DIY Life

Your roof is wearing out – right now. Thanks to the UV radiation that bakes roof shingles until they are brittle, the summer sun takes more years out of a roof's life than any other environmental factor. If your roof is looking a little worse for wear, the summer is also a good time to think about having it repaired or replaced.

On my national home improvement radio show, roofing ranks among the top ten most asked-about topics; of those questions, the decision to repair or replace is a frequent area of confusion.

First, roof leaks can almost always be repaired without replacing the roof. Most roofs leak due to flashing problems, typically at an intersection of two roof components; roof and plumbing vent, roof and chimney, roof and wall, etc. An easy way to help pinpoint that leak is by strategically rinsing down each area with a hose until the offending spot is found.

To learn more about replacing a roof, read on.

This is a little sod-roofed playhouse I built with my wife a couple years ago. I lost track of lumber and hardware used for this, so you'll just have to follow along in the gallery to get an idea on how to build it.

I wanted a hobbit house feel for my little "hobbits." Originally I planned for a port hole in the roof with a ladder and railing on top, but I haven't gotten that far with it. On the roof strawberries and other kid-friendly edibles were the plants I planned, but for now I just have annual rye grass and some old potted plants.

The trick for growing plants on a roof is to have soil as thick as possible but as light as possible. Do not use regular dirt or potting soil they're way too heavy, potting mix and compost should be the only roof soil. Succulent plants like hen and chicks or some kind of creeping sedum work well if you don't want to water or add a lot of potting mix.