Do It Yourself
Fix a Noisy Downspout
How to fix a noisy downspout. Have you ever laid in bed not being able to sleep because the downspout attached to the outside wall is near your bedroom and sounds like a snare drum echoing through your brain when it showers? Ting… ~ Ting… ~ Ting… I have had many calls ...
Dry Rot Rafter Repair
Dry Rot rafters are a common problem with homes. The dry rot is caused by a lack of maintaining the paint on fascia boards, leaky gutters and problems with the roofing just to mention a few. The best time to fix the dry rot on an eave or rafter tail is ...
Q & A - How to Repair a Roof
The flashing at the top of th awning dormer roof doesn't cover the nails or seal-strip in the shingles below, what should I do? Kent asked, "I have what appears to be a non-standard flashing at the top of the awning dormer roof that does not cover the nails or seal-strip ...
Two Skylights in One
Two skylights in one. Here is a design I made a few years ago to take the place of two skylight frames and two windows. I would frame one larger curb out of 2″x 6″ douglas fir 49.5″ x 25.5″ and set a twin manifold on the top edge of ...
Measuring a Roof Safely
Measuring a roof from the ground can be a much safer way to get the information you need to do a roof. This week I was asked to teach a new solar estimator how to measure a roof from the ground. The basic idea of measuring a roof from the ground ...
Installing Cedar Shingles
For many years the cedar shingles have been used on rooftops as protection and to give a rustic look to our homes. As a professional shingler, cedar shingles and shakes have been one of my favorite types of roofing. The cedar shingle is the main subject for today's blog and as ...
Q & A - Cutting Roof Tile
Learn the best way to cut concrete roof tile. What is the easy way to cut a concrete roof tile? Vic T. from Albuquerque asked this question. Professional roofers use gas-powered concrete cutting saws with a 12-inch diamond blade. The tile is laid as close as you can just stopping short of ...
Bend Cedar Shingles Without Splitting
Learn the best way to bend cedar shingles without splitting and weave a closed valley with ease. Today I was asked by another roofer contractor how to frame a Canoe Valley and roof it with cedar shingles. In my attempt to answer his question, he became very confused so I Googled it ...
Q & A - Fascia Boards, How Do I bend Them?
How do I bend the fascia without cutting it? Adam Asked, "I have some rounded corners on a porch. The fascia board was put up with relief cuts on the backside of the board to allow it the wood to bend around the corner hip. Because of this it has leaked ...
Solar Tube Sky Lights
Installing Solar tube skylights is an affordable way to add lighting to your home. Did you know that in less than a couple of hours these little but powerful skylights can be installed? Yes, that quickly, you can be sitting with your feet up having a sweet tea and enjoying the ...
