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Tearing Off the Slate Roof

17 photos · roofing

The original slate was failing — cracked tiles, lichen everywhere, leaks tracking down around the chimney. I had a crew tear it off to the deck, swapped out rotted sheathing where we found it, and shingled the whole thing with new gutters and leaf guards. Re-did the sunroom roof at the same time so the whole envelope was buttoned up in one push.

  1. Moss and debris piled up against the chimney flashing — classic slow-leak setup that had to come off. Before

    Moss and debris piled up against the chimney flashing — classic slow-leak setup that had to come off.

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  2. Cracked slate ridge cap with the flashing eaten through. This is what you find right before the leak finds you. Before

    Cracked slate ridge cap with the flashing eaten through. This is what you find right before the leak finds you.

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  3. Close-up of the slate — delaminating and lichened. Past the point of patching. Before

    Close-up of the slate — delaminating and lichened. Past the point of patching.

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  4. Old shingle sections had moss right up to the gutter. Roof was holding water, not shedding it. Before

    Old shingle sections had moss right up to the gutter. Roof was holding water, not shedding it.

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  5. Shingle delivery on a piggyback flatbed — saves a day of carrying bundles up by hand. Before

    Shingle delivery on a piggyback flatbed — saves a day of carrying bundles up by hand.

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  6. Crew climbing the ladder to start the tear-off. Two stories of brick, full re-deck planned. During

    Crew climbing the ladder to start the tear-off. Two stories of brick, full re-deck planned.

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  7. Tarping the side of the house off the roofline so I didn't end up with brick stains from runoff. During

    Tarping the side of the house off the roofline so I didn't end up with brick stains from runoff.

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  8. Pulling old decking off with the side of the house tarped to keep the brick dry. During

    Pulling old decking off with the side of the house tarped to keep the brick dry.

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  9. Pile of old sheathing and slate dumped on tarps. Each tile weighs more than you'd think. During

    Pile of old sheathing and slate dumped on tarps. Each tile weighs more than you'd think.

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  10. Looking out a second-floor window at the tarp catching debris below. Demo gets messy fast. During

    Looking out a second-floor window at the tarp catching debris below. Demo gets messy fast.

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  11. Three guys re-sheathing the sunroom roof early in the morning before the heat came up. During

    Three guys re-sheathing the sunroom roof early in the morning before the heat came up.

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  12. Tearing back to the dormer framing so we could replace any rot before new decking went on. During

    Tearing back to the dormer framing so we could replace any rot before new decking went on.

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  13. Exposed rafters meeting at the ridge with the original metal connector plates. Solid enough to keep. During

    Exposed rafters meeting at the ridge with the original metal connector plates. Solid enough to keep.

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  14. Fresh plywood sheathing visible from the attic side. Hammer down for a minute while I checked the next bay. During

    Fresh plywood sheathing visible from the attic side. Hammer down for a minute while I checked the next bay.

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  15. New asphalt shingles on, chimney re-flashed. House finally watertight again. After

    New asphalt shingles on, chimney re-flashed. House finally watertight again.

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  16. New gutters with mesh leaf guards installed at dusk. Last thing to button up. After

    New gutters with mesh leaf guards installed at dusk. Last thing to button up.

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  17. Finished roof from the back. Dormers, shingles, ridge — all clean. After

    Finished roof from the back. Dormers, shingles, ridge — all clean.

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