Thick “Shingles” Require More Pitch: A Lesson Learned from Winging It

I wanted to make a cover for our compost bin. The single, self-imposed design constraint was to upcycle the building materials. I did not make a plan, which I know is shocking for those of you who know me, and the lack of a plan showed in my final result.

The compost bin was a 28-inch square. I had a 32-inch 2x6 lying around that I cut in half to make some wedges. I made the narrow end of the wedge 1 inch thick to provide enough material to accept the nails from the top. The slope of the wedge looked slanted enough to shed water.

I used old fence boards to make the “shingles” for the top. That’s when I noticed my design flaw. I hadn’t accounted for the thickness of the shingles and when they overlapped the shingles were practically level. The slope would have been acceptable if this were a traditional asphalt shingle roof.

Over the weekend, it rained, and I saw my new cover in action. For the most part, water did not pool on the top. The inside of the compost bin was fairly dry. The undersides of the shingles were a little damp. Most likely, the water went “up” the shingle since it was not pitched enough.

All things considered, the price is right, and the cover serves its purpose. I would have liked to have more pitch, but this is one of those things in life where “done is better than perfect”.

Have you ever had an uh-oh moment when building? I would like to hear about it in the comments below.