# summerhouse roof help



## shim20 (15 Jul 2012)

hi i know theres some people on here with a good knowledge of products available, im making a summer house like this
http://housetohome.media.ipcdigital.co.uk/96|00000edb0|ea9f_orh550w550_summerhouse1.jpg
and i was trying to see what they have done on the roof, it looks to me like feather-edge cedar then there is like a capping on each hip im not sure what to do here looks like theres is make from cedar to? would this be enough to keep the water out, i was going to felt each section and in-between each section to. Any suggestions etc would be a big help
many thanks
ben


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## RogerM (15 Jul 2012)

Ben - those are cedar shingles. Perfectly waterproof on their own and should last about 50 years, or sometimes more. I put them on my * New England style saltbox roof shed*. Easy enough to use. Batten the roof and do not use felt as there needs to be good circulation of air underneath the shingles. Fix the shingles using stainless steel ring shank nails. Do not be tempted by cheap galvanised jobbies as they will rust out within the lifetime of the shingles. 

Shingles normally come in bales of random widths. Use the wider ones at the end of the rows, and towards the bottom of the roof, and save the narrower ones for the upper rows to give a nice graded effect. Make sure that the joins do not line up between rows - make sure there is an offset between joins in adjacent rows of 5cms or more.

They're not cheap. My shed is 12 x 8 and used 7 bales of shingles at £50 per bale - but they do give a very satisfying finish, and 3 years on my roof hasn't leaked a drop. Don't waste money trying to seal them with a UV oil as I did - they are still starting to turn grey - but that is quite normal. 

HTH.


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## shim20 (15 Jul 2012)

RogerM":3iutt69n said:


> Ben - those are cedar shingles. Perfectly waterproof on their own and should last about 50 years, or sometimes more. I put them on my * New England style saltbox roof shed*. Easy enough to use. Batten the roof and do not use felt as there needs to be good circulation of air underneath the shingles. Fix the shingles using stainless steel ring shank nails. Do not be tempted by cheap galvanised jobbies as they will rust out within the lifetime of the shingles.
> 
> Shingles normally come in bales of random widths. Use the wider ones at the end of the rows, and towards the bottom of the roof, and save the narrower ones for the upper rows to give a nice graded effect. Make sure that the joins do not line up between rows - make sure there is an offset between joins in adjacent rows of 5cms or more.
> 
> ...



hi roger, what a nice shed you built =D> looks great, i thought they were shingles at first, but if you closely i dont think they are the lines look to straight? im probally wrong :lol: but i could use shingles would look better i guess? also the roof will be septate panel's as it has to be able to be taken apart, so i was going to use 1/2" ply and batten that maybe so there is enough to fix the cedar to.
many thanks
ben


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## RogerM (15 Jul 2012)

Thanks Ben. I guess it could be feather edge board with grooves to simulate shingles but I doubt it. If you're going to use the right materials, why do it any way other than the right way? It's not difficult and cedar shingles have been used for centuries and are proven. When I researched my shed build, the need for adequate ventilation beneath the shingles was stressed on virtually every site I read. Here's what mine looks like from the inside. 







I see no reason why the panels for an octagonal summerhouse couldn't be made in the same way - and being triangular they wouldn't rack. Just bolt them together along each join and then cover the join with shingles with a strip of dpc underneath. If you want to dismantle it after a few years to move it to a new location I'm sure the shingles covering the join could be saved to ensure a colour match. Go for it - but remember that unless you do a WIP with photos it hasn't happened!


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## shim20 (15 Jul 2012)

thanks for that very useful, i think i will use the shingles, i will post some pictures up, i have already made the main frame work, there a 6 roof trusses going to a central hub, so i might have to make a triangle frame with battens at the right spaces to fix the shingles to then? then this frame can sit on the trusses and be screwed down, but cutting out a triangle ply shape would be quicker and easier if i put battens on the ply so the shingles dont sit directly on the ply, do you think this would give enough ventilation for the shingles?
thanks
ben


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## Teckel (15 Jul 2012)

I look forward to a WIP Ben.


