Roof: Part 3 - Battening (down the hatches)

RAIN!

HAIL!

WIND!

Typical. The wettest, windiest winter since records began. The weather threw everything but the kitchen sink at us (though I think I even saw one of those fly past).  The constant storms meant a constant battle to keep the water out of the new house. After several late night struggles up on the scaffolding we decided to beef up our temporary windows. The large feature window faces directly into the prevailing southerly winds so we fixed lots of thick battens across the steel frame to help keep the polythene firmly in place. 

We had to add battens to almost every window in the house as the wind was constantly changing direction and driving rain in from all sides. 

The unrelenting winds caused many delays in the build. The roofers tried on several occasions to lay the permanent battens that will support the slates, but had to give up as every time they removed the temporary battens the wind would shred the membrane. 

While we all battled the elements outside, our site foreman safely ensconced in his private quarters seemed remarkably relaxed.




FINALLY!

After all the thunderstorms, gale-force winds and two nights without power we got a break in the weather. With more bad weather to come (Christ on a peanut!) the roofers made the most of the sunshine replacing the damaged membrane and getting the majority of the battens fixed to the roof.




It was such a relief to have the permanent battens secured as this kept the membrane firmly fastened in place, preventing it from getting torn up by the wind. Along with the beefed up windows and the proper roof battening in place our house was able to start drying out.




Battens were fixed diagonally to provide support for the fibreglass valleys.




The black strip along the fascia is a 'fascia vent' which allows air to circulate between the membrane and the slates, helping to prevent any damp and condensation problems in the future.

Roof: Part 2 - Fascias and membrane

With the roof timbers complete and the wet weather showing no sign of letting up, we were keen to get the roof covered as soon as possible. The roofers had offered to fit breather membrane with temporary 'fly' battens to get us dry, but they needed the fascias, soffits and barge boards in place before they could start.
We had originally planned to fit them ourselves (everyone we spoke to wanted to charge an arm and a leg to do it) but with the inside of the house getting constantly rained on we needed to get the fascias done as quickly as possible. Luckily Dan and Tom agreed to stay on an extra day to help fit them.




After very carefully lining everything up, the fascias were fitted onto the rafter ends.




The soffits were fitted to the underside of the gable ladder.




Soffits were attached to the fascia boards.




Rain hammered down all day and started filling the field next to our house.






We'd managed to get just enough done by the time the roofers arrived at midday.






It was such a relief to get the roof covered. Even though we'd only completed the roof structure the day before, the wet weather had soaked the interior of the house. The timbers are all treated so it can take a bit of a battering, nevertheless we wanted it protected sooner rather than later.








We fitted the barge boards and box-ends while the roofers laid the membrane at the other end of the house.






Looking up at the membrane from our bedroom.









With high winds arriving, Alan and I set about trying to reinforce the polythene around the windows.

We left our large bedroom window uncovered in the hope that the wind would blow through and help dry out the interior. Unfortunately for the next two days the wind decided to blow harder than it had in over 100 years and tore a hole straight through the new membrane.

And if we thought that was bad, the real storm was yet to come...

Roof: Part 1 - Structure

The day after the first floor frame was erected Dan and Tom continued working on the roof. The standard fink trusses were lifted into position by hand and secured over the east side of the house.

Attic trusses were positioned and secured on west side of the house.




The attic trusses are designed to open up the loft space and take the weight of a floor. The cost wasn't much more than the regular trusses and would give us the option to easily convert to an extra room in the future. Our tight budget does not allow us to do this at the moment but it will be a useful space for storage until then.




The scaffolders returned to build 'hop-ups' for access to the top of the roof.
Much to Alan's horror, 'Please mind the new fascias' was interpreted as 'Please stomp all over the new fascias'.






One of the completed 'hop-ups'.




The glulam beam above our bedroom will be visible once decorated, so it was left in bubble-wrap to protect it as long as possible.








Don't think much of the view from our bedroom...it should be a lot nicer once we remove the scaffolding and the old house though.




Bedroom 3 on the north-west corner of the house.






The timber panels for the gable ends were secured and the gable ladders positioned on top. By the end of day Dan and Tom had finished the main part of the roof.

Despite being much higher than the existing bungalow, we think our new house sits very comfortably within the landscape. When the trees come into leaf in Spring the house should barely be visible from any direction. This photo was taken looking back at the house from further along the track.










We are really pleased with the way the house sits on the plot. Thanks to the already established garden and trees it feels like it has always been here.




The rain and wind returned for the second day of the roof construction. Having a vaulted ceiling meant that trusses could not be used above the master bedroom so loose rafters were cut and assembled.








Fire socks were fixed in place all the way around the top of the house and will offer some protection in the event of a fire.




To avoid a repeat of the problems we had with the groundworks, Alan tried to ensure that the roofers would be happy with the roof structure as it was being built. The roofer explained exactly how they would like the valleys to be constructed and Dan built them to specification. One of the trickiest aspects of the build has been to make sure a job is completed in such a way that it allows the next phase to seamlessly follow on.




The new house peeking over the top of the old one.




We can begin to see how the house is going to look as you approach from the track.