Stable roofs leaking like sieves.......any quick fix ideas?

ElleSkywalkingintheair

ElleSkywalkingintheair

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
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Evening,

So the stable roofs at new Skywalker Towers are about as water tight as a pair of fishnet stockings :rolleyes3: so yesterday poor DSW and DSW Snr spent a few hours with sealant and some bits of wood trying to plug as many holes as possible and tonight we will get some expandable foam for the rest.

However it could do with a new roof but the rest of stables aren't in that good nick and are in a stupid place so would rather make do for now and build new stables in a more sensible place.

Has anyone every managed to waterproof stable roofs with plastic sheeting or any other inspired ideas?

Posh choc from Pippipony's lovely choc stand for all :biggrin3:
 
Maybe speak to a local thatcher and see if they will rent you a high quality tarp. You quite often see them tethered over old thatched roofs round here when they are waiting for the thatcher to become available.
 
B&Q do heavy duty plastic 'dust' sheets for about £8. Think they're about 5m x 8m or something so decent size. In my local b&q they're in the 'traders' building section beside where you get rubble bags.

I'd put them over the roof and then place thin wooden batons over them to secure them. Don't nail/screw the batons on along the length (only the ends) otherwise you'll have holes in it and unwaterproof it but I'd try duct taping the batons onto the plastic. It'll not last for very long but hopefully a month or so, is cheap and holes could be easily patched with duct tape.
 
Not sure what size area you have to deal with, but I have previously used old lorry sheets and abnormal load tarpaulins to temporarily water proof buildings - If you can get hold of them the 'curtains' of old curtain side lorry bodies are great as they won't rip if the wind gets up like woven tarp can do. Also valueless to the scrap metal men so can be got quite cheaply if they are lying around in the scrap yard.

Beware these curtains can be quite heavy though - would need a good few people to get them on the roof!
 
All good ideas chaps, keep them coming.

The thatching tarp/lorry side is great but not sure the roof joists would hold them...... I know normal tarps would be useless but the B & Q plastic sheets might be a goer.

It's an L shaped stable block, 3 stables and a tack room so the corner of the L bit ads extra fun to the whole thing :rolleyes3:
 
Just another thought, seeing as it is a temporary job. Could you do anything from the inside? Not sure what, add a layer of something. At least then it is not at the mercy of the weather. Does not really matter if it directs the water into the structure if it is only to tide you over before flattening the lot anyway.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Would the roof take bitumised roofing felt if you could tack it on over the existing covering? We did this with our old field shelter, which we coaxed into giving us another couple of years until we could afford the new stable block.
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Did u cover the whole roof or just sections? Did it not cost a fortune?
 
You could easily create a water proof 'hammock' inside your stables and funnel the water into a big bucket? The B&Q sheets would be perfect for that and, as Sprig said, not exposed to the elements. They're be easily attached at the sides by couple of thin wooden batons and you'd just have them slightly slack and at a slight angle to pour into a bucket (or even better, a length of drainpipe to outside)
 
my hay store roof leaks.

Every couple of years we buy a heavy duty tarp with eyelets along the sides, we attach a bit of heavy duty wood (like a fence rail) along two sides with cable ties, climb a ladder and place one rail across the roof from side to side then push it till it 'falls' off the back of the roof and hangs down a couple of feet at the back, the other side with a rail sits just over the edge of the roof at the front *sloping roof) so effectively the roof is covered with a tarp. We use a couple more rails to stop the tarp ballooning up in the wind but generally the tied rails edges hanging down front and back stop it moving

that stops all leaks for a couple of years

Hope that all makes sense!

In the stables themselves for minor leaks we have had some success with this:
http://www.thompsonsweatherproofing.co.uk/products/product.jsp?id=20
 
ElleSkywalker said:
We are spraying expandable foam from the inside as don't dare go onto roof :)

Wonder if there is something similar on a bigger scale we could spray under, hum......
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We ve used expandable foam in the past ...what about visiting the builders merchants and buying the plastic woven sheeting and tacking that on the underside of the rafters..making sure its got a drainage point somewhere ? Ive blocked holes in my stables this year with "pillows" made from insulation wrapped in said plastic woven material then tacked them in position..its reducing the gale blowing through the stables.
 
We have a barn whose tin roof is just holes and rust. A tarp on top is the way to go. Tied down well, we've had hay in it for 5 years without losing a bale. Previously it was no better than storing things outside.
 
How about painting the underside of the roof, i.e. the ceiling with bitumen? Ok its black and the roof above will rot and you'll get in one hell of a mess doing it, but from what you've said a replacement in the future is the only way to go, so I wouldn't worry about that. Also it has the advantage that you don't need to get on the roof itself.
 
Our stables are so old that we get showered with rain and small bits of clay tile. In the horse area, the stables have bitumen felt nailed on the inside of the roofing struts and they're fairly watertight. Humans have to get wet in the overhang as that isn't felted or stand in the stable with the bemused horse.
 
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