, VA roofing, arlington VA roofing contractor, northern va roofing, roofing | No Comments »
December 20th, 2009
Ice dam section view
Ice dams occur when temperatures are low and there are a few inches of snow on the roof. The only way to make it stop is by removing the ice and giving the water a place to flow safely off the roof.
It is extraordinarily dangerous work, so if you are going to do it on your own please wait until you can get a friend to help.
You can also hire a roofing contractor to do the work for you.
The right weather conditions for ice dams is usually when outside air temperatures are in the low 20s (°F) for several days with several inches of snow on the roof.
Research shows keeping the attic air temperature below freezing when the outside air temperature is in the low 20s can reduce the occurrence of ice dams. Research has shown sun exposure in the winter has little effect on attic air temperature. Warm air from living spaces below penetrating into the attic is usually the culprit in the formation of ice dams.
Edit 2/14/10
Watching the news for any more than 25 minutes will have pains shooting down your left arm; their job is to terrify you. They want you upset so you stay tuned during the Folger’s Coffee commercial. Most of what they are saying about the snow on your roof is pretty much all wrong.
When to worry:
1) You have water coming in through the tops of your windows or water coming in along the outside walls. If water is leaking into your house you must stop it, the only way to do that is to remove the huge chunks of ice that have grown along your gutter.
2) You heard an unmistakable cracking sound and then you saw a crack in the drywall at the ceiling or wall. If you saw or heard anything like that then the roof you are under is over loaded. NOTE: Residential roofs almost never fail catastrophically, under the current snow load you have a better chance of winning the lottery than you do of having your roof wind up in your basement.
When not to worry:
1) If your roof isn’t leaking now then chances are it probably won’t.
2) You have huge piles of ice on your gutter; it will melt, relax. The worst that can happen is that the gutter falls off, move the glass patio table out of the way so nothing else gets damaged.
If you are having leaking call us, we can help. Dont waste your money hiring someone to remove the snow from your roof because the anchor man with the comb-over scared you into it.
When the snow and ice are gone you can call me to inspect for any damage.
Tom
Tags: ice and snow roof removal, ice dam removal, ice dam removal alexandria va, ice dam removal arlington va, ice dams, roof clearing, roof dam, snow and water damage roof, snow dam, snow removal from roof, water damage to roof
Posted in Alexandria, Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Arlington, Arlington VA roof repair, Northern VA roof repair, Roof leak alexandria, VA roofing, northern va roofing | 3 Comments »
November 12th, 2009
Before
The interior of this house is being redone, the Owner also decided to give the house a little bit of a face lift.
The existing roof wasn’t in the worst shape, it was a standard three tab shingle that was about 12 years old; no leaks, but it didn’t really add anything to the curb appeal. The Owner plans to stay here for the next 30 years so she wanted a roof she would never have to deal with again.
Shingle roof complete
The shingles we installed are GAF Timberline Lifetime. The color is Slate Blend; this roof with its copper flashings and great shingles won’t require replacement for at least 50-70 years.
This roof does a few things; first, I think it looks fantastic. Secondly, since it will outlast at least three standard roofs it is keeping thousands of pounds of trash out of the landfill.
You can read about how roofing affects the environment here:http://www.lyonscontracting.com/new-environment.html
Copper tile
Since the project started because the house needed an update, the Owner wanted something original, a jewel to make the house unique. If you know Arlington, there are thousands of houses that look just like this one.
We came up with a few ideas; standing seam copper?, no. How about standing seam zinc?,no, too gray and dreary. How about copper tile?, diamond shaped tile? That sounds perfect; do it!!
Bar folder
The machine to the left is a Peck, Stowe and Wilcox bar folder, it’s 135 years old and is one of my favorite machines. It does one thing; it bends a straight angle in sheet metal and is does it perfectly. When fabricating parts that are to be installed sequentially it is imperative that they all be perfect; if just one of these is off by as little as 3/32″ it can throw off the whole pattern.
Copper tile
A closer view of the tile on the porch roof. Each of the tiles are held in place with two copper hooks; I made the hooks out of scrap copper. The hooks are completely hidden so there are no exposed fasteners. All of the copper on the house is bright and shiny now, but in a month or so it will begin to turn a dark bronze color, a few years after that it will start to turn that beautiful mellow green.
I can’t wait to see my tiles with a full green patina, I’ll have to put it in my calendar for 2015 to schedule a drive by.
Copper tile and Timberline roof
Our work is done here; the new architectural shingle roof and the one of a kind copper tiles give the house real curb appeal. The bracing on the front porch will be removed as soon as the mason finishes the new slate walkway.
