This page depicts the roof rebuild of Scott & Sherrie's 1988 Gulfstream 34 foot Sun Vista
Hats off to them both for a job very well done!

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Back in March I ripped out and rebuilt the roof on The Old Gal. She is a 1988 Gulfstream Sun Vista.
I was hoping to take a lot more pictures than I did and planned on doing up some web pages.
Lacking that, here are some of the highlights.

The main reason for the rebuild was a terrible amount of water damage over the back bedroom.
Long term leakage around the rear AC had done a lot of damage.

Highlights of the Project Include:

* MH is 34 feet but main roof was about 26 feet.
* Roof rebuild included rafters and ceilings
* Rafter design was 2X4s with a curve cut in them.
* Roof peak is about 1.7 inches.
* Ceiling panels were 1/4 inch painted birch plywood.
* Roof decking is 3/8 inch pine.
* Used 4 foot wide sheets of .030 thick aluminum.
* Used Eternabond Web Seal on all seams.
* Top coated with Liquid Roof.
* Replaced both skylights.
* Demoted front AC to rear bedroom.
* Installed new AC in front area.
* Fantastic fan in bathroom.
* TurboMaxx powered vent cover over vent in kitchen.
* New Winegard antenna.
* New lights thorughout including light added close to cockpit.
Here is a shot measuring how much the roof sagged.
The 2X4 is resting on the edges of the roof.
The lighter wood is a layer of 3/4" plywood that was done as an earlier attempt (not mine) to repair the problem.

So, by adding the about 1 inch measured plus the 3/4" plywood on top of the old roof, the sag was over 1 & 1/2 inches.
Once I got the aluminum skin and extra plywood pealed off, this is what I found underneath.
As for the rafters, I chose untreated 2x4 spruce on the advice of BobsYourUncle and others. I know I added a lot of weight as it is. Treated wood was just too heavy.
I used a curved roof design and cut all the rafters I might need before I got started. Cutting the rafters was a tedious job.
First I calculated the length of the radius needed to let me draw a curve over an 8 foot span with an an approximate 1 & 3/4 peak.

I had to find stuff in my brain I hadn't used since high school geometry. It worked out to be about 50 feet. I tried using contractors twine and then rope, but they both had too much stretch.

Then I remembered I had a big roll of skinny speaker wire. I used that as the radius by tying one end to a post with a pencil tied to the other end. I used that to draw a curve on a piece of 1/4 inch plywood. I used a jigsaw to cut the template. I tried just tracing the curve to the 2x4 and cutting it with a jigsaw, but that was disatorous.

I ended up making a jig out of a couple more 2x4s and the template with the correct offset to use my router. I would set the wood to be cut so any bow in the wood was facing out. I used screws through the ends of the 2x4 at an angle to screw in the 2x4 on the jig and used a quick clamp in the middle to press the soon to be rafter tight to the jig.

I used a 1/4 spiral cutting router bit, designed to take a lot of wood off. I still could only cut about 1/2 inch deep. When I got close to the quick clamp in the middle, I would stop and move it to the other side.

After the first pass with the router, I would take my circular saw and carefully cut as close to the edge of the groove as possible. This made the last two passes with the router go a lot faster.
I would then set the bit to 1 inch deep and repeat what I did for the first pass and then set the bit all the way and make the last pass.
Here's a shot once I got the back section ripped out.
I drew up plans of all openings before I started destruction. I made a few adjustments as I went and double raftered on each side of the AC openings. I would build the rafter section, attach the ceiling with Liquid Nails and finish staples, haul it up to the roof and drop it in place.
I don't have a big shed, so I had to splice a couple of contractor grade tarps together for cover, pound some stakes into the ground, attach some pipes to the stakes and tie the whole thing down with lots of rope.

The tarp did a great job of keeping the rain out. It was annoying to have to uncover every morning and recover every night. Only a very few nights did I leave The Old Gal exposed to the elements. I found that by putting the ropes up in the tarp and then folding it in on itself, it kept the ropes from getting tangled and made putting the tarp back on much quicker than any other method I had tried.
This picture shows the tarp folded in on itself lengthwise and ready to be rolled up. Near the back is a tarp support system I made out of PVC pipe. I used it when I had to cover up and had an open section. It worked much better than a simple 2x4 thing I used at first.
Getting closer on this next one. I put some plastic on the back for an extra layer of protection from the elements.
And next we are very nearly done. The roof was done from front to back, the aluminum sheeting was all on and the DW is helping with the Eternabond around the skylights. She does have a pretty smile, but she was not in the mood to have her picture taken just then. I got the white bubble skylight on the right out of a place in Canada I found on the web. The edges were rough and I had to drill my own holes, but the price was right, including freight.

As for the seams. What I did went against what I would have preferred to do and against some advice I received. I simply butt joined them together as I installed them. I used Eternabond double sided tape under the seams, put a #8 square drive screw every foot or so, on each side, across the seam, and Eternbond Webseal on top of the seams and screws. I would have preffered putting a mechanical seam in them, but I lacked the tools and time to do that. I am hoping that Eternabond lives up to its reputation. Only time will tell.

Oh, I also used a lot of Liquid Nails between the aluminum and the roof deck.
We have had several hard rains since the roof was finished and no leaks, including driving in a hard rain. I still have some finish carpentry to do inside such as trim around the skylights, etc. Oh, and I finally have an AC in the rear bedroom that can run off the genset without tripping the 20 amp breaker like the old one did.

Hopefully I will be able to report back in 10 years that the roof is holding up and no leaks to be found anywhere.
The cost of the project was about $3,000. Here is the breakdown:

* Lumber (2x4s, 1/4 inch ceiling, 11/32 roof decking)... $420
* Styrofoam insulation, estimate... $180
* Two New vents and two fans $360
* Eternobond, 3 rolls 4" X 50 Webseal...$103
* Eternabond, 2 rolls, 2" X 50' Doublestick...$56
* Various size screws, Liquid Nails ~$100
* TV antenna... $130
* Coleman 13,500 BTU AC... $500
* 16x32 skylight... $84
* 22X30 1/4" thick acrylic bubble skylight... $128
* Liquid Roof, 6 gallons... $444
* Aluminum, 7 4' X 10' sheets, .030 thick... $350

 

Project by Scott & Sherri
Page created and hosted by YoDude @ DudesRv.com 05.17.06