I answered a question recently about a someone’s possible attic space, this is what they wanted to know -> “How much space will I have in my garage attic if it is 25′x25′ and the roof pitch is 6?” I believe this person was trying to put a room in the attic of the garage (not sure if it was for a frog or storage)… Here is how you work out this problem. First when someone says they want a roof pitch of 6 they are saying that the roof rises at 6 inches per foot of travel (approx 27 degrees). We will assume that the garage will have a Gable roof, not a Hip roof (a gable roof is like putting two rectangles at an angle at either side of the building with gables on the other sides, a hip roof would have 4 triangles with the points of the four triangles meeting at the apex of the roof like a 4 sided pyramid – for a square roof).
Split the width of the building in half for easy measurement – 25/2 = 12.5ft. If we want to find the approximate area that will be 8 ft in height we will need to take 12.5 ft run x 6 in (.5ft) rise = 6.25ft. – This means that with this current set-up the garage roof will never reach 8ft. We will have to change the pitch if we want to use this space for a frog (or add a 3-4 foot wall before adding the roof, which would raise the roof). If we change the roof to a 12 pitch (45 degrees), we will reach 8 feet rise in 8 feet of run – this means that we will have 4.5 feet of floor space in 12.5 feet of run (12.5 – 8 = 4.5) and 9 feet in a 25 feet of width. If we take the total length of the gabled roof 25 feet x 9 feet for the width = 425sq ft. This is approximate square feet, it could be more or less depending on framing, usage of areas under 8ft., etc. Remember when you change the pitch to 12, there will be more shingles and more rafter material. Also the roofer will charge you more because 12 pitch is too steep to walk on without some sort of mechanical assistance (usually 2×4 toe boards). Compare price and design with adding 4 feet of wall after the floor level and determine which one fits your budget and house best.

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Here I go again…on the roof. I am making another trip onto my flat roof, and of course its leaking again. I know I have said it before but here it is again – Do Not Put A Flat Roof On Your House! -

Well I got up on the roof today with the intent to shoot a quick video, and of course ended up running out of gas for my torch. This is my first attempt at a video, I know its a little sorry but home improvement is much easier when you can see what is going on. This will be a new adventure for me and I hope it works well. If you guys have any hints or tips in this area, please let me know…I am of course going to keep on with everything else, but I would like to add DIY videos and more illustrated blogs….we’ll just see how this works.

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Ever wondered if you should put a flat roof on your house?…If you have any other option I would advise that you use it. Flat roofs are about the most troublesome roofs to troubleshoot and repair. Usually when I am repairing a damaged roof or looking a leak its on a flat roof. The problem is that the water has time to pool when you have a very low slope or no slope. Water pooling always seems to find a way to where it is not supposed to go. Water pooling also causes the roofing materials to degrade and rot. I currently have a flat roof on my house (I bought it that way). The person that owned it about 30 years ago decided to add 400 sq ft to the house, and decided a flat roof would be easier than the alternative. I have pulled the ceiling down in several places in this addition only to notice that it has about 30 years of constant repair. The roof looks like it has been built over at least 2 times, and there are various parts of the construction that have seen many repairs. I have myself worked on this roof at least six times in the last three years, two times in the dark because I knew rain was coming. The last repair was just two days ago, and of course like the others I am thinking this will be the last of it. Here are some pointers if you decide that you want a flat roof or do not have a choice. First, if at all possible, do not run any plumbing vents or any other kind of vents through the flat roof. Secondly, do not sit anything on the flat roof (like an AC, or Solar heater, etc). Lastly, use an excellent roofing material. When I say excellent, I mean a product that has a warranty over ten years (twenty is preferred).

As usual, if I missed anything, please comment.
Luke

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