If your place is getting lost on a block of identical houses give us a call. Id be happy to install a one of a kind roof for you too.
Tom
Tags: copper tile, GAF Timberline, new roof, new shingle roof, roof replacement, shingle roof replacement, timberline shingles, Timberline Slate Blend
Posted in Arlington VA roof repair, VA roof repair, arlington VA roofing contractor, northern va roofing, sheet metal | No Comments »
October 7th, 2009
This is one of those classic examples of a “Roof in a Can”.
Roof in a Can is a term we came up with when describing a repair job we’ve seen; it’s when the person working on the roof can’t figure out the right way to do something so he just squirts caulk over the problem. I have a collection of these pics somewhere, I’ll put them up someday.
Before:
Leaking pipe collar and caulk
These plumbing vents are really close together; too close for the installer to use two pipe collars. The pipe collar is installed on the pipe on the left, the pipe on the right got the Roof in a Can treatment.
I would love to know how the person decided which pipe got the collar and which one got the caulk. Flip a coin? Did he ask a coworker? Did he think the larger pipe was mocking him? Maybe he just wanted the smaller pipe to have the collar, pulling for the underdog on the roof.
copper pipe flashing
This took me about thirty minutes; it’s made out of 16oz copper and will last for the next three roofs. No caulk to dry out and crack, just copper and lead solder. Solid.
There they stand ready to face the weather again. Both pipes treated with practical dignity; flashed with copper and installed with pride.
Caulk is not a roof and caulk doesn’t last, don’t let someone “repair” your roof with a caulking gun.
If you have leaking pipes on your roof give us a call.
Tom
Tags: copper pipe flashing, copper roof flashing, leaking roof, leaking roof vent, pipe collar, Roof repair, shingle roof repair
Posted in Alexandria, Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Arlington VA roof repair, Northern VA roof repair, Roof leak alexandria, VA roof repair, VA roofing, northern va roofing, va | No Comments »
September 24th, 2009
Zinc Roof Dormer
An example of the limitless possibilities with Zinc Roofing
I recently attended a training for an upcoming project; my clients chose VM Zinc for their roof. I have worked with copper, tin, lead, aluminum and steel for years but this was my first exposure to Zinc.
It tools almost identically to copper, it’s a little bit easier to form. Zinc stretches very nicely and when you are forming it with a hammer it’s as if it knows where you want it to go.
Here are some mock ups that were made over the three day course:
Soldering Zinc Sheet
Zinc solders beautifully, it is very demanding (temps, fluxes, cleanliness ,etc) but once you have the technique down there is nothing you can’t do.
Reinforced zinc solder joint
The round dots you see centered on the joint give the joint strength during expansion and contraction. I have soldered miles of tin and copper, but soldering zinc was almost like painting with molten lead.
Zinc skylight flashing
This is a mock up of a skylight or chimney flashing in a standing seam roof. This flashing detail is very clean and simple and will last for an easy 100 years.
Zinc roofing when installed properly offers some of the same benefits as a copper roof. Both will last for at least 100 years with very little maintenance. However if you are looking for longevity but don’t want the green patina on your project then Zinc might be perfect for you.
Zinc will develop a light gray patina within about 18 months with average exposure to rain and moisture. The patina is self healing; if its ever scratched or worn off it will re develop in a matter of months.
Were all looking forward to the Zinc project and I’ll put up some pics when it starts.
If you’d like more information feel free to call or email tom@lyonscontracting.com
or www.vmzinc.com
Tags: gray metal roof, light gray metal roof, standing seam zinc metal roof, zinc roofing, zinc skylight flashing
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Standing seam copper roof, arlington VA roofing contractor, flat seam roofing, metal roofing, northern va roofing, sheet metal, standing seam | 2 Comments »
August 17th, 2009
I’ve had a bunch of people ask me how I made the copper vent in the last post. I had to make a smaller one for the the master bath steam shower; so I took pictures along the way.
Copper vent tube
Make a tube: single lock a copper sheet into your desired diameter and length. You should remember geometry from junior high but if you don’t; multiply your desired opening by 3.14, that will be the size of your flat stock before you roll it. Since the vent tube will be in the weather make sure you solder the back seam. This one is a six inches across.
Copper vent ring
Make a ring: the protection ring will keep out wind driven rain. The outer ring should be about 2.5″ wider than the vent pipe you just made. Same as the other pipe; single lock and solder the seam.
Beaded outer vent ring
Roll a few beads into the copper; it adds strength and beauty to the job.
Struts on inner vent tube
Fabricate three struts to support the outer ring, these can be riveted on. Don’t forget to turn down all of your free edges; you want a place for water to drop off before it reaches the inner vent pipe. I test each vent I make, and I have forgotten to turn down the tabs, it leaks, trust me.
