Polycarbonate roof sheeting: expansion and fixing
Polycarbonate moves far more than the steel frame beneath it. The fixings have to allow that movement, or the sheet cracks in the first hot season.
12 min read
Topic
Roofing
Articles and news about Roofing for Australian builders.
Polycarbonate roof sheeting: expansion and fixing
Polycarbonate moves far more than the steel frame beneath it. The fixings have to allow that movement, or the sheet cracks in the first hot season.
12 min read
Roof sheeting fixings: choosing screws that last
A roof sheet is only as good as the screw holding it, and the screw fails quietly from corrosion, a loose washer or a head driven too far long before anyone looks at the roof again.
11 min read
Gutter and downpipe installation faults builders miss
Most gutter failures are installation faults that stay hidden until the first heavy rain. Here is where they start and how to check the system before handover.
11 min read
Structural checks before fixing rooftop solar frames
A solar array adds weight and lifts with the wind, and every load is carried through a few fixings into a frame that may have been built for neither. Here is how to check an existing roof before fixing rails, what to ask for and where the structural risk sits.
11 min read
Skylight flashing and installation to prevent leaks
Most skylight leaks are installation faults rather than product faults, and they show up at the kerb, the flashing or the ceiling reveal. The fix lies in the order each layer goes down, so that water is always shed over the layer beneath it.
11 min read
Roof tile rebedding and pointing: scope, materials and common faults
Rebedding and pointing is repair work on an existing tiled roof, not a re-roof. Getting the scope, the mortar and the coating right decides whether it lasts one season or fifteen.
13 min read
Metal roof flashing details that cause leaks
Most metal roof leaks are not product failures. They are sequencing and lap-direction failures that are sealed over before anyone can see them.
13 min read
Roof sarking and underlay: getting laps, drapes and penetrations right
Sarking is the layer that catches what the roof covering lets through, and it only works if it is lapped, draped and sealed in the right direction. Most failures are not product failures — they are installation failures at laps, valleys and penetrations.
11 min read
Solar PV ready: designing new homes for panels and inverters
A solar ready home is not a roof with nothing on it. It is a set of decisions made before the frame goes up — orientation, roof space, cable route, inverter location and the switchboard capacity to take the connection.
11 min read
Roof truss bracing and tie-down checks before sheeting
Bracing and tie-down are routinely signed off without being checked, because the work is done by someone else and the paperwork arrives before the roof does. Here is how to inspect it before sheeting closes the frame in.
11 min read
Roof ventilation and condensation risk in NSW homes
Condensation in a roof space is a ventilation problem before it is a waterproofing problem. Getting the roof space and ceiling detail right at frame stage is cheaper than fixing stained ceilings after handover.
13 min read