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Alternatives for fixing holes in tile roof felt

4K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  seeyou 
#1 ·
I have some holes in the tarpaper/felt close to the edge of the valley flashing on a concrete tile roof. The holes are in the bottom 8 feet of the roof, and the paper above this point appears fine to me. One roofing contractor has looked at the situation and has suggested that he redo the entire valley. His steps would be to remove the existing flashing, remove the tile and battens 5 feet on either side of the valley, put down new felt (taking care to layer it properly), then install new 5 ridge flashing. He says the 5 ridge flashing will prevent this problem from ever occuring again. He wants $65/foot for this repair and the valley is 23 feet long. I believe that I have several other valleys with the same issues so the cost of this type of repair will be close to $5K. I am out of work right now so this would be a real stretch for my finances.

Is there a simpler way to repair the leaks that have developed? I have included a picture of one of the holes in the paper so that you can see what the problem looks like. My thought would be to pick up the existing flashing, remove the tiles and battens for a foot or two on either side of the flashing, clean up the holes in the paper so it lies flat, then put ice and water shield over the holes, extending 1 foot or so beyond the edges of the holes. Then reinstall the flashing. Would this work? I will probably only be in this house for another 3-5 years, so it would not need to be a 25 year solution. Another alternative would be to put down new paper on top of the existing paper. This would require that I remove a lot more tiles and battens and that I figure out the layering thing. Is this a better idea, and if so, where would I find instructions on how to put down the paper properly?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
 

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#2 ·
Is the valley still serviceable? Is it damaged (punctured or torn) or badly rusted? If not, I'd go the I&WS route and make sure it laps over the edges of the valley metal.

How old is this roof and how did the underlayment get damaged? Is it like this all over the roof? If so, then the best option would be to remove a section at a time and install new underlayment on the whole plane. It's necessary to have good underlayment with tile roofs.

The 5V valley is a good idea if the valley metal needs replacing. You should be able to purchase it yourself if you decide to DIY this.
 
#3 ·
Oh, on the underlayment installation:

Do you know the brand of tile? If it's still in production, there should be an online installation manual. By layering, I'm guessing that they originally used half lapped felt. Does a new layer start about every 18"? There are other options that are less labor intensive and possibly less expensive, but I'd try to find out the manufacturer and see what they spec.
 
#4 ·
The felt appears in good condition except where leaves appeared to have gotten onto the felt and sat there for a long period of time. I have oak trees in front of the house. Some leaves somehow manage to get on the roof even though the trees are a ways away. The leaves get into the valley and eventually clog it. The water then washes the leaves over the edge of the valley where they sit and decompose. This appears to have damaged the felt over the years (18 years).

The valley looks fine (no rust or other damage). However, it is nailed down along the edges, just inside the metal U-lip. If I were to do a really quick fix and put ice and water shield over the edge of the flashing, then I'd need to flatten out the U-lip so the ice and water shield could lay relatively flat. Otherwise it would have a big (and varying) bulge in it. If I pick up the valley then I could put ice and water shield under the valley and over the holes in the felt. This is a bunch more work because I would need to remove and replace the valley. What would you suggest?

There is overlap on the existing paper, but the seams are quite a ways apart. I'd have to go measure to get an accurate distance but I'd guess they are at least 3 feet apart.
 
#5 ·
Didn't we discuss this valley situation already?

If the laps on the felt are about 3' apart then there's nothing special about the underlayment installation. The felt is 3' wide. There's lines on it to show how much to overlap for different situations.

You don't want the water going under the valley. You want it staying in the valley.

This "bulge" - what's causing it? There's not a rotten or broken rafter or something is there?
 
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