You Only Have 2 Days And $2k To Redo A Roof. What Do You Do
 

You only have a weekend and $2k to redo a 18 square roof. It has a 2/12 pitch that currently has painted over shingles on it and it leaks in 10 or more places. You're by yourself with tools but no specialist roofing tools. I'm thinking the only options are shingles over shingles or 90# rolled roofing (no tear-off). What would you do to get the best roof within those constraints?

I would walk as fast as I could as far away from this job as possible!

can't. It's for my cousin. I'm trying to help.

2/12 is too shallow for shingles. What type of building is it on? A house, garage, out building? How high is it? Will the surface of the roof be visible from the ground?
I'd tell your cousin to put a tarp on it until he saves up some more cash. Then I'd strip the roof down to the frame and correct any damage caused by the leaks. Next, I'd determine if the roof will be visible from the ground. Then I'd select an appropriate low-slope roof product.

This is only a guess but is it possible the 2 day time limit is to ready the house for resale. I hope not, but if that is the case it may come back and bite you in the arse

house, visible from the ground. It's not a flip. He lives there.

A couple cases of beer and some buddies on a weekend, along with some low end product bought on the cheap and you'll be good to go. Will it last? Absolutely not. If you want to do it right, your gonna need more time and more money plain and simple. Slapping something together half assed and expecting professional results just isn't possible. Bottom line, a shady job is only going to cost you or in this case, your cousin many more problems down the road. A square of shingle around here runs $75-135 depending on brand and quality of product so you could potentially be in $2000 with just shingle material alone. 2/12 slope isn't very steep and not ideal for a shingle roofing. Your cousin really needs to consider doing it right. Tell him to take out a small loan if he can. Tear off, replace any bad decking material, ice and water shield, then self sticking rolled roof. Make sure your ice and water shield and the rolled roofing material are compatible. Fast & Cheap never go hand in hand, sorry.

Why is there a 2 day window?

Going over the existing is not what you want to do. This is what it sounds like is the only option, let him do it and you advise him on how to best polish that turd of bandaid. I wouldnt waste my time doing it but you could provide your .02 so he doesnt totally screw it up.

These are the jobs that come back to bite you the a**. You can advise him but dont do the work at all.

The roof has been leaking for fifteen years, and you have only two days?

1. It all has to come off.
2. The deck has to be repaired where it is dry rotted from leaks, and the whole deck may need to be re-nailed. Who knows?
3. Many posters that frequent this forum will tell you that you can put shingles on 2/12 slope. The NRCA says you should not, so dont.
4. You can use a peel and stick Mod Bit membrane like GAF Liberty on his roof, over a properly nailed base sheet. You will be done quick, and its pretty much brainless, but read and follow the directions carefully.

He may have to spring for more money, but this is a really fast way to do the roof. You MUST tear off though.

Tarp it, hold a 2 X 4 under your arms so you do not fall all the way through.
An old man once told me a screw up on your part does not contitute an emergency on my part.

What specifically will happen if the rotted wood isn't repaired? Won't it just dry up?

No, the roof will start to sag, leak more new shingles will not stay on, it will mold up, then the insulation will get soaked and mold up, sheetrock comes down then the floors get distroyed.

John,

Wood is organic, subject to attack by organisms. When wood dry rots, the cell structure breaks down as it is attacked by microorganisms. It no longer has any flexural strength. You can check it with an ice pick, like you are checking for termites. There is a product called get-rot that kills the microorganisms, but it is not cheap, so replacement is usually the better option.

Your Cousin has to get real, IMO. You cant make a silk purse from a sows ear...........especially in two days.

Let's not forget that the extra weight of a layover will cause the roof to sag more and accelerate the deterioration.