Sauna Roof Demolition 2016
Scroll Column at Left
Click thumbnails for larger images
Click 'Introduction' to return to this page
A combination of conditions created a perfect storm of
rot and decomposition of the sauna roof after twenty-four years.
For starters there's the extreme humidity encountered
in sauna interiors, compounded by the difficulty in ventilating
a four-pitch roof.
Next, the roof being only about two feet off the ground
made for easy access by rodents. Mice were able to chew their way right
through the asphalt shingles and install themselves inside the rafter
bays. The additional moisture introduced by their presence, and, of course,
the heat from the sauna itself, created perfect conditions for rampant rot.
It's a wonder the roof lasted for twenty-four years!
I really liked the low profile of the four-pitch, but
I'm replacing it with a standard gable-end 8-in-12 pitch roof.
Two-by-ten rafters with a gridwork of two-by-fours on top
will insure that the new roof will have ample ventilation, and I'll also be
installing two timer-controlled exhaust fans in the gable ends to evacuate
as much humidity as possible from the sauna and dressing room interiors
after each sauna session.
Finally, I'm going for a metal roofing with aluminum
soffit and facia. Let's see if the little buggers can chew their way
through that!
Oh, yeah. I won't be using 'flake-board' for the
roof deck beneath the tin roofing! Who invented that stuff?
Unfortunately, my wreck, oops, I mean truck, died on the
way to asphalt shingle heaven yesterday. Fortunately it died just up the
road from Russell Smith's garage. As soon as he gets off vacation I'll
find out if the over-heat was fatal or whether the patient can be put
on life-support long enough to finish the new roof job.
|