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## RogerM (15 Jul 2012)

shim20":2um34yex said:


> thanks for that very useful, i think i will use the shingles, i will post some pictures up, i have already made the main frame work, there a 6 roof trusses going to a central hub, so i might have to make a triangle frame with battens at the right spaces to fix the shingles to then? then this frame can sit on the trusses and be screwed down, but cutting out a triangle ply shape would be quicker and easier if i put battens on the ply so the shingles dont sit directly on the ply, do you think this would give enough ventilation for the shingles?
> thanks
> ben



Difficult to assess without seeing the structure. The key is to ensure that there is a good flow of air over the underside of the shingles.


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## imageel (17 Jul 2012)

Ben,
That roof looks more like Cedar tongue and groove than shingles as in http://www.southern-timber.co.uk/gbu0-prodshow/cedar_tgv.html
I put shingles on the roof and sides of my workshop/garden office http://www.image-electric.com/home/album-9 and the following link should give you some ideas as to application methods http://www.cedarbureau.org/installation-and-maintenance/
Since my roof was a shallow angle ~14-15 degrees I had to lay onto a ply decking covered with a semi permeable membrane.
One word of advice I'd give is to wear gloves when handling shingles since unless your hands are pretty thick skinned (mine are not being an IT architect by day...) you will get a massive amount of fine splinters in your hands. I used to spend around half an hour each evening with a magnifier, scalpel and tweezers removing them :? 

Good luck with your build
Ed


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## Tony Spear (17 Jul 2012)

For my workshop roof I used something like this, fixed on top of OSB sheets.

http://www.sandpipersupplies.co.uk/product_images/1155/

I don't remember where I got it from, but I have seen something similar in Wickes. IIRC the stuff I used has an adhesive strip across the top of the back that sets once it's had some sun on it. You just lay it in place, fix down with galv. roofing nails and bung a bit of bitumasic jollop on the flat heads of the nails before laying on the next row. For the joins at the corners there is a roll of the same material about 300mm. wide that you bung over the top and you use the same stuff under the "shingles" to turn over at the ends.

There are illustrations on the Wickes site, but as you'd expect, they don't show the shingle effect! :roll:


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## Shultzy (17 Jul 2012)

There's a rotating octagonal summer house build in an issue of the "Woodworker" earlier this year, I'll dig it out if you are interested.


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## shim20 (17 Jul 2012)

imageel":27u01vk5 said:


> Ben,
> That roof looks more like Cedar tongue and groove than shingles as in http://www.southern-timber.co.uk/gbu0-prodshow/cedar_tgv.html
> I put shingles on the roof and sides of my workshop/garden office http://www.image-electric.com/home/album-9 and the following link should give you some ideas as to application methods http://www.cedarbureau.org/installation-and-maintenance/
> Since my roof was a shallow angle ~14-15 degrees I had to lay onto a ply decking covered with a semi permeable membrane.
> ...



wow thats a massive help thanks  ive ordered the shingles so when they get here i can suss it out, and il post some wip, thanks all for the replys


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## shim20 (18 Jul 2012)

would copper nails be ok? they wouldnt rust....


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## imageel (19 Jul 2012)

My chemistry is a bit rusty (sic) however I think copper is attacked by acids, and the shingles are full of tannic acid (I think) - just googled what acid it is and found this interesting read http://fourseasonsroofingandsiding.com/Cedar-acid-rots-copper/copper-flashing-cedar-roofs.htm

...which confirms that your copper nails won't last long  

Buy stainless ones they are relatively cheap, and almost certainly available from whomever you buy your shingles from,
Cheers
Ed


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## shim20 (19 Jul 2012)

yes i got told this today when i went to get some, so got some ss ones coming now they were not easy to get though
cheers all


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