The ceiling just caved in.

[steven01]

Bad things seem to be happening again and again to me and now my ceiling just caved in on me. There was also either a bird or squirrel nest in the ceiling. I've gotta find out how they got in... So, how can I repair this myself while saving as much money as possible.

YouTube - Ceiling.

Thanks.

[skeezix]

Any clue what caused this to cave in? Was it moisture? or something heavy sitting on the sheetrock? And where is the light coming from above the open ceiling? Is that another floor, or attic? You should definately address the cause of this before you slap some sheetrock back up there.

[steven01]

Thats daylight shining through. I don't know what all parts make up a roof but I think some shingles fell off and exposed the ceiling to ran. I think the acorn tree right above my roof might have caused the damage to the roof. This past fall I could hear acorns drop all day and they were pretty loud. I guess overtime it could damage the roof. I tried posting pictures but, I got a message saying I needed to post at least 5 messages before I can.

[HayZee518]

To begin with - PUT SOME PROTECTION UP THERE! Go to a box store and buy the biggest tarp you can find, better buy two, maybe three depending on the square footage area of your roof. Lay one horizontally (where your holes are) lay one on the other side. Put the big one over your roof peak and overlap the ones near the bottom on both sides of your roof. Now that you have [some] protection, let the rafters dry out. I noticed some roots. I take these are from the acorns that started to sprout. Yank all these out! They'll hold moisture. Check out the [bird's mouth] that's the part of the rafter that is cut to fit over the top plate of the wall. Check the plate itself. Is it rotted? Is the wood starting to crumble? Is the dry stuff falling apart? Are you in a high prone termite area?

[HayZee518]

what do you mean by {cheap repair} ?
take a look at the following diagram - get some idea on how a roof is put together. hope it helps