Peeling Back The Layers

8 April 2023

As you recall, I am currently working on building a new porch on the back/south side of the house. There has been a porch here of one shape or another over most of the life of the house, so I'm not really building a "new" porch. But I am starting from scratch to build a porch and roof that isn't going to allow any more damage to the house... I hope.

This is ground zero. All the rain water from the roof over the dining room, and the upstairs back bedroom, and the upstairs foyer, ends up here in this 9 foot by 9 foot spot, landing and splashing onto a flat rubber roof. The bedroom window is filled with foam insulation board because the sill and bottom sash were rotted away.

First layer. I removed the rubber membrane roof, which reveals a layer of fiberboard.

Under the fiberboard, is a deck!

Who knew I would be demolishing a deck as part of a roof renovation? The deck is supported by 2x6 framing.

Under the deck and framing, a layer of.. I don't know. Some kind of heavy rubber coated tarp?

Under the tarp, a layer of asphalt roll shingle and tar paper.

Under the asphalt and tar paper, a layer of 3/8" plywood on more 2x6 framing.

Under the plywood and framing, another sloped roof with asphalt roll shingle and tar paper on top.

Under the shingle and tar paper? What used to be standing seam metal roof. Whoever installed the roll asphalt flattened out the metal roof to put the asphalt on.

Under the metal roof, old tongue and groove boards, 10" wide and 1/2" thick, attached with square cut nails. The stains and marks on the boards are evidence that another roof, long gone, came in from the bottom right, running along the south side of the kitchen, intersecting this roof along that 45 degree line, upper right, down to left of center. The painted plywood against the wall on the right are leftovers from a customer job that I put there to retain the blown insulation over the dining room.