Basics of roofing

By Wanjiku Chege

The roof is one of the most essential parts of your construction, regardless of whether the building is for residential or commercial purpose. A good roof can add infinite aesthetic value to your structure, while a bad one can not only make it an eyesore in the neighbourhood but also lower the worth of the building.

It is, therefore, essential that you get it right in terms of both the choice of roof cover and the workmanship. To achieve an impressive roof that will literally turn heads and even justify the extra levy on rent, one must consider the following:

Choice of cover

Durability: A durable roof is rust proof, leak proof, algae and fungi resistant and does not fade with time. Ensure you select a material with a lifespan above 30 years and insist on viewing previous works that have used the same material to test them on these criteria.

Variety: You want to have various options to choose from. You need to strike a perfect colour match between the roof and the gable wall as well as your neighbouring buildings and surroundings.

For example, if your building is surrounded by trees and plants and is in a generally green area, you might consider going for a forest green colour of stone coated metal roof tiles.

Similarly, if all buildings around you are roofed with cool colours then you don’t want to use a screaming colour, as it will look out of place.

Eco friendliness: Ensure your choice of material reduces the use of timber. For example, stone coated metal roofing uses 40 per cent less timber than clay or concrete tiles. Where possible, go for steel trusses. Again, the material should be right to enable you harvest water from the roof.

Installation and performance: Select a material that is easy to install and guarantees against leakage. Materials installed in a manner that they interlock will generally be leak proof. Also, materials that cover a larger surface area per piece tend to reduce on the number of joints on your roof, thus reducing the likelihood of leakage. These also reduce the quantity of materials required as less is wasted on overlaps. Most stone coated metal tiles meet these criteria.

Regarding workmanship

• Ensure you source your materials from a reliable supplier and use their installation services as this will ensure you obtain a reliable workmanship warranty.

• Should you choose to do the installation yourself, ensure your work is done by fundis who are certified by the suppliers of your roof materials. Reliable suppliers have available a pool of trained and certified fundis.

• Ensure you have all your materials on site before commencing work. This will save you labour costs associated with delays from lack of materials.

• For most roof designs, it is becoming increasingly cheaper to use steel trusses, especially where the wall span is long. However, should you choose to use timber, ensure you purchase the longest possible sizes to reduce on waste associated with too much joint work.

The writer is the General Manager at Dura Roofing Products Ltd.