Top XNUMX rooftop questions

The most common form in Russia is gable… Such a configuration simplifies the installation of the rafter structure and roofing, significantly reduces the complexity in organizing ventilation of the under-roof space, and also contributes to easier clearing of snow.

Much less widespread single-slope roof. As a rule, it is most often found in the southern regions of the country: the stingray is usually facing the windward side.

It is even less common to see hipped roofs, hip roofs, domed and conical roofs. The hipped roof has four slopes, the angles of which are the same; domed and conical roofs have a spherical shape and are used to cover buildings with a circular cross-section in plan.

Finally, the hip roof is a kind of hipped roof for rectangular buildings.

2. What kind of roof coverings are there?

The main element of any roof is the roof. Currently, there is a huge variety of roofing materials. Based on their classification by the type of waterproofing layer, roll, sheet and type-setting coatings can be distinguished.

The most famous representative of roll materials was once roofing material. Today it has been replaced by more modern polymer materials: bitumen-polymer, polymer and mastic roll coatings.

Slate

Among roofing sheet materials, even people far from construction are well-known slate – asbestos-cement material. Everyone knows its shortcomings: heavy weight, fragility, “unpresentable” appearance. True, at present, new modifications of slate are being created. For example, one domestic manufacturer offers slate coated with polymer phosphate paints, which gives the material a more modern look.

Ondulin

Ondulin Euroslate is also on the market. In fact, this is cardboard impregnated with a special polymer composition. Unlike cement derivatives, it is a softer material that allows deformation: its sheets can be bent lengthwise and crosswise.

Metal

The traditional leader in the roofing market is steel, primarily metal tiles. In the production process, such a material is covered with a multicomponent protective layer including zinc, and then it is given a different shape. Currently, sheets of metal tiles are processed with various polymer coatings: plastisol, polyester, Pural.

Copper

Another sheet material is copper. It has high corrosion resistance, durability and environmental friendliness. At the same time, it is characterized by increased condensation formation on the inner surface of the roof and high cost.

Natural roof tiles

The most famous of the type of coverings is natural tiles. Currently, the market is mainly represented by cement-sand tile, which is less durable than traditional ceramic, but in other parameters is close to it.

Bituminous tiles

It is also well known inlaid soft coating – a type of bituminous roof. This is a multi-layer flexible tile impregnated with a special compound based on synthetic resins and covered with sand dust. Just like natural shingles, bituminous shingles require good preparation of the slopes, in particular – continuous sheathing with plywood.

3. What types of roofs are best suited for different types of buildings?

For outbuildings (roofs, sheds, etc.) it is recommended to use rolled polymer materials: they are inexpensive and have a fairly long service life.

When choosing a roof for a house it is necessary to proceed not only from the price of the material, external and other characteristics, but also the type of the structure itself. All buildings can be divided into frame and capital.

In prefabricated houses the load-bearing function is played by a frame made of thick beams or boards. In such buildings, only lightweight roofs can be used. Capital houses have a solid foundation and strong walls; heavier materials are also used here.

In terms of its weight, one of the lightest materials is metal (5 kg per sq. M); roll roofing weighs from 5 to 12 kg per sq. m; one of the heaviest materials is natural tiles (about 40 kg per sq. m).

In any case, when using heavy materials, the costs of the rafter system increase: it is necessary to use more lumber and additional elements.

When arranging the roofs of gazebos, awnings in front of the house, balconies and terraces often used transparent cellular polycarbonate, which is light in weight. It is better to purchase this material with a special layer designed to protect against ultraviolet rays. Otherwise, the visor may turn yellow after a while.

4. What is the optimal roof pitch?

As the practice of operating roofs has shown, most of the snow accumulates on roofs with a slope of 30 °. In this case, the snow blown off the windward slope is carried over the ridge and deposited on the opposite side.

To avoid this, make the slope less than 30 °. With a slight slope, a significant part of the snow is blown away by the wind. You can also go the opposite way and create a steeper slope of about 45 °. In this case, the snow will simply slide off the roof. A steep roof slope is recommended for those houses that are surrounded by trees or other objects that prevent the penetration of the wind.

5. How to arrange the “roofing pie” correctly?

The classic design of the so-called “roofing pie” looks like this: vapor barrier – insulation – water proofing – ventilation gap.

Four types of films can be used to combat moisture. A vapor barrier film protects the insulation and supporting structures from water vapor that is formed in the process of human life; the waterproofing film protects the insulation and supporting structures from precipitation and condensation that occurs on the back of the coating; anti-condensation film prevents water droplets from forming; the diffusion membrane protects the insulation and supporting structures from condensate and atmospheric moisture, and the insulation additionally protects from blowing and emission of fibers.

Having solved the issues with steam and waterproofing, it is necessary to install insulation.

The final touch of the “roofing pie” device is proper ventilation. The air inflow in the under-roof space is carried out through the gap in the eaves overhang area, while the hood is exhausted through the pitched or ridge aerators. Remember that every rafter span must be ventilated.

