replacing zinc overdoor flat canopy

[reggie13]

Hi folks,

the zinc sheet on my front door flat canopy has cracked around one side and fallen off. The underlying timbers are exposed to the elements and there's some brown staining visible on the underside of the canopy.

I've asked a few guys to take a look but none of them turned up.

I'm just wondering if I can tackle this myself. Is this a DIY job ?
If so I'm unsure about how to deal with zinc sheet (and I don't want to use roofing felt)

Firstly, the local roofing supplier said they can sell a 8ft x 3ft sheet that's rolled up from the manufacturer, so to allow me to get it into the car boot (they don't do delivery).
How would I unroll it and straighten it out properly ?

The existing zinc goes straight into a pebble dashed wall - there's no lead flashing. So do I need to chop out a small channel of pebble dashing to before I can pull the old one out ?

How do cut zinc sheet ?

What do you do with the zinc at the corners of the canopy; after folder the zinc down to cover the timbers, they'll be a triangular overlap. Should I cut some excess out and tuck in underneath ?

Should I tack the sides of the sheet into the timbers using galvanised clouts - it looks as though that's what previously be done.

Any help would be gratefully received !

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Got some pics?

 

[reggie13]

View media item 84642
does this help ? Looking rightways from the corner you can just make out where the zinc has spit and fallen off[/img]

 

[ree]

Sheet metal is rarely a DIY job.

The fascia & cove woodwork appears to be wet rotted, and will need replacing with pre-painted wood or white PVC.

The whole roof sheet of zinc should be lifted, and the timber roof construction below the zinc inspected.

The back flashing should be inspected, and the fall or slope of the roof confirmed as it discharges to, presumably, a gutter.

 

[catlad]

Forget that zinc rubbish it only lasts 5 minutes anyway, go to a builders merchants and buy a piece of lead to fit your porch and nail it at the edges with clout nails and if you need to cut it you can use tin snips.

 

[reggie13]

thanks chaps for the replies:

ree: what do you mean by back flashing ? Currently, there's no flashing, neither any canopy drainage into a gutter (all the houses in my neighbourhood are designed that way)


catlad: Would you recommend adding some flashing or just should run the lead straight into the a narrow channel in the wall/pebbledashing immediately above the canopy, and then fill up with sand/cement

 

[ree]

By back flashing, i mean an upstand that may or may not be turned into a groove in the masonry. If the zinc was flat with no upstand then water would be entering at the wall.

Your whole porch roof requires re-jigging as i mentioned above. Fall - gutter & RWP - and flashing.

Lead sheet on an accessible porch would be open to theft. Plus you would have to "Boss" the lead in places - Bossing lead isn't usually DIY work.

google diagrams of flat roofs to see whats needed and available. Porch roofs are only small flat roofs.

 

[catlad]

I would flash it the way it was done before if you have to knock some of the render off then I would get a length of render bead to give you something to work to.