Completely redo a roof? Can it be done?

[Debi]

Hello All,
We are looking at purchasing a 1983 Titan that I am assuming is 14 x 70. We are going to have to do quite a bit of cleaning and some renovating mostly to the exterior. My question is in reference to the roof. There seems to be damage to the roof and it is not in very good condition. It also does not hardly have any pitch to it. We were thinking of adding a whole new roof over the existing one with more pitch to it. Can this be done and are there additional considerations we should be looking at such as proper ventilation, weight limits, etc.? Thank you in advance for any help in this matter!

[Tom]

What sort of damage are you able to see, Ie, is it sunken in? If you see sunken portions, your going to probably have alot more work ahead prior to putting a roof on. Thats usually an indication that the roof supports are rotted or broken. Not an uncommon problem with an older home. Tom

[Debi]

Thank you for your response, Tom. The roof does not sag, but it is uneven in places. The side of the home that faces south has some water damage at the roofline and the gutters have fallen off on half of it. There appears to be some water damage to the siding as well. The north side does not seem to have this kind of damage but it does have a wall that is bowed due to the swamp cooler leaking. We were thinking of taking that down and mounting it on it's own structure and placing it on one of the sides of the home.

Even though we see this kind of damage on the outside we are seeing relatively minimal damage, if any, in the insides. Do you have any thoughts on any of this? As for replacing the roof, do you think it would be okay to just take the shingles off and re make a new roof by adding trusses, etc. to the existing roof. Also, what should we do about ventilation if we do remake the roof? Thanks again, Tom. I really appreciate your input.

[Tom]

Debi, I would not add the weight of roof trusses without at least getting the opinion of an experienced MH repairman. That bowing wall has me concerned. Adding any weight to a roof can cause wall sagging in older homes. There are other alternatives to adding a peak to the roof. If you go to this site, http://www.mobilehomerepair.com and look for the Articles link on the home page, look in there for the article, a simple metal roof you can build yourself. But, if your gung ho on the peaked roof, again, I cannot recommened it until you get the roof and walls inspected for structural integrity. Tom

[Debi]

Thanks again, Tom. I think I will try to find a repairman to look at this place before we make an offer on it. That would probably be the smart thing to do since I am not sure we know what we are looking at!

Thank you!