Many owners of a suburban area decide to independently erect a house or a cottage. One of the important steps in this process is the creation of a roof. The durability of home operation depends on the correct design and installation of this facility.
There are a number of recommendations that you need to adhere to when installing the roof yourself. Professional builders give a number of recommendations on how to complete this process correctly. How to do the construction of the roof with your own hands will be discussed later.
General recommendations
Do-it-yourself roof construction (photo below) is a responsible and rather complicated process. Such work is recommended to be carried out together with the assistant. Roof design is carried out at the stage of creating a plan for the future structure.
To perform this work correctly, it is recommended to contact a specialized company that will be able to take into account all the features of house operation and create the correct drawing. According to the finished plan, it will be easier to carry out construction work. If desired, the process of developing design drawings can be done independently. In this case, it will be necessary to study the roof structure, varieties of similar building elements.
The choice of roof type depends on many factors. This is a fairly overall structural element. The total weight of the roof depends on its configuration and materials. The larger it is, the stronger the foundation should be. Therefore, a roof drawing is necessarily created before the construction of the house. This allows you to choose the right type of foundation, its dimensions and features.
It is very important to understand the structure of the roof, to know its basic elements. Therefore, the construction of the roof of the house with your own hands should begin with the study of theory. This will create a house and its roof from scratch on their own. Before starting construction work, the type of roof, the angle of its slope, the type of roofing materials must be determined.
Varieties
There are several varieties of roof structures. The choice depends on the taste preferences of the owners of the house, the features of the structure. One of the simplest varieties is a shed roof. This option is rarely used in the construction of private houses. More often, single-slope structures are used in the construction of the roof of the bathhouse with their own hands, as well as other household facilities.
A gable roof is a fairly simple option. Such a design can create even a novice master. A gable roof is an ideal option for houses with small dimensions.
Another popular type of roof is the hip structure. In this case, its sides look like trapezoids. The ends are in the form of triangles. This option is suitable for almost any private home. There are many modifications of hip structures, such as semi-hip roofs. They look original. However, it will be difficult to independently create a drawing and build such a roof.
The hipped roof will create an interesting decorative effect. However, this type of structure is difficult to install. Doing it yourself is easier to build a sloping roof. This type of structure is the best option for creating an attic roof. Due to the sharp expansion of the ramps, more space appears in the room.
There are more complex varieties. They require special experience from the master. Therefore, they are not suitable for self-assembly.
Components of the structure
Do-it-yourself construction of a gable roof or other structures involves the development of an accurate plan. It is created in accordance with all building codes and requirements. To cope with this task, you need to consider the roof device. Its basis is the rafter system. This is the design of the racks, crossbars on which the roofing pie is mounted (waterproofing, vapor barrier, insulation, finishing material).
The basis of the rafter system is Mauerlat. This is a supporting beam that runs along the perimeter of the structure. If the house is wooden, the Mauerlat replaces the top edge of the log house. The upper beam, which connects two slopes and forms the top of the roof, is the ridge.
The design necessarily includes rafter legs. These are inclined beams, which at one end rest on a Mauerlat and the other on a ridge. The ends of the roof are called gables. The structure also includes lateral runs. They run parallel to the ridge. They are used if the roof area is large.
Also in the plan are often present support stands. The skating run is based on them. Such supports extend vertically. They rely on the plane of the roof overlap. Various auxiliary elements may also be used. They are crossbars, lodges, braces, struts, etc. They are used if it is necessary to strengthen the design. Such elements increase the weight of the structure, but with large dimensions of the roof you can not do without them.
Rules for developing a plan
Doing a wooden roof with your own hands can differ significantly from creating, for example, a soft roof. When designing a structure, a number of recommendations and building codes must be taken into account.
First you need to determine the angle of the roof. To do this, take into account the climatic conditions of the area. If a large amount of precipitation falls in the region during the year, the roof should be steeper. Snow and water will not linger on ramps for a long time, sliding down. So on the materials of the roof and the foundation of the house will be less pressure.
If in the area where the house is being built strong winds blow, the roof, on the contrary, should be flat. It will also reduce the load on materials, extend the life of the building.
The design features are also taken into account. If the attic will be used as a warehouse or residential building, the angle of inclination of the ramps should be at least 45º.
Finishing material also affects the choice of design. The smaller the angle, the cheaper the installation. In this case, not creating the structure will require less materials. An angle of inclination of 5º can be on a multilayer soft roof. If a metal tile or corrugated board is used, the slopes should be tilted at an angle of 15º. For slate, this figure is at least 22º.
The construction of a shed roof with your own hands involves the creation of a slope from 20 to 35º, and a gable roof - 20-45º.
Creating a rafter system
During the construction of the roof, first of all, its supporting structure is created. It is created almost always from wood. Before starting installation, all elements of natural material are impregnated with an antiseptic and a fire fighting compound.