Obviously, independently, without the help of a specialist, it is quite difficult to select all the components of a complex system. In order not to be mistaken, it is better to give preference to complex solutions offered by leading manufacturers of roofing. In practice, this means that the company must be able to offer a complete set of roofing systems: from the roofs themselves to the gutters. At the same time, the total cost is unlikely to exceed, and most likely, it will be less than the stepwise option. Indeed, in the latter case, delivery costs, waste of time searching for the necessary materials, inaccuracies in cutting, etc. are inevitable.

6. How to choose the right gutter?

The choice of a drain depends on many factors: the average amount of precipitation in your area, the presence of harmful industrial production (harmful substances can negatively affect the appearance of the plastic drain), but most importantly – on the area of ​​the roof slopes. If this area does not exceed 100 sq. m, then you can install small gutters, connected to one downpipe. It is able to drain water from the roof of about 100 square meters. m. Roof slope of 200 sq. m. allows you to choose between installing an additional pipe and a large size of the elements.

7. What determines the cost of roof installation?

First of all, on the features of the laying of the material itself. So, the installation of tiles and other type-setting elements is one of the most expensive. Indeed, in this case, the complexity of the entire process increases significantly: it is required to carefully lay out and secure each row. Although many instructions for laying ceramic tiles indicate that if the slope angle is small, then only the lower, upper and side rows of tiles can be attached.

The cost of installing soft and sheet roofs is lower, since it takes much less time to install them. As a rule, metal roofing panels are cut exactly to the length of the slope and overlapped, i.e. one on top of the other. Due to this, a minimum number of joints is formed on the roof, and installation is greatly facilitated.

Also, the cost of roofing will depend on the complexity of the shape of the roof itself: you will have to pay for architectural “excesses”. The installation of the gutter system and other accessories necessary for the roof is also paid separately.

It should be understood that the arrangement of the roof is exactly the option where the proverb “we are not rich enough to buy cheap things” works, as they say, “one hundred percent”. Trying to save money by purchasing cheap options is a rather risky experiment, because instead of the promised 50 years, the roof will stand well if 5. Taking into account that the cost of the material is unlikely to exceed a third of the total cost of roofing, it makes no sense to look for “budget” coverage. For example, the average price difference between a European metal tile and a similar seemingly “economical” domestic tile is about 10%.

8. Preservation of unfinished roof is necessary. What to do?

In some cases (due to the failure to meet the deadlines for the work, delivery of materials and for other reasons), it may be necessary to preserve the unfinished roof for the winter.

In this case, experts recommend making a roofing “carpet” from an inexpensive roll material (say, roofing material). You can fix the “carpet”, for example, with ballast in the form of rubble. In the spring, this temporary coating will have to be removed, the screed and insulation should be dried and a new high-quality material should be glued on.

You can also buy waterproof awnings and cover the entire roof area with them. However, this option does not guarantee the exclusion of leaks.

9. What can be done to properly maintain the roof?

If a violation of the paint layer or coating on the roof is detected, it will be urgently restored – by painting or applying special aerosol compositions (they are on sale); if corrosion appears on roofs and gutters made of galvanized steel, special anti-corrosion agents must be used.

Owners of their own homes should also be aware of the need to periodically tighten bolts and other metal fasteners in the corner joints of wooden load-bearing structures. Also, from time to time, wooden roof structures should be treated with fire retardant agents.

Special attention should be paid to drains. In order for the gutters to work stably and to fully drain water from the surface of the roofs, they need to be cleaned of debris at least once a year. To prevent leaves from clogging the drain, a special metal mesh can be installed in the funnel.

10. How to get rid of snow on the roof?

In the simplest version, this is easy to do with a scraper (a piece of board on a long handle with a soft rubber strip nailed to it). You can also contact specialized companies that provide services for cleaning roofs from snow. They will not only help to clean the roof, but also perform sealing of possible places of roof leaks with the use of glass-fiber reinforced mastic. This method ensures sufficient tightness of the protected places.

Snow causes the greatest problems to the gutters, in order to guarantee them get rid of the accumulated snow and ice, they install anti-icing protection systems. They are heating cables: they are fixed on the edge of the roof and along the length of the drain with a fixing tape, and in the downpipes they are suspended using special hooks. These cables can be installed in eaves, gutters and downpipes, protecting them from icing and icicle formation. Moreover, the heating system is developed for a specific roof structure, and, if desired, is equipped with a regulator to save energy. Experts will help to select the system power (from 30 to 60 W / m), depending on the type of roof and gutters.

Companies that sell and install roofing

• Modern roofs, Kaluzhskoe highway, 42nd km, 15 km from the Moscow Ring Road, “Roof” store, 2nd floor, tel./fax: (495) 777-72-21 (multichannel).
• Tox – building materials, tel .: (495) 755-65-42 (multichannel).
• DomStroy, st. Lower fields, 15, tel .: (495) 778-44-57, 356-52-91.
• Roof technology, tel .: (903) 960-57-66, (903) 77-88-799.
• New roof, Varshavskoe sh., 17, p. 1, (495) 786-39-24.