Outer vent ring riveted in place
Rivet the outer ring to the struts, use two rivets per strut and the whole assembly will be rock solid. Also use copper rivets with BRASS mandrels; don’t use the phony copper rivets with steel mandrels; after the rivets are set the head of the mandrel stays behind. When it gets wet it will rust and leave streaks on your beautiful new vent. Spend a couple extra bucks and get the right rivets.
Copper cone vent
Make a cone: the cone should be at least 2″ wider than the inner vent pipe. Rivet the seam and solder.
cone vent set in place
When you make the cone be sure to leave three tabs to rivet the cap to the three struts.
Copper vent
Ready to be brought to the job site. This vent is completely baffled; meaning it won’t leak during heavy wind driven rain or snow. Since it is made from copper it should last at least 100 years.
Standing seam copper roof and copper vent
Solder a flange to your new vent a the proper angle. Clean the roof area, flux and solder the new vent flange and you are good to go.
I hope the photo descriptions helped; if its too much of a job for you or you just don’t have the time I’d be happy to make one for you.
Tags: bathroom roof fan, bathroom roof vent, copper roof flashing, copper roof vent, custom roof vent, metal roof skylight flashing, roof vent, Standing seam copper roof, standing seam metal roof
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Standing seam copper roof, arlington VA roofing contractor, metal roofing, northern va roofing, sheet metal, solder, standing seam | No Comments »
August 10th, 2009
This town house has been gutted from top to bottom by another contractor; when its finished it will be a brand new house inside of the old brick walls. Like many townhouses in Old Town Alexandria this one has been added on to a few times over its 150 year life.
We started on the upper roof of the oldest section of the house, this section got a new White TPO membrane roof. TPO membrane is installed over rigid insulation board and can really cut down on cooling bills. The membrane is bright white and reflects most of the suns rays; making the upper floor a much more comfortable place to be. TPO requires very little maintenance so it is a really good choice when access to the roof is difficult. You can see the mousetrap we had to build just to get up there.
While working up here you could really feel the difference between the neighbors roof (black roof on the left) and our roof; our roof was a relatively cool 80 degrees while you couldn’t even touch the neighbors roof without gloves because it was so hot.
Standing seam copper roof and copper vent
Because the lower roofs are visible it was important to install a period accurate roof. We installed a new 16oz double lock standing seam copper roof over both lower roof sections.
The really cool looking vent is also made of 16oz copper, the vent was custom made for this project and will be venting the hood over the kitchen range two floors below. We wanted all of this roofs components to have the same 100+ year service life, so copper was the only logical choice for this new vent.
The pipe you see on the left side is a plumbing vent; it allows air into the plumbing system. Remember putting your fingertip over the end of your drinking straw? The water would stay in the straw right?; well this pipe vent does the same thing for the sinks and toilets. This pipe is the only soldered connection on the whole roof, all other flashing details are done by creasing, folding and forming complete sheets.
Standing seam copper roof
Finishing up the wall coping and flashings. When designing a roof system it’s really important to think think of the roof not just now but 50 years from now. Everything on this roof is copper; the nails, the rivets, the panels, flashings and even the clips that hold the panels in place are all made from the same gauge copper. When materials are mismatched they create weak points it the roof system. Like all metals, copper expands and contracts with temperature change. Unless allowances are made for that movement and all integral parts are up to the stress the roof will literally tear itself apart in just a few seasons.
Flashing and parapet walls on copper roof
The flashing details we used on this project have been in use for 300 years in Europe, they are completely waterproof because there is no cutting of the copper panels. All of the folds and curved flashings are formed from complete sheets of copper, details like this take a long time but the roof will never ever fail. Although bright and shiny now this roof will be a warm bronze/brown color in about two months; about ten years from now it will begin to turn green (think Statue of Liberty).
Copper roofing has a service life of around 150 years, however if it’s not installed with tremendous care, skill and attention it can fail in a few months.
copper skylight flashing
Tags: coper pipe flashing, copper roof, copper roof flashing, copper skylight flashing, copper wall, seamed roof, Standing seam copper roof, standing seam metal roof
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Standing seam copper roof, arlington VA roofing contractor, metal roofing, roofing, sheet metal, standing seam | No Comments »
July 8th, 2009
Slate Roof Repair Attempt
This is a slate roof in Alexandria, VA. The homeowners had been having some sporadic leaking and hired a company to correct the problem. The solution they came up with was not carefully examining the slates for cracks or checking flashings for pits or holes; that would have been the right thing to do.
