Flat Roof Deck Repair - New Home Owner
Hello Everyone!
New home owner with 2 flat roof decks to repair.
Location: Chicago, IL
I've solicited estimates and the like from contractors. I assumed each contractor would provide basically the same approach to building the decks but different pricing based on their costs, materials, labor, etc. I want it done the right way. Should I work with a structural engineer? an Architect?
A couple of comments from different contractors......
you need a new roof if you're installing a new deck (the roof is approximately 17 years old)
you don't have enough space between this flat roof and the base of the door to create a deck - this would require changing your entire door frame
I am just looking for your thoughts and opinions on the matter. I welcome all of your feedback and appreciate your time. This is all a true learning experience for me.
I will also take another picture from outside the door so that you can see the step down from the door onto the flat roof.
Rear Deck
Front Deck
Comments (15)
Wayata
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Trouble choosing material for new deck roof
Comments (23)No, I'm thinking of the difference between the wavy roofing panels (Suntuf is a common brand, but there are others) and a genuine structural, light-transmitting roofing product. The corrugation in the Suntuf-type panels increases their rigidity, but they are still single-ply, nonstructural panels. What I want to stress is the distinction between structural and nonstructural roofing panels. Lexan is the brand name for GE's line of polycarbonate thermoplastics, and is not any specific roofing product (there are also many other manufacturers of polycarbonate besides Lexan, just as there are other manufacturers of facial tissue besides Kleenex. They are just as good and often less expensive). The first picture below shows some of the structural roofing panels manufactured by Lexan (they make hundreds of different products). The webbing between the plys functions much like a miniature truss. This is what makes them structural. The bottom picture shows another one of their products, clear polycarbonate sheet. It is nonstructural, and using something like that is probably penny-wise and pound-foolish since you're going to need much beefier framing to support it, both to keep it from sagging and to prevent wind-shear damage. Naturally, homeowners are free to use whatever they like, but I would seriously question the building credentials of a person who advocated the use of nonstructural panels in a situation where structural panels are called for. Remember...it's the stingy man who pays the most in the long haul....See Moreattic roof fan and insulation for flat-roofed rowhouse
Comments (15)Thanks guys. Let me see if I can provide a clearer picture of what I'm working with. The house is over 100 years old--a brick row house in the center of a block. Most walls and all the ceilings on the third floor are plaster, with lots of lumps and bumps and a few small cracks, but mostly solid. There are no ceiling moldings. To call what is above this floor an attic is a an exaggeration. It is a space that ranges from about 3 foot tall at the front of the house to about half that at the back of the house (roughly 40-feet on that floor...first and second floors have a bigger footprint and do not need insulating between living space and roof.) There is a central air (newish high-velocity, narrow tube) system that snakes around the "attic". The blower is installed at the one access point there had been. This system serves ONLY the third floor and has two outlets in each of three small bedrooms and one in the tiny bathroom. The system serving the first and second floors is in a second floor closet. The insulation guys tell me that they can blow insulation in but will need to cut at least one new mansized hole in the ceiling to get in--possibly two, one toward either end. There are no recessed lights on the floor, and only three overhead lights at all. All other lights are wall brackets, wired from the floor up, rather than from the ceiling down. Of the three overheads..one was put in new by me, so isn't K&T. One the previous owner says was moved by them, so isn't K&T (But may connect in to K&T at the meeting of wall and ceiling. And one is the bathroom overhead, which can easily be checked. My electrician replaced the fixture there, so he should know what's above it. The roof is asphalt and fairly new (say 5 years old?) so, I'm not inclined to want to replace it anytime soon. I've gotten a quote for $950 to cut an access whole and blow in insulation. I'd have to pay someone else separately to fix up the access panel afterwards, probably adding another few hundred. Most neighbors don't even try to do much of anything with ventilation in their "attics", as they are all scared witless of cutting holes in their roofs. But I have found info on the Brooklyn Brownstoner blog about successful attic and whole house fan installations and one neighbor loves the whole house fan he has which sits in a sort of plastic cove on the roof. Unfortunately, he bought it with the house and has no idea who installed it. I don't intend to move in the near future, or even the more distant future. But I would like to make the third floor more habitable in the summer, especially since at some point in the next two years or so, I'd like to turn it into a separate apartment and rent it. Honestly, I seem to be finding such conflicting information and I'm so dubious about how knowledgeable folks you hire to do this stuff are about old and "out of the norm" houses that I really, really, do appreciate any and all help I can get here on this forum. Thanks,...See MoreAdvice need please re: railing on roof deck (X-post in home repair)
Comments (0)My son purchased his home several years ago. At that time, he knew that not having a railing around the flat roofed addition seen in the picture below was both a liability hazard and against code because the door up there allows access to that area. He wasn't concerned because he lived by himself and had no intention of using the area as a deck. Recently though his insurance carrier did an inspection of his property and notified him that he must correct the situation or his coverage would be dropped. There is a rubber type roof on the area and there has been no problems with it. My son would like to avoid compromising the roof with the installation of any posts for the necessary railings. As you can see, there are also gutters in the way of attaching posts on the outer edges if that's even possible Any suggestions how to remediate this problem would be greatly appreciated. Cross posted in the Home Repair forum...See MoreAdvice need please re: railing on roof deck (X-post in home repair)
Comments (9)Thanks for you responses. Too bad my son didn't think of changing the door out to a window when he had new windows and new siding installed last spring. i just remembered that he actually used that door once. He had bought a new dresser that didn't fit up the bend in the staircase so he had it hoisted up on that roof and got it into the house through that door. I guess he may need that door to get the dresser back out someday if he moves, although he could include it in the sale of the house. He will have to look into the cost of turning it into a window vs installing a railing. Vith, Can those post bases you linked really be sealed well enough to not cause any leaking?...See More
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoWhy does this area have to be a wood deck? Too complicate if you ask me. Consider interlocking rubberized roof tiles. Then there is no issue with clearance.
https://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=20267
Wayata thanked BeverlyFLADezinerWayata
3 years agoWayata
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
PROAdvantageLumber.com
3 years agoIf you want the wood deck look, you can get wood deck tiles that are perfect for this sort of application: https://www.advantagelumber.com/deck-tiles/
Spanish Neighborhood Roof with Advantage Deck Tiles · More Info
Advantage Deck Tiles™ · More Info
Wayata thanked AdvantageLumber.comWayata
3 years ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoWayata thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting Wayata
3 years agoWayata
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoThank you all!!!! If you have any additional ideas, please feel free to let me know. As of this evening, I spoke with an Architect who provided a lot of wonderful guidance. He's also willing to answer any questions I may have along the way. Honest and nice guy. At this time, I'm working on attaining my house plans (completed the form), locating an excellent roofer (2 referrals) and I have received a referral for a skilled carpenter who has a significant amount of experience building decks. I am really entertaining the idea of the tile decking (see pic). Let me know your thoughts! I like the Brazilian IPE color; I think it complements the brick color on my home. Of course, if you think another color may be a bit more attractive, please don't hesitate to drop a reply.
BeverlyFLADeziner