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.
1 comment :
Phew!
Post a Comment