What they chose to do was spread no less than five gallons of tar over the entire roof plane; making any legitimate repair impossible. When the roof is covered in tar it locks all of the slates in place, you can’t gently remove one or two without destroying all that adjoin it. Think of it like playing Jenga with all of the pieces glued together, not fun I think you’ll agree. Although some are cracked, most of the slates that are covered in tar were still in pretty decent shape. What happens in the following pictures could have been avoided and the homeowners could have saved a good pile of cash.
Copper Apron Flashing Covered With Tar
The roof was leaking right at the angle change and could have been repaired very simply. All that was necessary was to remove the courses of slate above and below the copper apron flashing; install new copper flashing and new slates. But instead someone with bucket of tar and not even a pair of gloves trashed the whole roof.
I knew he didn’t have gloves because I could see finger prints in a few spots; kind of like the La Brea Tar Pits of poor workmanship.
New Slate with copper snowguards
The old trashed slates were removed and we had to replace a few rotted pieces of 1×6 roof decking. Once the old roof was removed it was plain to see that the leaking was from one place only, however with the roof covered in tar the water was coming in the house in three spots.
We installed new copper drip edging at the eave and along the rakes to keep water from wicking back into the roof. We also installed these copper loop snow guards, the snow guards prevent accumulated ice from sliding off the roof. The guards keep the ice on the roof until it can melt away without destroying anything below.
Finishing Up
New copper valley flashing, new copper apron flashing and new slate roof tied properly into the old slate roof. No can of tar, no mess, just another stone roof ready to serve for a hundred years. By using copper nails to fasten the slates and copper flashings there is nothing on this portion of roof to rust or corrode.
Finished Slate Roof
The slates we installed on this job are from the Buckingham Slate Quarry, it’s about four hours from Washington DC and it produces some of the best roofing slate in the world. Buckingham Slate is graded S1 and has a service life of 125-150 years if properly applied and cared for. The slates above our new roof are not Buckingham and will probably require replacement in the next ten years or so. This will not be a problem, our new roof and apron flashing can stay right in place and the rest of the roof can replaced around it.
If your slate roof is giving you some trouble call a qualified roofer with some demonstrated slate experience. A bucket of tar might seem like a bargain now but it will cost you a fortune in a few months. Even if your roof isn’t having any problems it should be inspected every year, a quick inspection will head off any problems before they get out of hand.
Call if you need me.
Tom
Tags: copper flashing, copper nails, copper roof flashing, roof replacement, slate roof, Slate roof repair, slate roof replacement, slate roofing
Posted in Alexandria VA Slate Roof, Alexandria VA roofing contractor, Arlington VA Slate roof repair, Slate roof repair, VA Slate roof repair, arlington VA roofing contractor, northern va roofing, roofing, slate roof, snow guards | No Comments »
June 12th, 2009
- That’s not insulation
This flat roof had been leaking and rotting for years. It doesn’t take nature long to find a weakness; as soon as you let your guard down animals and plants try to take your house back from you. Generations of birds have been nesting here, this was really gross; lots of bugs, bird skeletons, mouse skeletons and probably 30 pounds of droppings.
Ok; who wants to be a roofer?? Anyone?? Anyone?? Bueller??
No; it isn’t glamorous but its the life we chose.
- Removing the old rotted roof decking
The roof was leaking almost everywhere, when it gets this bad the only sensible thing to do is remove all of the wood decking and start over. To leave even a little questionable wood behind would be like a doctor taking out a little bit of cancer. Wet rotting wood left behind will just make the roof rot again in the future.
- new plywood roof decking
Clean, dry and strong plywood installed and ready for insulation.
- New Iso board insulation
This is polyisocyanurate insulation board, it comes in 4×8 sheets and ranges in thickness from 1″ up to 6″. It does two things; first it protects the roofing membrane from the relatively rough plywood roof deck; second, it provides terrific R-Value keeping the interior cool. If your flat roof doesn’t have positive slope we can install a tapered insulation system to make sure the roof drains clear.
New TPO roof
Cleaning up; now the roof is ready to battle nature again. The bright white TPO roofing membrane will reflect most of the heat from the sun, coupled with the new insulation should make the house much more comfortable and certainly cheaper to cool.
The key to keeping your roof in good shape is regular maintenance. Cut back overhanging trees, clean the gutters a few times a year and have the roof inspected every 18 months by a qualified roofing contractor.
Tags: Energy Star Flat Roof, Firestone TPO, flat roof, flat roof replacement, TPO, TPO flat roof, White Flat Roof, White roof
Posted in Alexandria VA roofing contractor, arlington VA roofing contractor, flat roof, flat seam roofing, northern va roofing, roofing | No Comments »
