Photos of Roof Repair & Replacement

[demon]

I really like what he did there but im not sure i want the curved look on the roof. i really cannot find any pics of a roof replacement done flat though. there doesnt seem to be much there for a roof to begin with and having trusses seems like a great idea. I was thinking even steel 1x1 box tubing . im a fabricator so metal is easier for me than wood anyway. i havent seen anybody using fiberglass on the outside either. Wonder why?  My 1995 winnebago brave has a fiberglass roof. I think that would definatly be the best for the outside.  I would love to be able to walk up there when it was done

[brians1969]

 I got my inspiration from the Handier Man.
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,10111.msg57260.html

I fiberglassed over 2 layers of 5mm ply. I used epoxy resin and 8 oz. cloth. If you are going to re-roof, it really makes sense to curve it. A flat roof is just an invitation to leak. Winnebago finally started to curve their roofs in the late 80's -early 90's, I think.

Take an 8' piece of your 1x1 steel tubing and put each end on a block of wood or whatever. Try walking on the tubing. See how much it flexes-especially if it is 1/16 or 1/8 wall.

[demon]

that looks great! my 95 winnebago has a curved roof and ive walked all over it. 2 questions, how close together did you put the truss pieces and how does it blend in the front being it was flat and its going to a curve? i see the back in your pic and it looks awesome!

[demon]

im not opposed to using wood at all! whatever is best and easiest!

[brians1969]

The pics didn't look very well, maybe cause they were hi-def and the system reduces it? I don't know.

Anyways, they are on 16" centers. They are  2x4's that taper to 1 1/4. I did leave the center 16" flat, so the angle doesn't start right on the centerline. I wanted it that way so I was putting the vent and (more importantly) the A/C on a flat and not the center point of 2 angled surfaces. The bath vent is on the angle and it works fine. The front 3 frames I gradually reduced the overall height to help blend better. Again, I think I got that from Handier Man's write up. Can't remember if I changed the angles too...it was a couple years ago now. 

Steel would work if it is strong enough. Remember to watch the weight of your roof. You want it as light as possible so you're not exceding the GVW.
I originally was just going to use the 5mm (1/4"). But when I walked on it, it flexed way too much. So rather than returning the plywood and getting 1/2" (it was delivered and I don't have truck),  I just doubled up on it and it made it much stiffer. The fiberglass helped too. I can feel a little give  when I walk up there, but nothing bad.  Again, take some 2x4x8's, put them on the ground 16" apart. Throw a piece of 1/4" ext. plywood on it and walk on it. See what feels acceptable.  You're probably only going to go up there to do maintenance anyway.

[khantroll]

I did something very similar to Brian, based on the Handier Man repair. I took 2x4s, left the center 18 inches flat, then tapered them down. Mine were less then 1 1/4 though, because the total space above my wall was about that. So my tapered down to a little more then half an inch. They were spaced 16 inches, though I wish I had done 12.  I then cribbed the 2x4s together.


I used plastic shower board for my internal ceiling, and i slid it under the 2x4 frame work before screwing it to the framework. I then sealed all around the interior of the framework with urethane foam and filled the cavities with foil backed styrofoam insulation. I then used 1/2 inch CDX decking for the top layer, and eternabond taped the seams and perimeter before coating the whole rooftop in more then 5 gallons of liquid epdm.


Fiberglassing would be better then the eternabond tape, and a true EPDM roof or aluminum cover or both would be better then the liquid I used. That being said, we are going on two years and I haven't had a problem with it.


If an when I have to do it again though, I have an idea to use stop sign posts or similar and build the frame structure out of that. I could then put cdx decking over it, flip it over, cut foam insulation to fit, and then paneling or whatever for the interior ceiling. Then fiberglass and an aluminum roof cover. on the top.

[brians1969]

That's a good idea going 12" on center. It would only add a couple 2x4's and would help with stiffening the roof. If I remember correctly, I think I went with 1 1/4 at the end because that's how much room I had left to the top of the sidewall. I had gone in and replaced the 2x2 perimeter plate that sits on top of the styrofoam in the sidewall.

[CapnDirk]

Go curved/arched.  Even a 1/2 inch rise in center will facilitate water runoff, and we know how water wants to go down  .  Better down and to the OUTside than down to the inside.


In my area Lowes has some beautiful clear pine (not the stuff in the shelving area).  Stable, straight, and light weight.  Chemicals have come a LONG way since a 73 Brave was built, and you can turn that pine into something that sure the heck will outlive you with the sealers and glues available today.

[demon]

awesome! thanks for the replies!

