roof redesign

14 years ago

Last year we built in our front porch to enlarge the living room. We left the roof as it was but we are now thinking that was a mistake. There is no protection over the door and there are huge icicles hanging down from the gutter over the light and in front of the door. The steps are coated with about 2" of ice. To make matters worse, we are in Texas; our house is in Ohio. Our son is living there but we are going to have to fix this as soon as we get home. So does anyone have any recommendations as to what would be the best way to fix? (the most economical!)These pics are some that were posted on Facebook and so can't be enlarged; hope you can see well enough to see what's going on. It would be helpful if you could give a sketch of how you would design it. TIA

Here is a link that might be useful: icicles

Comments (3)

macv
14 years ago
I would guess that there is not enough insulation in the roof over the door so the snow melts, water runs over the edge, and then freezes.

It would help to have protection over the door but it won't eliminate the ice.

Electric heat cable at the edge/gutter might keep the water liquid long enough to run off to one side or at least freeze away from the door.
maryland_irisman
14 years ago
Looking at the picture, I think you have the same situation as most folks, considering the snow falls this year. If you extend the roof to cover the door, you'll most likely have the same problem but, moved out to the edge of the extension. The best and lowest cost way to minimize what you have is to clear snow from the edge of the roof behind the gutter, exposing some shingles. This will allow the sun to hit the shingles and speed up the recede and thus allowing the run off to go into the gutter. It may be possible the water in the gutters refreezes at night and the water has no path other than to flow over the gutter and form icicles.

MACV suggests heat cable, which is a great suggestion. They are designed for this situation and the cost is within reason...approx. $35 for a 12ft length to $65 for a longer length. Also make sure the gutters are pitched to drain the water. The down spouts may build up ice over time if there is a lot of melting during the day and refreezing at night. It wouldn't hurt to run a length down there also to prevent the ice from backing up and starting your problem all over again. The weight could eventually pull the gutters loose or bend them.
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gzec
14 years ago
This is called ice daming. It will leak into the house if you leave it alone, unless the builder (and I use that term loosely) put in an ice and water barrier.
At the very least you need to get cold air into that area with soffit vents.