Roof: Part 5 - Trim and guttering

Hindsight can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. The amount of visible pins in the box ends always bothered Alan (though I don't think many people would even notice these details). So just before the roof was finished Alan took it upon himself to re-do them, this time using carefully concealed fixings.






Ta-da! Pin-free.




A view of the east side of the house. The new house seems to dwarf our old house behind it.




We originally wanted to use a dry verge to seal the gap between the bottom of the slates and the top of the bargeboard, however none of the products we looked at were really suitable so we decided to make up our own trim panels.

Alan fixed the trim at the top of the gable end...




...while I fixed it at the bottom.




It was really tricky to attach and of course the cold winds didn't help.




Ta-da! Trim panels all done (though I give it a month before Alan wants to re-do them).




With the roof completed we needed to get the guttering up quickly to stop rainwater pouring off all the new slates onto the timber frame below.

With our relatively tight budget we thought our only option was to use plastic gutters and downpipes, however after lots of research (and a bit of bartering) we found that galvanised steel wasn't that much more expensive so we chose that instead.

Alan had never fitted gutters before but as usual spent hours researching how to do it on the internet - at least that's what he said he was doing :) The first job was to set out the gutter brackets allowing for a slight fall to help send the flow of rainwater to the downpipes.




Having set the height for both the highest and lowest brackets, the string line was stretched between them and used to mark the angle of the fall.




The remaining brackets were then attached following the level of the string line. Lots of brackets...




Once the brackets were up the Lindab steel guttering was quite straightforward to assemble with most parts simply clipping together.




The only fiddly bit was cutting the holes for the downpipes. Apparently the heat from power tools can damage the galvanised coating (internet research strikes again) so Alan used tinsnips and a hacksaw.






The gutters for the front of the house completed.




Same again for the back of the house - the brackets were set out using a string line.




Alan remarked that his school metalwork teacher wouldn't believe his eyes if he saw this.




It is important to cut the gutter straight to avoid leaks forming where they join.




As it was the highest point of the gutter run, the corner section below the valley was a bit of a tight fit.






The back of the house completed.

The east side only needed a short section of guttering.

Ta-da! The guttering is all complete.

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...