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Garage Roofing You Can Do Yourself

ChrisFH | May 27, 2010 |

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Garage roofing is not so difficult to do, if you keep it simple. Roofing materials such as corrugated plastic or metal sheets are cheap and easy to work with, and so is roofing felt by the way. All three are great for light roof constructions, and for both pitched and flat roofs. Lots of advantages, so let's list them up shall we?

- Light garage roofing materials are usually cheap, and they are low weight too. This means the underlying construction can be light too - which again saves you money on materials.

- Corrugated plastic roofing sheets can be had semitransparent, which means you don't have to worry so much about windows in your garage. Saves you more money and makes your garage simpler to build.

- Corrugated steel roofing sheets are tougher than plastic and last longer. They may weigh a bit more, but not so much as to require stronger construction of the trusses that support them.

- Roofing felt is more flexible than roofing sheets, since it can be cut out and attached to virtually any shape of roof. If used correctly, it can help make a completely watertight construction and also be more resistant to wind forces that may pull roofing sheets loose.

Plenty of reasons to choose a light garage roofing material then. But there is more to learn before you can make an informed decision on what to use. When it comes to doing the actual roofing or doing repairs later, these materials differ slightly from each other. Plastic roofing sheets are just strong enough to support your weight when new, but be careful not to place all your weight on one point and don't push your luck jumping up and down on it either. As the plastic ages and is exposed to sunlight, it tends to become brittle and less flexible. At that point it may not be able to support your weight, so keep that in mind for when you have to repair it at some point in the future. Steel sheets won't ever crack like that, but they may bend or buckle under your weight, so try to only step on the roof where you know it is supported; like directly on a nail or screw (there will be a rafter beneath it). Roofing felt is always laid out on a plywood deck, which must be strong enough to support your weight. 20 mm or more will probably be enough. Unless the plywood rots from water damage (very likely to be vivible from underneath), this kind of roof will be completely safe to walk on, even years from now.

If you are brave, you could make the trusses yourself; just make sure a professional roofer or construction engineer can approve of the construction. If at all in doubt, save yourself the aggravation and just buy premade trusses. These are usually light enough to be put in place by hand by you and a helper or two. Heavier trusses are usually placed by crane at the time of delivery, which is even easier. With the trusses in place, just anchor them to the walls, or better yet, the foundation, put on the decking/rafters and you are ready to finish it off with the roofing material itself. It is really not that hard to do, especially if you have someone with roofing experience to draw on for the project.