OK, So I lost my roof to Charley, but I can take care of that part out of pocket… but my weasel insurance company is not covering squat……
I have to replace my carport… it was aluminum and was a total loss. Our goal is to make an overhead deck with workshop space below. Economy is an absolute criteria. Any Ideas????
I have heard ideas abut vinyl underlayment under wooden decks…. I am absolutely open to all ideas…
OK KNOTS subscribers, any ideas?
Replies
If you don't mind me asking, who is your insurance company?
On the matter of rebuilding, the first thing that came to mind is the old saying: "Do it right the first time." I'm not a structural engineer nor a master carpenter but my first choice would be to have a shop structure with a solid roof over it, then build a deck on top of it. My thinking is that you could have a flat roof, sloped for water runoff. Then build a normal deck structure on top of it, offsetting for the roof slope to keep the deck flat.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
When one lives on a barrier island, one's insurance options are limited. The company was Lloyd's of London... but we chose not to carry the windstorm rider at $4000/year... so now we're out of pocket... no worries... we were prepared for this day.
Obviously, I'm going to rebuild a solid deck structure above... but I've heard rumors about a vinyl underlayment product that channels runoff away providing an absolutely dry space underneath the deck...
Anybody have any experience with this stuff?
Sorry, forgot to ask you something. I live in Bradenton, about an hour south of Tampa. We've only been in Florida a few years and I see on the map there are two Pine Island's. I assume you live in one of them because of your username. If so, how did Charley affect you?
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
I'm living on the Pine Island in that is in Lee County. FL ... Lost my roof and my carport... I can handle the roof repairs and the drywall and hardwood floor repairs... might not be as quickly as my wife would choose... but what's new?!!!
Good grief! How many towns of the same names does Florida have? When I did a Mapquest search, it showed one in Hernando County (north of Tampa) and another in the panhandle.
Sorry to hear of your loss. For a while, the predicted path for Charley would have brought him directly over our neighborhood. Then, he veered east and hit you guys. Now we're dealing with Frances! We've had 3-4 inches of rain today and winds up to 50-60mph but no damage as yet.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Bill, glad to hear you're ok. I assume you still have power. I'm in Arcadia, and we've had the worst weather of the day come through about an hour ago, and is still going on. About 50mph winds, and the rain keeps falling. PineIslander, good luck. Hang on for Ivan, it's now a category 4. Never been in a blizzard, are they better than this?
Hey Creekwood,
Glad to hear from you... DeSoto County took a real shot from Charley.
A very good friend of mine lives in Muse... and he held up pretty well today... how did you do out in Arcadia?
We did ok, no damage, even in Charlie. Just a few shingles with that one, but a lot of cleanup, and tree damage. Yes, the help that came pouring in was mind-boggling. Leaves you humble. Now it could be our turn to help some of the less-fortunate, over on the east coast. But if it keeps up like it has been, we could float on down to you.
By the way, where is Muse?
Creekwood,
Blink your eyes and you'll miss Muse... it's just North of LaBelle.
OK, obviously I've been blinking every time I'm that direction. Is it smaller than Alva? That would mean your friend and his family are the only ones there.
Keep those eyes open Creek... Alva is Miami compared to Muse!
Creekwood,
Amazingly, we've had power throughout the storm. A couple of times, the lights went out for about 5 seconds then back on solid; another couple of times, lights browned down for a few seconds. Wind has been as high as 50-60mph; not a lot of rain until late yesterday and it's continuing this morning as of 0300.
Blizzard? I've always lived in the south but have been in the middle of some hasty winter weather while travelling. Among the worst was a business trip to the Albany, NY area; the day I was scheduled to leave a blizzard started a few hours earlier than forecast and I almost couldn't make it to the airport. Conditions at the airport were so bad, they couldn't keep the runways clear of snow long enough to get some of the aircraft landed. After boarding our aircraft, ice was re-forming on it almost as fast as they could get it de-iced. Finally got off the ground after sitting in the plane at the gate about an hour and a half. Sure was glad to get back to Florida.
It's all relative, of course. I remember one of my first trips to Sarasota after joining a firm here; I was still living in Texas at the time. Flew into TPA one evening in early November. As I was driving south on I275 watching the waves crash and the spray come over the road as I approached the Skyway, the announcer on the radio started giving a brief weather report. He said something like: this cold front will continue to drop temperatures throughout the week and it'll be really frigid by Friday; all the way down to 45!
Stay safe.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Bill,
Glad to hear you've still got power, we're among the blessed to have it right now. These feeder bands are still going strong, wish Francis would go ahead and make up her mind. I just saw it's stationary right now, so all this could last awhile. My yard is a lake, and it's not done yet. Is there any problem over there with you concerning flooding?
We've still got power in spite of the continuing rain bands and wind coming through this morning. Our house is not in a flood-prone area -- we checked that before buying here. We've had as much as 10 inches in a day and haven't had any problem getting out of the area.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Bill, looks like things are getting better. I spoke with Alison before concerning Charlie, and I believe she was in south Tampa. Alison, if you read this, hope you're doing ok.
Well, things got much better for a while -- went out and spoke with a few neighbors. Then, another band of rain came through -- looks like yet another lurking out there, too. I drove around a bit this morning and the only problems I saw were a couple of isolated power outages and small branches on the roads. A couple of liveoak trees on our street are leaning, but they're small enough to push back up while the ground is soft.
I've seen a couple of posts by Alison. Since she's in Tampa and others of us are are this part of the country, maybe we should plan to meet in person sometime.
Take care.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
hi creekwood-- I have not heard from Alison -- did have lunch with her in Atlanta last friday-- her and two of her friends- then my wife and I went off and did the show and we never met up with them again-- if you ever been up to the IWF -you know what I mean-- she is a super person-- where I am at --Lithia-- we got the lee side of Frances- 60 to 70 mph wind and a lot of rain -dumped 4" out twice and over half full now -- and it doesn't do well catching horizontal rain--had some house windows covered and all two windows of the shop covered--we were out of power about 2 hoursSun a.m.--that is all I run the generator for-- I 've got to replace the house roof but I don't think I will even ask the insurance co. about it --I truly think they want everyone to be self insured-- another band coming thru-- it is kind of strange to have it raining so hard but no thunder and lightning-- sounds like you all have enough down there to start a club-- houdy B Arnold and Pine Islander -- glad you survived-- now look out for Ivan -- I don't mean that I lost the roof in the hurricane -- it is just old and getting brittle-- likle so many things -- I have been thinking about replacing it with a standing seam metal roof-- take caremaking sawdust
Hey, vern, good to hear from you. Glad to hear you have power, sorry to hear about your roof. Hope any water damage is minimal. Maybe you should just check with your insurance anyway, and just see what may be covered. I was wondering about Alison, this came closer to her than Charley.
By the way, Ivan has been downgraded to category 3. Now if it will just disappear....
you are right --the tail end of Frances definitly put water over Alison's sandbags--she could be out of town-- I will give her a land line =making sawdust
Hey creekwood,
I just saw my shadow! Does that mean we have six more weeks of hurricanes???
(or am I just suffering from terminal cabin fever?)
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Bill, say it aint so! I wonder what would happen if everyone in FL turned their fans toward the next storm?
Just a thought.
OK -- paraphrasing your comment -- if hurricanes suck, then if we blow hard enough they go away?????
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Well Bill, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Hey, we may be on to something here. Reckon we could get a grant from the government to study this? I could put my shop on hold for a year if 100K were available for research.
Hmmmmm...........now there's a thought!
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Hey all....
All is well ...well mostly well. We have no power at the house but no damage, just mess. The workshop however is another matter. I'd sandbagged it, but it still flooded to 6"...I spent yesterday afternoon pumping it out...
It's hard to tell at this point if there is any actual damage...most of my wood got wet - it'll dry, and some of my jig making materials and actual jigs are toast, but they needed refinement :). All current projects were up off the floor so they are fine... but my machinery ahhhhh....that's why its 5am and I"m still awake.
I hope I hope I hope...crossing fingers and toes that they are all ok...bandsaw engine is way above water as is table saw, the only thing I'm truely worried bout is the new 14" jointer.
Things were just really messy..but we're all well and healthy and in the grand scheme of things thats what counts.
I gotta run and practice sandbagging...grrrrr this hurricane stuff is a pita.
Alison
Alison, glad to hear you're ok, at least as well as can be. I hope all dries out quickly, and that your equipment will be undamaged. You just don't appreciate power until you don't have any, at least I didn't. When ours came back on after Charley, it was the best thing since Pepsi (sliced bread is ok). Good luck, and please, let me know if I could help you in any way.
Alison,
Dittos on the help. I'm just down the road from you in Bradenton, so just holler if there's something I can do.Bill ArnoldCustom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Well...we finally got power today - almost a week. It is soooo good to be back in the house.
All of my machinery started up with no problem...I let it all dry for 48hrs. My wood has water stains on the bottom 6" but the rest is salvageable. I escaped relatively unscathed.
Many thanks for the offers of help guys, it kept the panic level down.
That was the good news...the bad news begins with an I and ends with N. Urrrrrgh. I am worn out and fed up with these danged hurricanes.
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that florida gets let off the hook on this one.
Thanks all...stay safe.
Alison
Glad to hear you're in relatively good shape up there. Don't hesitate to give us a shout if you need a hand. If worst comes to worst, we're not in a flood plain nor in an evacuation zone if you need a place to stay if Ivan pays us a visit.
Never know about these danged storms, though. Charley was only 2-3 hours from coming straight over our neighborhood, then suddenly veered into Charlotte Harbor. Don't wish any ill will on anyone else, but maybe Ivan will make a turn out into the Atlantic and leave all of us alone!
Take care.Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
I think this is the one we have been talking about --I truly hope not --we don't need it- I 've been around here for 45 yrs and not about to leave--do you have any metal buildings( like Steel Master structures ) around you and if you do how did they survive? I have a 30 x 60 and the salesman tells me he would haunker down in that-- I will try to put a picture in here- he says it will take 155 mph-- maybe he should stay in it-- here goesmaking sawdust messed up the first one ---go to number 2
Edited 9/10/2004 11:08 pm ET by vern
We live in a deed-restricted community, so no steel buildings around us. All the houses have been built to newer codes to enable them to withstand hurricane conditions -- up to a point, I'm sure. Concrete block walls anchored to the concrete pad and a solid concrete beam encircling the top of the walls all the way around the house and garage. In addition, our house backs up to a preserve, is in a cul-de-sac and has some protection from the wind in all directions.
I've seen literature on the type of building you have. Seems to be a solid design and I'm sure it could survive winds from either side. The blunt ends are what I'd be most concerned about unless they're constructed of concrete block and anchored securely. The next picture I want to see you post is the salesman taking cover in the building -- that would be a good endorsement! <grin>Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
you have probably seen the latest --a little more to the west-- that is good-- it probably making someone else do a little sweating-- your idea is good -- I will definity pass it on-- good luck -- the ends are studded with 2x6 's --16" ctrs--I wanted to get as much insulation in there as possible--plus the stiffness and strength-- covered with 3/8 T117 or is it T111-- and 1/2" OSB on the inside-- there is only a sheet metal lip attached to the end arch to fasten to-- so how much abuse it will take I don't really know-- I should ask their engineers about that- I've got to go to work good luckmaking sawdust
Edited 9/11/2004 1:08 pm ET by vern
Yea, but for the for the grace of God goes you and I... we live roughly on the middle of our island; Charley's eye crossed over two communities on the north end of our island: Bokeelia, and Pineland were both absolutely devastated.
I truly feel for the victims and am so thankful for all the assistance we've recieved from all of the utility companies and the National Guard and the law enforcement agencies from all over the state... isn't it interesting how the very best behavior of humanity occurs when we are facing the worst of conditions?
EPDM is less expensive and you can do it yourself. (All the vinyl products i've seen are dealer-installed, but i may be behind the times, now.)
http://www.roofhelp.com/choices/epdm/
There are a few ways to do it, but the easiest is to lay it out, roll half back, apply the EPDM glue (similar to contact cement) to both your 3/4" plywood decking and the EPDM. I prefer to use a trowel with 1/8th notch over a messy roller, btw. Allow to tack. I then get on the tacky deck and pull the rubber towards me, working side to side, instead of trying to get under it--seems to make fewer wrinkles for me that way. Repeat on the other side. If you have a sidewall to meet, run up the wall a few inches with the rubber and use term (for 'termination') bar and caulk the edge.
You can also lay it down and just weight it with your material, or get a sheet made with flaps attached to the underside for screwing down, though i confess i've never seen this for small jobs.
I've done a flat roof, a balcony, a large deck, and a carport and second-storey walk-ways with this stuff. Easy and incredibly tough.
Edit: 45 mil is the thickness i prefer.
Edited 9/6/2004 5:16 pm ET by splintergroupie
Greetings from Maitland, near Orlando, where the stuff left over from Charley was only seed for Frances. Mostly inconvenience here, unlike you guys in the southwestern coastal areas, but a pain you-know-where anyhow. My daughter is a director of the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and has interests near you at their Pineland site. I guess their staff office was pretty badly treated by Charley, roof and water damage and maybe more. Some of their Caloosa digs were messed up. But we were only a little over a day without power this time. After Charley it was a week. Rain guage topped out at five inches yesterday and today it probably did another fiver at the least. Glad they're both gone!
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