Inexpensive cabin roof in 72 Hours Before the Rain Hits (No OSB)

No OSB, no plywood, no shingles. Just a membrane, counter battens, and battens under metal. This is how roofs were built before sheathing became the standard, and after a year of building this way, I get why it’s still used here. I grew up in Wisconsin doing asphalt and shingle roofs with my dad, so the first time I saw this assembly, I had the same reaction a lot of you are having in the comments. Where’s the OSB? You can’t stand on that. It’ll fall apart in a few years. Here’s how it works: The membrane goes over the rafters. Vertical 2x2 counter battens go on top, then horizontal 1x4 battens, then the metal. That stack creates an air gap between the metal (your bulk water barrier) and the membrane (your WRB), so water has nowhere to sit. With OSB, everything is pressed tight together. Water gets trapped, and every screw goes through the whole assembly. That’s thousands of rubber washers waiting to fail, and when one does, the water has nowhere to go. The tradeoffs are real. It takes more time, it’s harder to work on safely, and in the States it can cost more. But on a steep pitch, I’d argue it’s safer than walking on sheathing. We bought a vacant lot for $5,000 and we’re building a house and sauna on it by hand, no heavy equipment and no loan. Subscribe if you want to follow the whole build from empty lot to home. Roofers, I want to hear from you. Would you build a roof this way? #roofing #metalroof #housebuild