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Roo Roofing Blog

DIY & HOME OWNER TIPS

19
Jul

Understanding how your roof is built

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Slope? Sheathing? Rafters? What are they talking about? They’re talking about roofs right? In this post we share some common roof terms and parts to help you have an understanding of how your roof is built. A well-built roof seals out water and directs it to gutters and downpipes, which carry away from the house. To perform at its best, the underlayment, flashings and the rowing material should be installed properly so that water can’t get in under and damage the sheathing.

Rafters: These rest on the top plates of the wall framing. If your roof has rafters, they probably meet at a beam (a board that runs along the peak). A fascia board is often attached to the rafter ends, and rain gutters are installed onto the fascia. The overhanging roof edge is called the ‘eave’; it is often covered on the underside with soffit boards that up against the house siding.

Sheathing: This covers the rafters. It usually made of plywood or other boards. Roofing felt is often called tar paper, provides the ‘underlayment’ for the roof. The felt is usually stapled, but sometimes roofing nails or specialty nails are used. Felt is necessary to provide a vapor barrier that protects the sheathing from condensation.

Flashings: These are just as important as the roofing itself for sealing out the elements such as rain. Different flashings are used for different part of the roof such as at the chimney or other points which effect the roof shape.

Sarking: Before any tiles or main roof material is placed, a roof is lined with ‘sarking’ which could be made from bituminous roofing felt or another breathable material.

Roofing: The roof itself covers the underlayment and most of the flashings. Whichever type of roofing, it must be installed so every piece overlaps the next lower piece, allowing water to flow down. Roofing nails or staples are almost all covered by another piece of roofing above. If exposed, they should be protected with roofing cement.

Slope: Most houses have a sloping roof (aka pitched roof), made from a triangular-shaped wooden frame that’s covered with tiles or metal. The weight of this is carried (metal roofing is lighter) by rafters. Tiles are made from baked clay or concrete, and can either be flat or moulded into various profiles.

Flat: Some houses have rear extensions or outbuilding which often have a timber-framed flat roof covered with roofing felt. However, you should know that no roof can be completely flat, as water would just settle and cause it to collapse, so timbers in the roof frame (aka ‘firring strips’) taper slightly to let the roof drain.

Ventilation: A roof must provide ventilation so that you don’t overheat especially in summer. Inadequate ventilation can cause moisture buildup and could damage your insulation, roofing, sheathing and framing.

 

 

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