Cedar Roof

[DavidHerron]

What do you think about cedar roofs? They are quite popular in my area and this year I will be replacing my roof soon and I am wondering if I should choose cedar. I have already found a company that will install a new roof and they specialize in cedar roofs, synthetic slate roofing and DaVinci slate roofing, so I have several unique options to choose from. What do you recommend ?

[TWhite]

I think from limited experience that the cedar shakes are there to protect and to hold in place the felt paper under the shakes. In other words a shake roof is only as good as the felt paper under it.

[long hair]

Just had one replaced that was over 30 years old. The exposed shakes were in rough shape. However, the 2 layers under the exposed part was pristine. No leaks

[Ablesupe]

Cedar roofs will last 30 years if properly installed. In SE Pa. where I lived and worked for many years there were many of them, mostly on higher priced homes. I've installed many of them. The ones that lasted the longest were the ones installed on lath and not plywood. There's a product called "Cedar Breather" which is similar to a plastic Brillo pad in sheet form. The theory is that it separates the bottom of the shingle from the roof below and allows shingles to breathe/dry. I installed a cedar shake roof on my nephews house in 1992. It had the cedar breather under the shingles. The roof lasted about 22 years and had to be replaced.
We routinely replaced slate roofs that were 100 years old. Often the slate was shot on the South side but in great shape on the North side.
One of my bad memories was working on a job where a roofing contractor hired us to remove a slate roof over lath and replace it with plywood and asphalt shingles.
The slate were graduated in size and thickness from the eave to the ridge line. The slate at the eaves were over an inch thick and were resold for stepping stones. The majority of the rest of the slate were salvaged and reused for slate roof repairs. The slate salvaged totaled over 50 squares.
The entire roof was over an indoor pool. The new roof failed completely in less than 5 years and had to be replaced.
Those slate could have been removed, new fasteners installed with new felt or underlayment and the cracked/damaged slate replaced. Had that been done I believe that roof would still be in decent shape 35 years later

[Mark Parlee]

Ablesupe, I could have predicted that failure would occur. The humidity had an out before the roof was replaced and when it was sealed it trapped in the assembly.
I have reviewed many failures in hotel pool areas. Not only in the roof but at the sidewalls. The colder the winters the worse it gets.

[MarkMc]

TW, you lose your spam Sharpie? Used to be so reliable too...

[stamcon]

Spam was my thought when I first saw the post(and still is).

Steve

[Ablesupe]

Mark,
That was my first experience with a roof over an indoor pool - 40 years ago.
I didn't know any different then.
I do now. Last big job I ran (big for me, about 8mil )
had an indoor pool. The roof structure was a manufactured slate product over ice/water shield, over 3/4" OSB with 12" TJI rafters, R30 fiberglas batts continuous 10mil poly vapor barrier on the underside of TJI's and then cedar T&G ceiling below. No soffit or ridge venting, completely sealed rafter cavities. All that structure sat on purlins sitting on timber framed trusses. Cedar T&G boards were nailed directly to bottom of the TJI's with the vapor barrier in between.Probably 10,000 holes in the vapor barrier.
I asked the Architect if he was concerned about the number of penetrations in he vapor barrier. I suggested that strapping the ceiling with 2x material with sealed connections where the strapping members fastened to the TJI's might be a good alternative. The T&G cedar could nail to the strapping. He wan't interested in another approach. When the building was in use during the cold winter months water was running down the underside of the ceiling.
The building had an HVAC system and humidity control the size of a Greyhound bus, but it couldn't overcome the combination of moisture and condensation.
The ending was not happy.It was the first and last time I ever had to testify on a project I built.
It all went to arbitration. The owner brought in a moisture control specialist who was a contemporary of Dr. Joe.
In the end the Architect lost a ton of money and went bankrupt.
The interesting thing to me was that during the Architect's testimony he brought in a mock up of how he wanted the structure built. Unfortunately it wasn't what his plan showed.
The mockup showed venting and strapping. The arbitrator said, "yep, that would have worked , but that's not what you drew"
The lessons I've learned in this business - tuition at Harvard would have been cheaper

[Mark Parlee]

With the experience you have had, is the makings of a good consultant.

[PeteMD]

Hi, if you’re considering cedar you might want to check asphalt. I’ve changed to asphalt years ago and so far there are no leaks. It’s affordable and very durable at the same time. The shingles are also made to look like more expensive roofing materials like cedar, so you might want to include this in your options. I linked the company that got it done for me. They also offer more materials so you might want to check those too

[chuckmorgan]

Hi David! I think with proper maintenance, cedar roofing can last up to 50 years or so. It is more durable than asphalt shingles. They are basically shake-resistant and can sustain through a heavy storm or rain, hail storm, etc. Low maintenance can lead to some form of infestation (moss, mildew, lichen, mold, or fungi) which is something you never want to happen. When it comes to synthetic slate roofing, it gives a distinctive look to the building. It resists variant weather conditions subject to the maintenance you provide. But it is quite expensive and should extra careful with the installation process. Da Vinci slating is lighter and is known to be a high impact resistant. Its color never fades. Consider your option depending on the dimensions of the roof and the budget that you have. All the best.