First you need to fix the Mauerlat. The construction of the roof of wooden houses with their own hands involves using the upper edge of the wall beam as a support. Therefore, Mauerlat in this case is not required. For other types of buildings, the support beam should have a cross section of 15x15 cm. If the roof is dimensional, this figure increases.
To fix the Mauerlat, a wire is embedded in the wall, with the help of which the beam is fixed on the wall. Galvanized studs with a thickness of at least 1.2 cm can also be embedded in the wall. You can also use a monolithic concrete beam in which such studs are installed at the factory. Between the clamps there should be a step of no more than 10-12 cm. A beam is put on them. It is fixed with nuts.
If necessary, stays are laid parallel to the side beams. Their cross section should be 15x15 cm. Vertical racks are installed on the beds with a step that corresponds to the distance between the rafters. For a small roof this is not required.
These racks are first supported by the extreme rafters. Where the rafters are in contact with the Mauerlat, you need to make curly cuts in the wood. Fixation is carried out using metal pads. The farms will serve as the framework for the gables. A ridge beam is laid on top of the connected peaks of the pediments.
Subsequent rafters are laid in increments of 60 to 100 cm. They are supported by Mauerlat, support stands and skate. Further it is possible to sew up gables with boards. At the same time leave a hole for the windows (if provided for by the plan). The ends of the rafters will form a cornice overhang. This is an essential element of the roof. If necessary, the length of the rafters legs is increased with pieces of timber of the same thickness.
Roofing cake
Do-it-yourself construction of a mansard roof or other types of construction requires the mandatory arrangement of a roofing cake. This is a set of materials that are necessary to maintain an optimal microclimate inside the attic, and also contribute to the long service life of the rafter system.
If the space under the roof will not be used as a living room or storage room, you can not apply thermal insulation. However, waterproofing is an essential structural element. It is better to create an insulated roof. In this case, the structure will be longer, its heating in the winter period will not require additional financial resources.
First, a vapor barrier layer is laid. The film will not allow condensation to collect inside the roofing cake. Otherwise, the materials will collapse under the influence of moisture, a fungus will appear. The vapor barrier is fixed with a mounting stapler to the roof structure from the attic side. When finishing the attic floor, it will need to be sewn up with boards or drywall. The film is overlapped, gluing the seams with tape. The outlet side should be directed towards the attic room.
Next, a heater is installed, which is mineral wool. This is a non-combustible material that does not emit any harmful substances into the environment. Plates are laid between the rafters. Waterproofing is laid on the insulation. It is also lapped and fixed with tape.
Crate Creation
Do-it-yourself roof construction of a private house is carried out in accordance with established building requirements. Depending on the selected roofing material, a specific crate is created. It will allow fixing the finishing material on the surface of the slopes.
For the crate, boards with a cross section of 10x2.5 cm are used. The length of each element should be sufficient to cover the two steps of the legs of the rafter system. To fix the boards, nails with a length of 10 cm or more are used.
Docking elements are joined on supports. Between them you need to leave a distance of at least 5 mm. With the thermal expansion of wood, this will avoid deformation of the structure. The boards that form the ridge should be very close to each other.
The type of battens is chosen in accordance with the selected roofing materials. So, for soft decks, for example, roofing felt, roll tiles, battens, boards should be packed close to each other. If corrugated board or metal tile is used, the step of the boards is determined by the wave distance of these materials.
Often to create additional counter-lattice. In this case, the first row of boards is filled parallel to the ridge, and the second is perpendicular. This allows for additional ventilation.
Arrangement of roof nodes
Do-it-yourself construction of the roof of the house involves the creation of all the roof units after creating the battens . Their number and set depend on the type of construction. Mandatory elements are ridge, cornice and other elements. They allow you to seal joints and nodes, give them extra strength.
First, the cornice assembly is mounted . It protects the roof from external influences. The pediment assembly is necessary to protect the structure from gusty wind. If there are concave corners on the roof, they are closed with the help of end nodes. A special profile is used for the ridge.
For convex angles, a ridge assembly should be mounted, and for wall sections or at pipe outlets, appropriate structural elements.
Gutter mount
Do-it-yourself roof construction involves the installation of gutters. Brackets will need to be screwed to the windshield. Using latches connect the chute and the funnel. A drain is suspended on the brackets. The pipe can be connected to the funnel using a bend. There should be a drain at the end of the system. The pipe is also fixed by fixing it to the wall with clamps.
Roof finishing
Do-it-yourself roof construction ends with a finish. When laying slate, special self-tapping screws with a wide hat are used. The material is overlapped. A popular type of topcoat is soft tile. Its installation begins from the middle of the cornice and advances towards the gables. Fixation takes place with the help of galvanized nails with a wide hat.
The metal tile is mounted with an overlap, starting from the lower corner of the roof. For fastening, self-tapping screws are used, the thickness of which will be less than the hole in the material. Decking can be connected in different ways. The seam connection is popular. In this case, do not need to make holes for screws. A special seam is used.
Having considered how to build a roof with your own hands, you can do all the work correctly.