Observatory repairs and re-conditioning

[Oddsocks]

Has been an interesting thread to read Gina.

I'm just in the end stages of a full re-roof of my listed, two hundred year old cottage.

The roof is slated and felted but I noticed the builders have made some changes to the way the felt meets the guttering.

In the old roof the felt extended out further than the slates and was simply left to drape into the gutter where most of it had rotted away. In the new roof the felt has been replaced by a breathable membrane that ends flush with the soffit board and a flexible plastic felt-support tray extends out from below the barrier membrane and ends up about flush with the gutter upper edge, roughly 1/3rd of the distance from the rear edge of the gutter:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/felt-support-tray-1-5m-5-pack/36622

The builders say that the breathable barrier and plastic support trays last about forty years so they should see me out.

I climbed up the scaffolding to take a picture for you, being a flexible support it is just nailed to the battens and doesn't need drilling first and being soft it wouldn't risk puncturing the rubber.

Probably not going to be that useful to you but you never know!

William.

 

If you are interested, below are a couple of pictures showing what a few hundred years of woodworm and rot does to a roof!

 

 

 

 

[Gina]

Those plastic "felt supports" look interesting but I think I have my roof fix sussed.  That roof sure looks in a dreadful state.  Thank you for posting.

[JamesF]

37 minutes ago, Oddsocks said:

If you are interested, below are a couple of pictures showing what a few hundred years of woodworm and rot does to a roof!

"Would you like a ridge this time around, sir?"

I really shouldn't jest.  Ours is of a similar vintage and not a whole lot better, if at all.

James

[Oddsocks]

1 minute ago, JamesF said:

I really shouldn't jest.  Ours is of a similar vintage and not a whole lot better, if at all.

Had been putting the repairs off for quite a while James but it really was starting to creak and groan in high winds. I won't derail the thread further by posting the 'After' pictures but the builders have made quite a good job of "over-roofing". We had to keep the old timbers in situ because they were classed as 'historic' and being a listed building I had no other choice. An expensive job though, will be visiting the food bank for years to come...?

William.

[Gina]

Well...  I've been out to the observatory.  Fastened the acrylic sheets to the roof frame with clout nails and done what I can to secure the EPDM to the roof frame likewise.  BUT the overlap is too little to do this all the way along and also the EPDM in going round the edge of the acrylic forms a bump at the edge.  I may be able to add a strip of something to push the EPDM up into the angle between acrylic and roof beam to tighten it round the edge and flatten it.

[Gina]

When I've finished the roof repairs and replaced the guttering I have some acrylic window panes to replace and a gap to cover.  I know what I'm going to do, it's just a matter of time, energy and weather...  I don't think I can manage any more out there today.  It's cooling off anyway.

[Davey-T]

1 hour ago, Oddsocks said:

Had been putting the repairs off for quite a while James but it really was starting to creak and groan in high winds. I won't derail the thread further by posting the 'After' pictures but the builders have made quite a good job of "over-roofing". We had to keep the old timbers in situ because they were classed as 'historic' and being a listed building I had no other choice. An expensive job though, will be visiting the food bank for years to come...?

William.

Darn listed building folk are a pain, my brother was doing up a 16th century cottage and building control and listed people nearly came to blows as one lot wanted the roof preserved and the others wanted a "warm roof"  plus loads of other nonsense.

Dave

[Davey-T]

3 minutes ago, Gina said:

When I've finished the roof repairs and replaced the guttering I have some acrylic window panes to replace and a gap to cover.  I know what I'm going to do, it's just a matter of time, energy and weather...  I don't think I can manage any more out there today.  It's cooling off anyway.

Are you sure that's not a listed building Gina 

Dave

[Gina]

Only on SGL ?

[Gina]

Of course, if I'd decided to get into astro imaging again in the summer or autumn I could have had everything ready for the DSL season, but I didn't.  In fact I was thinking of converting the observatory into a summerhouse!!  Good job I didn't ?

[Gina]

Had a cuppa, now I need a bit more rest before I get on with the all sky camera...  Meanwhile, the clouds are gathering...  Oh well, plenty of jobs/projects for indoors.

[Gina]

What I've done won't do!!  The EPDM hump at the edge produces a veritable "pond" of water on the roof.   Either we had rain overnight or a very heavy dew as water had collected on the roof!  Where it overflowed the hump it had simply run round the bend and down the EPDM and roof edge.  It wouldn't have gone in the gutter had it been there.  Maybe a good downpour would shoot off the edge and into the gutter but some would just run down the roof frame.  Whether I can do anything to it today remains to be seen - there's drizzle forecast.  Anyway, it needs more thought. 

[Gina]

Looks like I shall have to see if I can get the nails out that are holding the EPDM edge and do it this way:-

[Gina]

Been out to the observatory and checked that I can get the clout nails out and I can.  It's certainly no-go as it is so I've been looking at the dimensions of the fixing strip - about 25mm x 20mm should do.  This could be wood or possibly plastic.

[Gina]

Checked online and according to their web site Homebase have 25mm x 21mm x 2400mm pine in stock.  That should do I think.  I need new guttering to replace the damaged piece anyway so it seems another trip to town next week is indicated.  I can leave gaps where the gutter brackets are.

[Astrokev]

Good luck Gina 

[Gina]

Looking at a gap where the weatherproofing has broken off.  I was hoping to alter this to make room for the pin for roof locking when closed but may have to change my thoughts on that.

These photos show the gap.  Two parts have broken off or disappeared.  A plastic angle (pink) closing most of the gap and a block at the higher end of the EPDM little guttering that takes rainwater from the north side of the warm room above the ROR runner, that stops water being blown up the channel and into the scope room

[Gina]

Done a bit towards it but now it's clouded up and turned cold plus I've had enough (feeling my age I guess!  Not up to much physical work these days).

[Jkulin]

Gina, I'm gobsmacked how active you are, age doesn't appear to have ever slowed you down, you mind is sharper than many on here, you must have a secret ingredient in your breakfast or have been brewing some magic all of your life ??

[Gina]

I do have a "super-food" for breakfast - porridge ?  I have slowed down though.

[Gina]

I couldn't leave this job half done so I've finished it!  Block extension to the RO roof member with bit of brush draught excluder attached and a block of wood to raise the EPDM at the scope room end to stop water blowing past the end and into the scope room.  Not a terrifically neat job but adequate.  Another job can be seen in these photos - acrylic sheet needed for warm room window.  May get onto that tomorrow.

[Geoff Barnes]

Your perseverance and dedication to the project is truly heroic Gina!

I love the way it's coming together with so many odds and ends to make it work.

Heath Robinson would be so proud of you. as we all are I'm sure!  ?

[Gina]

Thank you very much - have to say I admired Heath-Robinson ?

[Gina]

Working on the roof eastern edge repairs and guttering today.  Have a suitable piece of wood to nail the EPDM to I think, 35mm x 20mm x 2m.  Needed 20mm cut off the length to make it fit.  I shall screw it to the roof framework with 2½" No. 8 galvanised wood screws.

[Gina]

Checked the wood strip for length and it fits perfectly.  Drilled 4.5mm holes for 7 screws.  Dowsed in wood preserver "Ronseal Total Wood Preserver" including soaking the ends in a bowl of it for some time.  Allowed to dry and partly screwed onto roof.  While the preserver dried I removed the clout nails holding the edge of the EPDM to the roof frame.  Now having a break and a cuppa while I recover from that lot.  Sunny and warm today with just a light breeze - T shirt weather for the first time this year ?  And the ground has dried up enough not to need wellies!