Update: My DIY backyard shed roof collapse taught me a dumb lesson about snow

I live in Portland and last February we got that freak ice storm. I thought I was being smart throwing a tarp over my leaning shed roof to buy some time. Woke up at 3 AM to a sound like a tree branch snapping, went outside with a flashlight, and the whole back half of the roof had caved in under the wet snow. My $40 tarp just trapped the moisture and added weight. The plywood underneath was already rotted at the edges, so the whole thing was a ticking bomb anyway. Had to pay my neighbor Carlos $200 to help me haul the debris to the dump. Anyone else ever think a quick fix will hold but it just makes the problem bigger?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_wood8426d ago

...and my buddy Steve pulled the exact same move on his carport out in his place near Hillsboro. He figured a blue tarp would buy him a winter, same as you. Three days later he found the whole thing folded in half like a taco, with the tarp just acting as a giant sponge holding all that wet slush against the roof boards. He was so mad he kicked a hole in the surviving wall panel by accident. Carlos sounds like a good guy for helping you out, that cleanup is no joke, especially when you're standing in the dark trying to figure out what just killed your weekend.

avery_jackson26d ago

Aw man, I gotta disagree a little bit though. Tarps are fine if you do it right, you just can't let them sag or pool water. I've had a blue tarp last me two winters on my shed roof up in the woods, no collapse.

kelly38526d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, did you tarp that shed roof with a steep enough pitch? I've seen guys try to tarp a flat or low slope and it's just asking for trouble, especially with wet snow. The sag is what kills you every time, turns a tarp into a giant water balloon. Two winters is pretty solid though, you must have it tied down like a maniac.