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Hello all
First time poster here...This looks like a very helpful site, I wish I would have found this last year, before mistakes were made.
Here's my situation. I bought a property with Two SW mobile homes that were installed, side by side, with only a 6 inch gap between them. There is extensive damage to both of the trailers outer walls siding (the ones that are only 6 inches apart) but because of the narrowness I can't fix the siding. When it rains the water goes into the gap and into the walls. My first attempt to fix it (on the advice of an inept roofer) was to install Blue skin over the gap.. a year later, and it's falling apart. I was just beginning to try to put a strip of 12 inch flashing over the gap with lath strips, lots of self tapping screws and a massive amount of roofing tar. I was planning on putting it on top of the blueskin, since the stuff actually glued on the metal roof is on there really well, so I'm hoping that it will act as a sort of gasket under the tin and the lath strip. Is this a sound idea? (any of it?) Any input would be appreciated.
I've never heard of blueskin, and after looking at your photos, I'm glad I haven't. Definitely not the product for what your trying to accomplish.
Minimum thing you should do is put down a piece of 24" wide flashing. Don't use the wood strips. Put a layer of neoprene or polyurethane under the edges of the flashing, screw down the flashing (screws every few inches on each side) then put polyurethane along the edges and over the screw heads.
The best thing you could do is reroof the mobile home with corrugated metal, running long pieces from one side to the other. But if you have winters, your homes will shift (unless they are on foundations) and that could cause problems with the roof.
By the way, what are those little balls shown in the first picture?
Have you tried dynamite? Never seen anything like that before. IF they are on footers, I might try building up the join area so it is the highest part of the roof, and put metal so it spans past the center of each of the existing roofs. Preferably cover the whole thing. Then start tearing out and restructuring the walls where they join to properly marry the 2 units into one. Big job!!!
I think you would have had a chance with your repair if the metal had been installed first. This type of a membrane needs to be fully supported and adhered. As Mark said, don't use the wood strips. they will dam water and it will certainly leak as the wood decays. You will still have the problem of the two units settling / heaving independently. That is just something you will have to deal with unless you address the (possible) foundation problem and install a single roof over both units.
I have had good results with Eternabond peel n stick products. Eternabond is sold as a mobile home metal / elastomeric compatible product. It would also need the support of the flashing or some type of backing. The Blue Skin web site primarily shows it's use on concrete, although it mentions roofing once. I would concerned with it's ability to survive years of sunshine. Maybe it is UV tolerant, but I did not see that in the brochure and web site.
JMO
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Wow, thanks for the quick replies! Mark, I love your suggestion of using neoprene or polyurethane under and over the flashing. What do you think about leaving the original blueskin and going on top? you asked about the little things on top. They are just glass globes to keep the bees from building nests. the vents still have airflow, though restricted.
Jim, I'll pass on the dynamite technique for now, but I have put a lot of thought to your suggestion of building up the center, (I have good footings) and putting roofing on past the high point of the other 2 roofs. My main concern would be if the high points could handle the weight.. Is metal roofing preferable to plywood and roll roofing because of the weight factor?
JD thanx for the tip on Eternabond, and the further clarification.. You guys Rock.. I'm off to the only hardware store in town to see what they carry.
Other than building a new roof over the entire home anything else will be relatively temporary and prone to leaking. Especially considering spring snow melt conditions.
adanac wrote:...My main concern would be if the high points could handle the weight.. Is metal roofing preferable to plywood and roll roofing because of the weight factor?
A roof over like a pole barn structure built overtop with roof trusses/rafters spanning and not bearing on any part of the existing home would be what I suggest.
Thanx flcruising, I'm thinking if the cheaper easier (and possibly) leakier solution of putting the flashing on doesn't work out, that would be plan B. One thing I have going for me is that Lillooet has one of the driest climates in canada, (humidity wise, and rain wise- and snow wise) so I could live with a minor leak issue, as it rains so rarely, and wood hardly seems to rot out here because of the low humidity, and freezing temps in the winter.. Also my drainage is excellent.
Hi Greg, moving it isn't really an option, as both trailers have a large addition built on, also, I'd still have much the same problem with how to patch the long strip in the middle. I have put a door (and a mini hallway) through the middle of the trailers for easier access.
