Let vents on shed roof do their job
Q. I had a shed roof (one slope) addition put in some years ago, where the slope butts up against the wall of the house. The roof has a sort of half-ridge vent where it butts against the wall, and another vent at the eaves. For some reason recently, thinking that the vents might leak, the contractor covered them with aluminum and nailed the aluminum down. Is that right?
MICHAEL COOK, Chestnut Hill
A. No, it is not right, and if you keep those vents closed, you will have moisture problems you never dreamed of. Those aluminum covers should be removed. Most vents do not leak, and if they do, it is minor, or because they weren’t installed properly. Those moisture problems, if you keep the vents closed, come from condensation of water vapor in the cavity, and big troubles result.
Q. We have a contemporary house with vertical cedar siding, smooth side out. The builder said not to touch it, to leave it alone. We power-washed it, intending to stain it, but we can’t find the right color. What can we do?
MARSHA WEINER, Great Barrington
A. For starters, you can leave the cedar alone because it should weather down to an attractive silver color, needing only the occasional power-washing. But what color do you want? You can apply a semitransparent stain, one coat once every seven years. The choice of colors is limited, but the stain will not peel. Most semitransparent stains come in light, dark, or medium gray, brown (I chose brown and lucked out, because my wife liked it and the dark brown does not show cedar bleed), light brown, tan, beige, and barn red. My nephew in upstate New York has vertical cedar, rough side out, and he has done very little with it. It looks great, so good that I wrote a story about it.
Q. We have a house on a pond on Cape Cod. The house has an asphalt-shingled roof with lead caps over the ridge lines. In one part, the lead is cracking and splitting, and we replaced another cracked lead ridge two years ago with lead. One person told us that lead does not hold up in wet conditions and that we should use copper. Another roofer told us that lead is fine and will last as long as copper -many years. Which is better, in your opinion, and, if so, why? Since the lead has a hole in it, we are anxious to have it fixed as soon as possible.
WONDERING
A. Neither is better. Both will last for decades, and copper is better looking but much more expensive. So when you replace the lead, forget about it. It will last for at least 50 years. I don’t think it’s health hazard, either; I don’t think there is enough of it to be as problem. If you are concerned about using lead, and find copper too expensive, then put in a ridge vent instead of re-leading. Of course this would require removing the lead. Or put a new ridge cap of asphalt shingles. One good thing about the lead is that when rain water runs over the lead, it will bring bits of lead over the roof, preventing the growth of mold, algae and lichen. Copper will do the same thing, and weather to that green colored patina. Copper also can stain areas where water runs over it.
Q. Last October I had red cedar shingles dipped with an oil-based primer, then installed over tarpaper-covered T-111, then treated with a solid stain. The paint smell is still very strong, and seems to be coming through outlets and switches. In a sun room I can see the back of the T-111. And in the basement I can see wires going through the ceiling toward the outlet and switch boxes. How can I reduce and eliminate the smell? It has dissipated some in the last eight months. How much longer will the smell remain?
MARVIN STICK, Needham
A. Paint, even oil paint should not smell that long, but the more you ventilate the faster it will stop. I’ll give it four months. To stop its flow, or rather block it, spray foam where you see the wires going through the ceiling, cover the outlet and switch boxes with a foam cover, and fill empty outlets with a plastic child-proof plug. Also, paint the exposed backs of the T-111 with a latex paint. Some people think that the tar paper will smell for months, but I know it will not because it is completely covered. I didn’t get the tar paper smell when I put it on the subfloor, under new wide pine boards.
Handyman on Call also appears in the Globe’s Style & Arts section on Thursdays. Peter Hotton is available 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair; call 617-929-2930. Hotton chats online about house matters 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays, at Boston.com. Hotton can be reached at photton@globe.com. 
