How To Build A Leakproof Roof Hatch

The importance of building it right photo by russell kaye.

How to build a leakproof roof hatch. What is of greatest importance safe and secure access to the roof and we shall look at the different options and some of the most popular types of access hatches. Re shingle valleys valleys may need to be reshingled with new ice and water shield put in place. However before i could make the sliding hatches i first had to make door. Making curve or doomed tops for the hatches is quite a bit more work than flat topped hatches.

To make the two sliding hatches i used some 5 mm plywood and some 1 x 4 inch pine boards i had on hand from a previous project. But the horizontal lines of this 8 by 13 foot flat roof section at the cambridge tv project house make it vulnerable to heavy snow and pooling rainwater which is why it must be built to last. A properly constructed epdm roof should last 40 or more years. Still leaf debris and organic matter that gets through the slats in the decking will build up on the rubber roof and hold moisture.

It s best to build the wooden deck in removable sections for cleaning and maintenance of the rubber roof and repair of the membrane if ever needed. Sheathing goes down quickly on a roof that isn t sloped and thus provides some footing. Hatches have to provide easy access whether you need it for maintenance or to access your rooftop garden or deck. Then down from the roof into the extra 2 x 4s with the built in washer screws.

We mounted the frame put extra 2 x 4s of about the same length on the four sides of the frame then we drilled the drywall screws from the frame to the extra 2 x 4s. Roof hatch ideas vary as much as roofs do. They lock together along their long edges to form leak proof joints. Raintight a perimeter frame and graduated spacer nailers are fastened beneath the deck joists so that the plane of the ceiling slopes slightly at least 1 4 inch per foot away from the house toward the joist header.

So of course that is what i wanted to build.