[khantroll]

Brian: I (for some reason) wanted the edge of the top layer of my roof to be more or less even with where it was, and that meant leaving room for the 1/2 inch cdx, and subtracting for the thickness of the 2x2 ring underneath. So I think mine came out to around 3/4 on the end. Either I goofed or my math was off, because it's still slightly higher then the top of the wall.

[demon]

ok started to pull the roof off and now i see exactly whats there. i had thought there wa a piece of wood on top of the wall that i could screw the trusses down to. That's not the case!. I looked at those pics again and see how you put 1x2s in between the trusses. how did you screw them together? I can see doing the one end before the next board goes in but then what?

[brians1969]

After looking at my photos, I realized I was wrong in what I said in a previous post.. The "sill plate" (2x2 pressure treated) ended up being flush (aprox.) with the top of the wall. I then layed the ceiling (5 mm ply from Lowe's) on top that. Then the 2x4 joists went across screwed/glued into the sill plate at each end, and staples/glue from the ceiling into the joist. As you noticed, I put filler pieces (actually 1 1/2x 1 1/4) in between each  joist.  Fiberglass cloth came down over that and met the aluminum siding. The joint between the two was covered with the gutter extrusion.

I don't know what to suggest if you don't have any wood to screw into.  How is the roof currently held on?

[demon]

The roof was stapled thru the alum side walls up underneath the drip rails. Im confused as what you did. There is 1 1/8" above the Styrofoam in the wall to the top of the aluminum in the wall. In would assume you screwed,the trusses to the alum side wall and then just put braces in between?

[brians1969]

Maybe this photo would help.

The plywood you see is the ceiling. If you look by the handle of the caulking gun, you can just make out a little bit of the pressure treated sill plate peeking thru. I found that nothing was perfectly square or even. The construction of yours may be a little different. When I started working on the roof, I realized someone had put a second roof on top of the old one! As you can see in the photo, someone had added on a couple feet to the rear of the coach. So, there is a lot of  spooky things going on with this Winnie. I've been working for 12 years on this motorhome, trying to undo a lot of previous owner's hacks. Yours may be more like the handier man's. Look at his photos too.

[demon]

Ok I see what you did! Thanks! Yea that's not the way its supose to be. The trusses cannot be higher than the alum side. Yours is just done a bit different. I wish I could do it like yours! Well at least it makes sense to me now. Thanks!

[Oz]

It can be done that way.  The connecting edge trim doesn't have to be OEM.  You can get formed aluminum any size needed to do the job.  Thinking outside the box is the salvation of vintage Rvers.

[khantroll]

My best friend and I had quite the argument, because he wanted to do something similar to what Brian did, whereas I wanted it to look as close to stock as possible. The final result is somewhere in between. My original trim fits, but I need a longer ladder due to the arch of the roof.

[TerryH]

Assuming you mean the original rear ladder, a new one would be pricey, and possibly require new mount locations for the stand - offs, new holes in the outside skin. If you've done this much work maybe consider relocating the bottom ladder brackets. Or, extending the lower end of the ladder with alum. flat bar or angle. Assume you only need a few inches of extension. Pics would help.

[khantroll]

Hi Terry! I'll get  pictures, but it may be this weekend. It's only off by an inch or so; basically, the bottom holes of my mount are at the top mounting holes. I was thinking if I could find a marine ladder r some other form of adjustable/sectioned ladder I could line the mounting holes up, and then drill and secure the attachments

[demon]

if im thinking right you could just cut and re weld on the top 2 brackets on the ladder to fit the roof properly. wouldnt be hard at all

[TerryH]

My opinion:
Generally brackets and stand offs are fastened with thru bolts. This allows for adjustment as required for height, plane and fastening variances. Welding would render any adjustment moot. I have never seen any joint, bracket or stand off on a rear ladder or roof rack with a weld. Most parts are removable and replaceable. Would be difficult if they/it were welded.

[khantroll]

Hi Terry,

Here is a picture of my ladder.
http://imgur.com/a/PGy3I

[TerryH]

To me, the easiest and least costly would be to get a couple of pieces of 1/8" alum flat bar wider and higher than the existing mounts, enough to cover the old holes. Drill the new pieces with pass holes to match the four screws in each bracket. Fill the old holes and then use the flat bar between the coach and bracket and fasten all using your fastening location as per photo. If you want it to look like it belongs use one piece to span both sides. Any sheet metal shop would have all kinds of cut offs and can shear to what you want.

[khantroll]

Sounds good! I'm planning to clean up that area in the next month. I'll try to remember to post after shots.

[qtzar]

Found the pics on the wayback machine 

https://web.archive.org/web/20160318170422/http://picasaweb.google.com/109641835469071142409/1973WinnebagoIndianRoofReplacement