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Shingles

Question
My house is 8 years old and covered with shingles that weather naturally. On the north side of the house the shingles are too close to the ground- in fact, they nearly touch the ground. I am concerned about rotting. A building inspector suggested digging a trench along that side of the house and filling it with crushed stone, so that water will drain away from the shingles. Is there anything else I can do? I am afraid such draining will harm the foundation.

Answer
I think a trench maybe 12 inches deep, with crushed stone up to about 3 inches from the siding, would be OK to keep the ground away from the siding, and would not harm the foundation. And here is a trick that will keep water off the shingles: Build a water table, which the Colonials often built on their houses, to keep the bottom clapboards dry. Cut the shingles 8 inches from the bottom, make sure there is tar paper under them, insert folded aluminum flashing under the bottom edge of the shingles, and install a 1-by-8-foot pressure treated board in place of the cut shingles. Then fold the flashing over the board. No need to treat the board; it will weather as nicely, almost, as the shingles have. It is not as fancy as the Colonials made their water tables, but it will accomplish the same thing, and give you peace of mind. If any sheathing under the shingles has rotted, you will have to replace that too, with pressure-treated plywood.

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Question
My back wall was shingled with un-cured white cedar shingles. A man said that I could wait a few days for the shingles to dry out, and then paint. So I did, and then the paint dried the shingles curled sideways, 1/2 to 2 inches. What can I Do?

Answer
The person who said the shingles would dry in a couple days, doesn't know what they're talking about. Green (uncured) white cedar shingles are loaded with water and will take at least 6 months to dry. I remember trying to put up some white cedar shingles one winter, and nearly lost my hands from frostbite because the shingles were virtual sheets of ice. Yes, you can pull off the worst shingles. It is fussy work, but possible. Split the shingle into several narrow lengths, and pull them out. You can countersink the nails or pulled them out with a short flat bar. Then insert the new shingle and don't paint it till next year. In, fact, it's better to paint the shingles with two coats of latex solid stain. It will resist peeling.

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