The insured's roof will need to be replaced. Upon removal of the asphalt shingles, the roofing contractor finds that the existing roof deck has gaps. Now, the contractor is requesting removal of the existing spaced sheathing and installation of new half-inch OSB.
Notable Timestamps
[ 00:30 ] - The scenario concerns the devastation that followed Hurricane Helene.
[ 01:15 ] - Mike shares a story about getting stranded up on a roof, and Rosen shares his childhood shenanigans.
[ 03:49 ] - A riddle: What kind of house is fully enclosed but it has no roof?
[ 06:00 ] - The deck holds the roof covering. In some cases it can be boards, and spaced decking or skip sheathing is where there is a "skip" between each panel.
[ 07:00 ] - Spaced sheathing is most common with coverings made from wood, e.g. cedar shake wood shingles, to provide ventilation to prevent improper curing and bending.
[ 07:14 ] - Spaced sheathing is not compatible with asphalt shingles.
[ 08:20 ] - The issues arise when cedar shake is covered with asphalt shingle, but then a storm requires removal of the shingle & shake.
[ 09:20 ] - Some contractors propose removing all the sheathing, but a three-eighth inch overlay can be installed over the spaced sheathing.
[ 11:10 ] - Without some small gap between the planks, seasonal changes would cause expansion and contraction that lead to bowing. Gaps that are too large can lead to nails not being attached to anything securing it.
[ 13:30 ] - The industry consensus seems to prefer gaps between one-eighth inch and one-quarter inch.
[ 14:25 ] - There's a misconception that planked sheathing cannot be used with asphalt shingles, but IRC R803.1 disagrees.
[ 15:40 ] - Rosen provides a recap of the scenario and the points above.
Your PLRB Resources
Recorded Webinar: Asphalt Shingle Roofs: Top 10 Code Questions - https://www.plrb.org/courses/asphalt-shingle-roofs-top-10-code-questions/
Clickable Diagram: Residential Roof Toolkit - https://www.plrb.org/building-codes/building-component/#roof_toolkit
Spaced Sheathing Does the Deck Need to be Replaced - https://www.plrb.org/documents/sheathing-spaced-sheathing-does-the-deck-need-to-be-replaced/?search=sheathing%20gap
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