Who Is Still Using Felt?

21gun

Glad you think so boss. It was a good livin.... now it's a real killin (my back) But i love it and it has been good by me.

Now just to convince HO's that 6k for a 30 year roof makes better sense than the 50k they spent for a car they'll only keep for 3-4 years.

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carpet? no, we dont do carpet.
No sir... that spells CARPENTER.

PA woodbutcher

Yes I have a problem educating people who have no intention of hiring someone to do the job and do right, but are in fact posers looking to save a buck.

How's the electrical section sparky? 6 posts and all of them in this thread. You should at least reciprocate and stop by another section of the forum and help someone else out since you have gotten all your questions answered.

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'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

Maine

I would like to apologize for doing work on my own home, I didnt realize that it was a requirement for me to sub out all of the projects. Get real.

MJW

It's not called "subbing out" work when you aren't a contractor.

MrRoofer

1 building code to rule them all and in the darkness bind them.

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'I'm living on the edge!'

Maine

Good thing I am a contractor.

MrRoofer

This person can really prove a point!!!!



AB and BC do not use the same building code, and to do so would be foolish.

Different climates call for different building standards. Simple as that.

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'I'm living on the edge!'

MacRoadie

From http://www.bccodes.ca/bccode_building.htm

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...Code_of_Canada

Obviously there are local variations/additions/etc, but they are based on the same code, aren't they? Or is there more than one National Building Code of Canada?

Oh, and we happen to have more than one climate down here too. In fact, since you went down that road, our climate is more varied yet we still manage to use the same model code (with regional accommodation for earthquakes, heat, freezing/snow, hurricanes, tornados, etc) and regardless of whether it's 120 above zero or 50 below, the code calls for underlayment below all roofing materials.

MrRoofer

Very good.

There are always revisions to the code, and as time always does tell some things will prove themselves and others will not. My personal viewpoint is that some things are written into the code...to fail. There are a lot of reasons for that, for which some people will have to do their own thinking to figure out, but it is for those reasons I cannot put so much reverent faith into 'the code'. Some things require a little more intuitive thinking than can be established on paper.




Put it this way, I wouldn't consider buying anything built within the last twenty years or so. This would happen to coincide with the most coded and legislated period of history ever.



Even an extremely well written code has it's limitations of course. I can think of a total of zero guys working on the roof who are fully up to speed with what is written in there, and to me this represents the largest problem, that is not to say they cannot roof! The guys who are fully up to speed are usually those who are so far removed from the actual physical process of things, it gets lost in the translation anyway, however at that point most are content to string up the little guy swinging the hammer for not knowing any better.




A lot of this is moot considering the OP, but does a lack of underlayment mean the roof is absolutely going to leak or be a problem? No. However I wouldn't reccomend it, especially given my understanding of the OP's situation. It does not take a genious or code to figure that out, but it is amazing to me how so many sensible things cannot be commonly known anymore. There was a time when doing work on your own house was deemed perfectly acceptible and in fact encourageable, judging by some of the responses here I would hazard this is no longer the case. Apparently asking for a little knowledge is a big no no too. It is against code. However I may have misinterpreted what was written, but the code leaves it open for just that.





If we have to think about was is meant to fail within the code, interpret this wonderful piece of wording; "acceptable alternative solutions to the prescriptive requirements" to whatever suits your needs and sell it.

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'I'm living on the edge!'

roofbutcher

Outstanding

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http://roof-shingle-removal-tool.com/ Rippers with attitude!

747

It depends on what the homeowner can afford doesn't it? 30 pound felt is fine. If they want to drop more money and go synthetic i say titanium udl 30

FramingPro

I still use it on the whole roof i might start using ice and water for the first course and valleys but everywhere else i would use felt

CSinc.

we always use felt.ive never done a job w/out it.i'd have to wonder what a owner{the neighbors too} would say if he seen us installing w/out it.i know it can work w/out but honestly it helps me sleep better knowing its on there.i hate call backs.so anything i can do to lessen the chances of that im all for.of course felt is mostly useless once you poke a few thousand holes through it.i know that and im sure most would agree but try to tell that to an owner or her nosy neighbors and they would probably look at you like youve got lobsters coming out of you ears.

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Nothing says "Obey Me" like a bloody head on a fence post!

RooferJim

A contractor that would actually argue the supposed merits or justification of not using felt underlayment is either a blatant hack, somone that learned from a hack, or just a straight up plain ignoranas.

RooferJim
ww.jbennetteroofing.com

tcholdren

Im really suprised that this thread has been going for awhile and no one has mentioned that felt is really installed to keep dust from entering the attic not as a secondary water barrier. felt paper was brought a long as a result of the dirty 30's from wind driving dust under the shakes...

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THConstruction

Burns-Built

here in Pa 30 lb felt is about $11/sq and titanium or an equivalent like feltex is 12/sq. I hate 15 lb felt so that small price increase seems worth it to me. It lays so nice and when you come back in the morning, its not all bubbled up from the frost, or dew.

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There will always be a market for quality.

RooferJim

OK for any of you guys that don't know . Roofing Common Sence 101. A shingled roof system is not an impermeable waterproof barrier, unlike flat membrane roofing it has to be able to shed water. Felt is the roofs last layer of defence against wind driven rain in severe weather. It also serves to achieve a class A fire rating, to comply with manufactuers specs,to comply with building code, to prevent resins in the sheathing from contact with the shingles. Its just plain old fashion common sence and good roofing practice. Also nails that are put through felt do not compromise it whatsoever, unless they are pulled out. nothing about dust.

welterweight

almost seems as if the OP already did a job without felt and is now looking for reassurance from some of the pro's on this board;wants to finally get someone to say what he wants to hear. ain't gonna happen. I also believe the OP knows full well he should have used felt but for some reason or another decided against it. not a smart move.

roomrenovators

My company is Room Renovators/Roof Renovators and I am Roofing and Remodeling contractor from Charlotte NC. I always use 30lb Felt or Synthetic on every Job as well as Weather Watch around the perimeter (eaves), around the chimney and in the Valleys on every job. I am from NY and let me tell you that so many contractors here dont use anything.........They do thing theyre on way in the south (stuck on stupid)..I give my customers the Best and explain every product I use to them and why they need it.........Its hilarious sometimes trying to get a customer to pay a bit more for better quality roof but they need to go grab that 85" plasma that just came out by sony last week.LMAO...priorities.....

PrestigeR&D

are the nails an option as well??? just curious