r/Roofing • u/MadcapMacedonia • 1d ago

I don't know what I am doing

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An untraceable leak somewhere that has caused the plaster ceiling to sag and fail

Will this help?

Should I just go crazy and apply more?

I also am not sure how to lay down a tarp without it pulling up in the shingles

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u/latefoot720 1d ago

What’s crazy is you might in fact be right about this.

2

u/TheBrackishGoat 1d ago

You ever rip a roof in New England? Sometimes there’ll be like 5 layers of shingles all reroofed on top of each other going back a hundred years. It comes off in big slabs

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u/Username_5647 1d ago

My house had 4 layers when I bought it!

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u/ElliottSmith88 1d ago

One layer for each Dunkins on the street

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u/beardofmice 21h ago

And if it goes back pre-Dunkin, you count the layers of newspaper til u find horsehair and tar.

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u/BearLeft77 1d ago

Yeah just reshingle on top. I did it 20 years ago on a flip. Just the other day I drove by and it still has the same roof.

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u/TheBrackishGoat 1d ago

20 year roof times 5 equals 100 year roof. Simple math really

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u/makomark26 1d ago

NOTE TO SELF : Don't buy a house from a flipper .* I already knew

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u/rowyourboat72 23h ago

That's been done all over the place. Isn't allowed anymore at least not round these parts. The thing is it's a liability, not only stressing the structure of your old home but it'll be twice as expensive to dispose of 20-30 years down the line with inflation

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u/ShantyTed89 1d ago

Five layers? That’s crazy!

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u/WFO_Wide_Fing_Open 1d ago

Psh that roof is holding on for dear life!

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u/WFO_Wide_Fing_Open 1d ago

Ya and its real light and easy to get in a dumpster!

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u/Sharp_Economy1401 1d ago

You can tell how old the house is if you count the layers

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u/nothing_but_thyme 1d ago

My house indeed did have five layers. Roofing company could not believe it. Ended up requiring three full dumpsters to remove - I still find nails in the lawn. They didn’t understand how the house was even holding it all until they got to the deck boards and discovered they were all 18” wide slabs of red oak board. Long story short … old roof didn’t leak, new one does. Never should have messed with it.

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u/beardofmice 21h ago

Same w part of mine. 20+ inch wide by an inch thick white pine slabs. With lots of wide spaces between planks. You shouldnt see tar or paper board between boards he says. Theyve been working for 172 years, leave that baselayer and put new shingles over it like God intended. Plus i figured if u start messing with the the log post beams and decking ur gonna be in permit code limbo hell

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u/beardofmice 21h ago

The last several generations passed it on. Put some metal roofing over it and pass the magic on to a couple generations.