Building a house? Focus on the roof

Making the decision to build your own house is life-changing.  To keep on top of the project you will need to understand what goes into every stage of the build process, and the roof is a significant structural element.

A simple pitched roof consists of rafters that rest on the top of the vertical wall plates.  The top ends of the rafters meet at the horizontal ridge beam.  Horizontal purlins are then fixed to the rafters to support the roof covering.

To prevent the rafters spreading outwards, supports known as tie beams or ceiling joists are connected between the lower ends of the rafters.

The aim of the structure is to transmit the weight of the roof to the walls of the building, and the material you choose for your roof tiles will need to be part of the calculation to make sure the supporting structure is sufficient.

The roof construction will also be engineered to hold the roof down during severe storms, and every element of the roof has to withstand the uplift forces of high winds.

Roof tiles themselves, their fixings and any other part of the roof structure, must also be designed to resist this uplift.   Problems have arisen recently in the UK with solar panels that have not been designed to cope with the specific wind conditions experienced in this country.

Make sure that all the elements used in the roof structure are designed to work together and that they have been tested for use in UK weather conditions.   The unique Redland HomeSpec Guarantee covers all the roof tiles and fixings  included in a roof design.