Re: Need help roof problem.

Hey Boggieman,

I see from the pics you posted that your roofing skeletons, main beam, rafters, purlins have been brushed on with solignum. I just don't know if those additional wooden supports are newly installed or not but you see you just gave those termites to go back and feast at those untreated wood. Why not apply once more a coat of Solignum on all the roofing skeletons and don,t leave any portion unpainted with the anti termite chemical. Try your best to find the termites trail, where is it coming from and if its from the ground outside of the walls then better drench that area with some solution or chemical that will eliminate the termites. Or prepare a solution, a plastic drum full and apply it all around the outside of the walls para malason yuong lupa at mga anay.

It would be easy to say change all the roofing skeletons with metal but are you ready for some hard work in doing so, changing it at this time might be impossible since we are still in the rainy season and by replacing all those wood with angle bars, entire roofing structure will have to be removed. Try to weigh your options, baka naman kaya pa ng mga kahoy sa itaas, just make sure to check your roofing skeletons periodically to see if there are still termite infestations. :rolleyes:

Re: Need help roof problem.

I think your Roof base structure is still sound. While there is evidence of infestation it isn't all that bad from the pictures you posted. I hope it's the same situation for when a pro-contractor evaluates it in actuality. You need to make sure that all of those wooden materials are fully covered with whatever chemical you think is best for termite or wood mite control. Instead of changing the material why don't you hire a pest control contractor to do annual/periodic maintenance and see if that can work while you save up a budget for an eventual/alternate replacement. I worry about the idea of a gargantuan solution for a minuscule problem. My two cents.

Re: Need help roof problem.

@rosy, Actually all the woods are painted with Solignum, the woods that looks new are from the original installation pa. But I mentioned those woods na looks new ay halos wala nang laman, either half eaten or all the way ubos na, yon nga ang naging problem kala ko mga buo pa yon pala hallow na yung loob.

Main beam ay good pa as far as I know, although may sign na kinapangan na. The badly damage are Rapters and Batten, You might not notice in the picture, but those rapters and batten are either half eaten or hallow, I don't have an exact count pero mas lamang na ang may damage keysa walang damage. Isa concern ko, baka pag may typhoon ay tangayin buo ang roof.

Nag pa pest control naman ako, mabangis lang talaga tong mga anay na to, Puro vacant lot pa paligid namin 🙁

I agree with the weather its not favorable, if ever naman sa summer ko sisimulan repair. But then again I have time to make the Ridge beam, trusses and battens, assemble on the ground then sa summer kabit na. From the design I think I can work half of the roof first without touching the other half.

Kaya nga I'm weighing my option right now, how much magagastos ko sa wood over steel. Its hardwork either wood or steel , but I'm up to the challenge not only its needed but I will gain experience too.

I just need guidance sa Materials that I will use especially the steel. Welding machine etc...

@sir willyfernando
Yes it looks deceiving sa picture pero believe it or not handful lang po ng rapters and batten ang walang damage. Up until now I continue to treat yung mga walang pang tama. But I doubt kaya pang i support kung may malakas na typhoon.

Re: Need help roof problem.

@Boggieman,

OK, that is good that you have explained the whole present wood conditions, at least the overall picture is much clearer now. If those support pieces of lumber as you have said are already hollow or half eaten by those pesky termites, I would like to suggest somethings just for your peace of mind.

Its either you do the job or get a reliable neighborhood karpintero and little by little replace those un- treated eaten pieces of lumber supporting your trusses. You can prepare the new lumber you will be installing by treating it with several coats/applications of Solignum, let the solution soak the wood then let it dry for a few days. Then start planning your moves what to replace first, it can be done one at a time. Purpose of this stop gap suggestion is to give you peace of mind that your roofing frames will still be good and will still hold against this typhoon season. The process of this stop gap can easily be done even though its raining coz you or the karpintero will be under the roof and it seems based on the pics you posted " maluwag ang pag kikilusan sa itaas ng kisame during the repair.

Regarding your option on whether wood or metal to use:

Using wood again might post a similar problem in the future, finding a good lumber supply this days has become quiet difficult and prices of lumber has also gone up na magugulat ka sa presyo per board foot.

Using metals, particularly angle bars and C purlins, at first it will look expensive but in the long run its cheaper and worth it. You can plan little by little and start canvassing how much you will spend and planning the number of materials you will need. You can do the welding or contract a welder in your area to assemble the main beam or ridge and the trusses sa ibaba, get a 250 amp DC weld machine, maybe a Rilon, HiTronic, Mitsuden, Powercraft or Nihonweld para pwede sya pang heavy duty use. :soccer: Don't get the Yamato 200 DC Invertr used by many PHM members, for light duty lang yan. Hiring a welder will be a plus for you since you will have a chance to see how he does it and get some tips as well from him during the process, matututo ka na mas madali sa pag welding at hinde na ngangapa. Using metal for your roofing frames will last you longer, without problems of termites, but if you are thinking of rusting, then better prime it thoroughly with epoxy metal primer applying several coats to seal the metals.

GOOD LUCK bro !!! 😉

Re: Need help roof problem.

Thanks rosy, replacing the damage rapters came into my mind to the extend that I already canvass for those 2x6, you are right about the price and surprisingly none of the hardware I ask have the 2x6x16 instead they only have 2x6x12. Actually I have a plan of attack in case I go for wood.

I think at this point the first question I really need answer is what type of steel and size should I use. Is it angle bar, tube etc. then I can start canvassing.My brother in law know how to weld so that is an advantage.

