The
Roof Repair
Well since I really could not find a good detailed roof repair article
with pictures I decided to make one as I go. So check back every now
and then for I will be updating as I get more done.
This gave me the first clue that I would have to do some repair. I just
did not know how bad it was.
Here is the before and after comparison
Here is the sides I took off
It is best if you can completely remove the roof to work on it. For me
I decided to replace the whole roof. All the foam in it was water
logged and the main support beams were rotted.
First you want to take off all the stuff from the inside. (canvas,
plastic strips, lights, door, vent, etc) sorry I did not take
pictures of these things before I removed them but I will as I replace
them. For the metal rails at the bottom of the sides you need to remove
the weather stripping to get to the screws. The canvas on mine just
pulled out of the plastic track inside. The plastic track was old and
had a million staples in it and broke into several pieces when I tried
to remove it. Now you want to measure and remeasure your
width
and length. Also
measure where your holes are drilled for you lift bolts. Next take off
all the trim. I found out the hard way, you should take the strip down
the middle of the roof first. After I removed all the trim I
disconnected the lift poles. My side wood was so bad that it just fell
off after I disconnected the lift poles. Here it is with the roof off.
I replaced my roof with 1/2" plywood and 1x4's. I took the 1x4's and
built a frame. I could not get 1x4 any longer than 12' and I needed
12'9". So I cut a small piece to make it work. To make sure it would be
solid I drilled into the short and long piece about a 1" and inserted a
2" nail with head ground off. I glued and screwed it all
together. I used 3" wood screws for this. I also cut
the end
pieces where the wood connected 1 3/4 " x 3 1/2" to joint the
wood in the frame. I then measured the old side rails height
and
cut my new sides.(Marking each one for its location) After I had them
all cut I marked and drilled the holes for the lift poles. Then I pre
drilled the top for the screws that would attach it to the frame. I
used 1 1/2" wood screws for this.
Next I measured where each piece of plywood would go and marked it on
the frame. Then I cut a 1 3/4" deep by 3 1/2" centered on the mark I
made. This is to fit the cross braces. once cut I cut the braces and
then per fitted them. After I made sure everything was right by
assembling it. I took it all apart and started over this time I glued
all the edges where the wood met up. Here is what it looks like now as
the glue dries.
Here is the plywood top and frame all together. I only have the back
piece of plywood glued on so far. I did screw some screws into the
others to hold them in place until I get more glue.
The metal is next. I am going to use 29 ga. tin that is used to make
metal building siding. A place not to far from me makes the siding and
sells the tin flat and by the roll. It is cheaper then the aluminum +
shipping and should hold up very well.
While waiting on the metal I need to figure out how to get the lift
poles adjusted. Here is a picture of the front and back.
The front lifts about 3" before the back even
starts. I
raised it up and measured all corners and they were
all different.
The front right was 43", right rear 40 1/4, left rear 40 1/2,
left front 42 5/8.
Well the top lifts even now. Here is what the adjustments
look like.
