getting your roof right
Critical to any self build project is the roof; get this wrong and your dream home could quickly turn into a nightmare. Mark Randall, managing director of Monier Redland Ltd, takes a look at how to make sure your new roof won’t leak.
Once made, the decision to embark on your own self build will be a massive undertaking. Crucial to its success will be getting the main structural elements designed and built correctly, and the roof is one of these elements. Not only must you give thought to the roof structure but also to its covering and how it all fixes together. Many factors will influence these choices, but
planning and engineering requirements, as well as personal taste, all play key roles. Watch Grand Designs and every house is weird and wonderful, but the vast majority of homes built in the UK still have a roof of pitched design. Speaking generally, the more rainfall the steeper the roof pitch and with the UK having some of the highest rainfall in Europe, it’s easy to see why pitched roofs are so prevalent (angles of between 35 and 45 degrees are common). Once you have your roof structure sorted
out the next decision is what to cover it in? Thatch, metal, shingles, shakes and even grass can all be used, but still the most common options are tiles. The four main contenders are natural slate,
reconstituted slate, clay and concrete. Each has positives and negatives. Natural slate will keep its colour and look good for many years but is relatively expensive. Reconstituted slate will typically be made of 60 per cent recycled natural slate, still offering the look of natural slate but costing less. Clay can also last a long time weathering in
an attractive way but if handmade is, again, costly. Machine made versions offer a more
economical choice, still blending in attractively with the environment and fading well over time. Concrete tiles are an increasingly popular
choice as they come in a vast range of shapes, styles and colours and are cost effective. Hundreds of different concrete tiles with versions that effectively replicate both clay and slate are available. Whatever material you choose, it needs to be
fixed as part of a completed roof structure able to withstand the worst of the British weather. This means not coming apart and the avoid- ance of leaks when the inevitable gale force wind and rain comes around. Roof tiles are hung from roof battens with the
tiles being attached with some combination of nails and/or clips depending on how exposed the roof is. They are usually hung in parallel rows, with each row overlapping the row below it to exclude rainwater and to cover the nail and/or clip fixings. Wet mortar is then used to ‘bed’ and secure tiles along the ridges and hips (the roof edges), two of the most exposed parts of any pitched roof. When done correctly this mortar bedding should last for many years and cause no issue. However, it has become increasingly apparent that mortar failure is caus- ing widespread problems. Mortar, particularly if the mix is not precisely
correct for roof work, can crack and even fall out completely, meaning ridge and hip tiles can start to dislodge. This in turn allows wind driven rain, where strong winds blow swathes of rain sideways or even upwards, to ingress into the
roof. This can lead to water leakage. A ‘dry-fix’ system provides the solution. Dry-
fix systems do not use mortar, instead using mechanical fixings (screws and nails) to fix the tiles and associated weatherproofing. The result is faster, cleaner and more reliable. In summary, when planning your roof make
sure that all the components used are designed to work together and that they have been tested for use in UK weather conditions. It seems sensible to use products from one man- ufacturer. The benefits of choosing this method can ensure continuity as the tiles, in conjunction with a dry-fix system, will be installed by a named contractor and can be covered by a guarantee. Such guarantees can cover all the roof tiles, fittings, components and fixings inc-luded in a roof design. This gives complete peace of mind that your home will stay weather- tight and dry for many years to come.
Enq. 211
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.eu
55
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68