Re: Need help roof problem.

The only issue I see is the rafter/corbel that broke, and if you say it was termite
damage that weakened it, then I'll assume it is so (I can't actually see evidence
that termites got INTO the wood; just that it broke). Anyway, I think the rafter/
corbel was only treated with solignum AFTER it was installed, meaning the surface
in contact with the CHB wall was untreated, and an open invitation to termites.

Like WillyF says: call a pest-control expert, so you can plan around what they will
say/propose.

You can replace the damaged rafter/corbel with pretreated wood (I always have
wood treated BEFORE installing --easier to treat the major surfaces when you can
turn the piece around and over, down at the comfort of ground level, and even if
you have to trim an installed piece, there's less bare surface to re-treat, up where
it's NOT as comfortable as ground zero).

You can also choose to replace or support it with a steel angle, predrilled for anchor
or dynabolts into the wall. 2"x2"x4.5mm MS angle, with 8 to 10mm diameter bolts
(into the wall's roofbeam) spaced 0.60 apart, should do it. You don't want to bolt
the corbel down super-tight against the wall. You want a tiny bit of play, because
that wall and the roof will move differently over time.

Either wood or steel, it'll be a job helped by drier weather.
For now, have pest control look it over, and avoid placing any loads on the damaged
portion of the roof framing. Once summer returns, you should have already made a
decision on repairs: replace the whole roof framing with steel (very expensive), spot
repair with pretreated wood (relatively-cheap and easy to work with), or spot repair
with steel (inexpensive but more-demanding of accurate pre-measurment)

-=-=-=-
[COLOR="Silver"]For a young structure, I'm however curious about the visible 'remedies'. Pahabol
yung mga rafter collar-ties (the horizontal members) and the ridge-beam supports
(the vertical tukod resting on CHB wall), tapos 'di man lang pre-treated (solignum).
Kahit nga ang mga rafters and ridgebeam of the original roof framing look like they
weren't treated (solignum) carefully.

Medio unusual din ang roof framing mo. Yes, it's rafter-and-collar-tie, pero en vez
na ridgeboard or ridgebeam being precisely where two opposing rafters meet, wala.
The wooden ridgebeam lies immediately UNDER the rafter-ends, and so, instead of
complementary support, you have a dependency: the rafters transfer their load (but
zero bracing) to the ridgebeam, which then sags, and requires kingpost-style tukod.

But hey, if it works, it works. 🙂
Nandiyan na ang mga pahabol na tukod and collar ties, so just have them treated.
Be aware that (re)applying solignum NOW requires skill: errant drips may stain your
ceiling, the solignum slowly bleeding through the plywood/ficem. Also, whoever is
going to apply solignum should be aware of the dangers in a non-ventilated space.

JM2, and Good kuck

Re: Need help roof problem.

Thanks for the experts advised.

The only issue I see is the rafter/corbel that broke, and if you say it was termite
damage that weakened it, then I'll assume it is so (I can't actually see evidence
that termites got INTO the wood; just that it broke).

The photo show one broken rapter, but there are several more, no damage outside but hallow inside.
I put an arrow to the damage or half damage one. And this is just for one side, The other half is almost as worse as this side.

Replacing the damage one is actually my first choice, since it is the less expensive and less work involve. And ofcourse I will treat them at ground level, paint solignum on 6 sides several times.

You can also choose to replace or support it with a steel angle, predrilled for anchor
or dynabolts into the wall. 2"x2"x4.5mm MS angle, with 8 to 10mm diameter bolts
(into the wall's roofbeam) spaced 0.60 apart, should do it. You don't want to bolt
the corbel down super-tight against the wall. You want a tiny bit of play, because
that wall and the roof will move differently over time.

If I choose to replace with steel angle, how do I go about bolting the second or third one na malayo sa wall? How about C-purlins pwede po bang yon ang ipalit ko sa mga 2x6 na rapters? if so, same method din ba ng pagkabit sa ridge beam ipapako or is there a better way?

And yes all this will be done in the coming summer.

Again maraming salamat po.. Nagkakaron na ng linaw yung mga susunod kung steps.

Re: Need help roof problem.

Thanks for the experts advised.
If I choose to replace with steel angle, how do I go about bolting the second or third one na malayo sa wall? How about C-purlins pwede po bang yon ang ipalit ko sa mga 2x6 na rapters? if so, same method din ba ng pagkabit sa ridge beam ipapako or is there a better way?

And yes all this will be done in the coming summer.

If the termite damage is that widespread, you might as well replace your entire roof
framing. Given the apparent length of your roof slope, no, I don't think you can use
c-purlins as rafters (c-purlins are not rigid enough: they're generally meant to go ON
TOP of a rafter or a truss' topchord). There's bound to be some good lumber that
you can salvage and resell (or DIY into projects) from your existing framing, to help
defray your expenses... which have to include area treatment for termites (because
even with the roof framing converted to steel, your house remains a smorgasbord
of cellulose delights for the little devils).

Since you have some time to go before summer, get designs and estimates for steel
trusses (or rafters) and purlins. It won't be cheap up front, but will turn out cheap in
the long run. Designing roof-framing is not really for amateurs, especially in a context
of typhoons. If you take the step of painting (not just red-oxide priming) the trusses
(or rafters) before you start roofing, you'll be better protected against rust.

Here's a generic chart of roof-truss types randomly-filched from teh intarwebth, albeit
apparently in wood, and only to give you a rough idea of the possibilities: