racecougar
Well-known member
Quite true. I was only considering the main shop roof and OP's climate in my comments above.
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Roof Pitch?
- Thread starter karoc
- Start date
5/12 pitch on a metal roof and it is about all you can safely walk on. A little dust on the roof and you may slide right off.
When I did HVAC we had a building with a 5/12 pitch metal roof, one worker fell of it, luckily it was winter and he landed in a few feet of snow. We normally would not go on the roof if it was wet or snow on it.
I was on that roof with a rookie. I told him you needs to stay on his feet. If you sat down you would slide. He slipped and panicked and sat down and was headed for the edge of the roof. I hollered at him to stand up and he got on his feet about three feet from the edge.
When I did HVAC we had a building with a 5/12 pitch metal roof, one worker fell of it, luckily it was winter and he landed in a few feet of snow. We normally would not go on the roof if it was wet or snow on it.
I was on that roof with a rookie. I told him you needs to stay on his feet. If you sat down you would slide. He slipped and panicked and sat down and was headed for the edge of the roof. I hollered at him to stand up and he got on his feet about three feet from the edge.
finn
Well-known member
You’re getting suggestions all over the map, some maybe good, some poorly thought out, especially with regard to cost and spending someone else’s money. Many on forums like this have little understanding of cost and go straight for what they see as overkill, but what I see as poor regard for engineering and economics.
I think I would start by determining what the local code requirements for snow loads, or any other special requirements are. Then, determine what pitch you can live with, ie are you going to be up there for construction or other maintenance, or will that all be hired out.
From there, you can determine spacing and how much the roof covering will cost, ie steeper pitch means more shingles or steel, and more expensive trusses. Only you can figure out that trade off. Personally, I don’t like heights, so either I go to a shallower pitch, or plan on hiring future maintenance out, which is often problematic for small jobs....nobody wants to do a twenty minute job. A few minutes on an online site, as previously suggested, can help get your arms around the pitch /cost trade off.
If a storage truss is desired, that will likely determine a minimum pitch for your span, as will an attic truss.
I think I would start by determining what the local code requirements for snow loads, or any other special requirements are. Then, determine what pitch you can live with, ie are you going to be up there for construction or other maintenance, or will that all be hired out.
From there, you can determine spacing and how much the roof covering will cost, ie steeper pitch means more shingles or steel, and more expensive trusses. Only you can figure out that trade off. Personally, I don’t like heights, so either I go to a shallower pitch, or plan on hiring future maintenance out, which is often problematic for small jobs....nobody wants to do a twenty minute job. A few minutes on an online site, as previously suggested, can help get your arms around the pitch /cost trade off.
If a storage truss is desired, that will likely determine a minimum pitch for your span, as will an attic truss.
It does snow here, it’s not much but it doesn’t stay around long
There is lot good information here, and I like how yours is done racecougar, that would cut roof cost from way that I was going to build it. Yes myself and one hired hand, I just want it to be able to withstand say 90mph wind. Hurricanes to sometimes make pass through East Tx. But my other concern with metal roof no decking is condensation. Double bubble life span is very short, but condensation is another subject
There is lot good information here, and I like how yours is done racecougar, that would cut roof cost from way that I was going to build it. Yes myself and one hired hand, I just want it to be able to withstand say 90mph wind. Hurricanes to sometimes make pass through East Tx. But my other concern with metal roof no decking is condensation. Double bubble life span is very short, but condensation is another subject
Last edited:
NC Fabricator25
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 28, 2010
- Messages
- 193
In my experience, it depends on the roofing type and from what perspective you’re asking the question. From a visual perspective a 5/12 pitch starts to look good to my eye. And with shingles you’re probably ok to walk on it, but with metal it gets really sketchy at that pitch. My shop is 32x50 with a metal 5/12 pitch and, unfortunately, as I discovered, about the worst of both worlds. It’s not flat enough to walk on comfortably, but not steep enough to shed leaves very well. So you need to walk on it to blow the leaves off, but it’s right on the edge of being safe and I’ve had a couple of slips. A bit steeper and I think the leaves would slide off and the need to walk on the roof would be mitigated.