The bottom of the top picture apprears to have a gutter on the roof. If you use flashing, I recommend tucking it under the drip edge of the roof, and tapering it to one end (just like the gutter seems to show). Creating a long continuous gutter may work as long as it causes the water to run-off as quickly as possible.
Adanac - You live next to a river? That has got to be wonderful!
If it were me, I would flash over the top of the Blue Skin with just a simple roof cap type flashing. Galvanized steel stuff from the home stores would work. The blue skin would work like an insulator to between the metals to prevent the roof metal from decaying. In my opinion, trying to make a gutter type seal, especially under the drip rails, would create big problems. All sealants wear out, tear or crack eventually. A small gutter between the homes would be very difficult to clean up and repair. Also, edge leaks on rolled metal roof homes usually come from that drip rail or the screws that hold the drip rail to the roof metal and home. As debris builds up in this gutter, water will begin soaking though the drip rail area.
Going over the top of that upside down flashing with Eternabond (Peel - Stick from the Books & Parts link above) would give you the best shot at low maintenance. It is pricey stuff, but it works well in ponding situations, sealing the edges with polyurthane sealant like Tremco Vulkem 116. I have a customer with a 23 year old PVC roof, with a serious ponding situation and leak. They could not afford a new roof, so I covered the ponding area with Eternabond and Liquid Rubber roofing. That was about 7 years ago. I checked this roof about a month ago, and the repair is still in excellent condition. Adanac's roof may not have a true ponding situation, but it will be channeling a good portion of the rain water that get's on the roof.
The downside to covering the flashing with Eternabond is that if the two homes shift more than an inch or probably two, the flashing could pop loose in the highest stress areas. The only repair at that time would be to screw the metal back down, through the eternabond. The eternabond would seal those screws and you could cover them with Vulkem to keep them from rusting, but removing the eternabond is basically out of the question. Probably the same thing with the Blue Skin too.
So maybe just the flashing and sealing of the edges and seams would be a good idea. The metal would be more serviceable. One method gives longer lasting results with less maintenance at a higher cost, the other is less expensive but requires more maintenance and probably replacement years down the road.
Short of a new pole barn type roof or a total roof-over type system, I would keep the total repair cost low. The total repair cost equals the initial investment and the ongoing maintenance. If it were me, I would go the flashing and eternabond route. I put the flashing down with #10, 5/16ths hex head screws, 4" on center, then cover every screw with the the eternabond, and seal the edge of the eternabond with vulkem. The homes look like they are less than 50' long, so the eternabond could be a single roll, maybe 30" to 36" wide. You would want to go past the flashing by 4" or so. Being able to do the whole run with one piece of eternabond would be tricky. It is hard to roll straight that far. But it can be done with a chalk line, laying out the material before applying it, and using two people, one to work the peel away membrane off and hold the material off of the roof, the other keeping the eternabond on the line and making sure there are no wrinkles while pressing the material down. After it is down, go over all of the eternabond with the small metal hand roller they sell.
One last thing about eternabond and most non asphalt sealants, you should do something to remove or cover all asphalt sealants and the black edge of the Blue Skin. Most non-asphalt sealants and I believe eternabond will deteriorate if put on top of asphalt.
Sorry for the long post.
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
I have nothing to add to your issue with the roof as these guys have you covered, but in the 1st pic (top left hand corner) there appears to be a nice river nearby. If that's the case then I envy you for living that close to moving water. Looks like a great spot to enjoy. Later!
Do what you can today, as you might not be here tomorrow!
Hi JD, your post answered many questions that I still had, thank you so much for all the time and effort. Thank you all Shadow 745, yeah I feel pretty lucky with my view.. That's the Fraser river in front of me. We're just getting settled back in after 3 weeks of fire evacuation alert and a week of fire evacuation (the down side of this dry area.) It will be great to get this long overdue project started, armed with all my new knowledge.
Shadow 745, yeah I feel pretty lucky with my view.. That's the Fraser river in front of me. We're just getting settled back in after 3 weeks of fire evacuation alert and a week of fire evacuation (the down side of this dry area.) It will be great to get this long overdue project started, armed with all my new knowledge.