Folding roof with own hands

Deciding on an independent construction of a house in the current economic conditions is akin to a feat. Sometimes it's much easier and cheaper to put the box at home than to build a roof on it. This is due not only to the laboriousness and danger of carrying out roofing works, but also to the cost of materials for roofing. When building a house, we always try to minimize costs for materials as much as possible. Sometimes this is the only way to complete the construction. If you make a choice on the rebated roof, then this problem can be solved quite successfully. Seam roofing with their own hands can be created quite simply and cheaply. At the same time, the quality of such a roof will be no worse than that made from a more expensive metal roof.

What is a folding roof

With the use of rebated technology, sheet metal or plastic can act as a roofing material. The sheets themselves are flat, but their edges have fastenings, which are called folds. With the help of these adjacent sheets are fastened together, without forming a moisture-permeable seam. The edges of the sheets are twisted in a special way. You can do this in several ways, but it is most convenient to carry out this process using electric machines designed specifically for this purpose. These devices simplify and speed up the process of folding metal sheets as much as possible.

The cost of such a roof is slightly lower than that of finished sheet materials. If you plan to make a seam roof, and at all from roll or sheet metal, not previously prepared for this purpose, the cost will further decrease.

Construction of metal roofing by folding

One of the main advantages of this type of roofing is that it can be assembled not only on a solid foundation, but also on a thin crate. However, in this case, it is required to make the truss system very carefully, accurately calculating the pitch of the rafter legs. Ideally, they should be located so that under each rebate there is a bar of rafters. Otherwise there will be a situation that under the influence of differently directed loads from snow in winter, the sheets will disperse as a result of deflections. This will lead to corrosion of the metal and moisture penetration to the attic ceiling and truss system. Such an ill-considered roof can not last long enough. Thus, we can formulate the following rule. If you decide to make a seam roof yourself, then pay attention to the calculation of the distance between the rafter legs. It should not be larger than the width of the metal sheets, taking into account the rebated lock. For a continuous crate, this rule can be disregarded.

Advantages of installing folded roofs from rolled metal

For a long time, the seam roof was built from a single sheet metal of a certain length. The length of the sheets was less than the length of the roof slope. For this reason, we had to do not only longitudinal, but also transverse folds. This approach is becoming less and less popular today. After all, a large number of seams require the exact arrangement of the crate and a special approach to the vapor barrier. The formation of condensate under the metal does not lead to anything good.

A more advanced approach is the construction of a folded roof made of rolled metal. The sheets from the roll are cut so long as to fully cover the ramp along the entire length without the formation of transverse seams. The longitudinal seams have very high strength and excellent quality. They almost never disperse even under a very large mass of snow.

Advantages of folding roofing of roll material are that:

• In this case, not only galvanized steel, but also metal with a polymer coating applied on it can be used. This increases the anticorrosive qualities of the roof, which makes it possible to exploit it for decades without changing not only the consumer qualities, but also the appearance.
• Rolled metal is much more flexible than sheet metal. This allows the installation of a double fold. Metal in the roll has a high strength and tightness, which excludes the penetration of moisture under it.
• With steep roof slopes, roll metal is much more convenient and safer to use. After all, the roll can be simply rolled up, without risking each time with life and health, as when laying sheets separately

In addition, the machine's work on folding folds is much more convenient on roll metal. After all, in this case it is required to twist only the longitudinal folds, and not to bother with the horizontal after each sheet.

What are the tools for mounting the

folding roof? The right choice of tools is of particular importance in the production of seam roofing. This is especially true for devices for twisting seam seams. There are two types of such clamping devices: mechanical and electrical. In the first case, the joints are sealed using two special frames. With the help of the first frame, the main seam is twisted, and with the help of the second frame, the mated metal sheet is screwed onto it and clamped to form a seam.

Using an electric machine makes operation much easier. For the first pass, it twists the basic single fold, and for the second it completely completes the work, creating a complete seam. The second rolling is done in the opposite direction. This further speeds up all work, since there is no need to return to the top of the roof.

In addition to spinning machines, you need to prepare some more tools:

• Several metal hammers with a flat and rounded head and regular pliers.
• Scissors for metal.
• A powerful drill is enough.
• Extension for supplying electricity at least 30 meters in length.
• Screwdriver or appropriate drill bit. However, the first option is much more convenient, thanks to a light weight.
• Measuring tools.

The entire tool should be safe and non-slippery, as it breaks from the hands, it will fall down, which will not only cause inconvenience, but it can also harm third parties.

The main stages of the production of works

First of all, when installing the rebated roof it is necessary to determine the type of the crate. If you make it solid, then no special calculations are required. Otherwise, it is necessary to determine the pitch of the rafter legs with great accuracy. The lath itself can be executed not only from planks. To create it quite suitable bars, metal profile or even a profile pipe. The main thing is that the surface of the resulting crate does not have any potholes and depressions. Its maximum evenness guarantees a beautiful appearance and reliability of the roof.

On the crate, a vapor barrier is laid on top. The material should be chosen so that it is light and strong, but at the same time, it protects the metal well against corrosion and is well ventilated. Wooden crate requires careful impregnation, which protects wood from rotting and makes it poorly susceptible to fire. Well-worked crate and rafters will ensure the service life of the rebate roof for at least 50 years. The distance between adjacent bars should not exceed 40 cm.

The first sheet is erected from the ridge. When using sheet material, the sheets are fed to the roof strictly one at a time, because accidentally the sheet that has moved away from the roofs is a deadly weapon for those who might be in the way of its movement at that moment. You should also pay attention to the fact that the cover for the cornice is required to mount in advance. The same applies to the skid plate. When installing a tent roof, this bar is laid in place of the stack.

To give a more beautiful and symmetrical view to the roof, first the edge sheets on both sides of the roof are mounted evenly. If necessary, they can be trimmed very neatly. When pruning, this edge must be wrapped. Professionals these edges are treated with a sealant to avoid corrosion, although this is not necessary.

The subsequent sheets are overlapped, which must be at least 40 mm. Orient with the lower sheet overhang. When working with a cornice or ridge, each sheet is attached to both the upper and lower bar on the crate. The tightness of the closure of the cavities along the skates and from the ends ensures the use of strips, which are fastened by means of self-tapping screws provided with rubber gaskets. This technology allows to ensure their stability during long years of service, because the rubber with its elastic forces does not allow the screws to loosen. If it is planned to install snow barriers or bridges on the roof, then it is necessary to fasten them at the joints of the sheets.

Assembly features of the "body kit"

When installing the roof covering, the following rules should be observed:

• Before beginning the installation of the roofing, it is required to check with the building level the smoothness of the ridge and the edges of the crate. They must be perfectly straight. The cornice overhang, which is at the very bottom, must also be perfectly straight.
• Fastening of cornices is carried out first of all even before the beginning of installation of sheets. Consequently, the holders for gutters of the drainage system are attached to the cornice board even earlier.
• After the cornices to the crate, you should attach the valleys, closing their grounds with a quality edging board.
• On the rafters lay a solid polyethylene film or a special vapor barrier material, which is designed to protect the wood from moisture.

In addition to the self-made seamed roof, there are ready-made sheets with bent edges as required. This is a professional seam roof. To install it, you only need to put the sheets on the crate and fix them, as required by the instruction.

Some nuances when laying the finished rebate roof

Before the process of installing the rebated roof, a careful measurement of the ramps is required. If they are rectangular, then their diagonals should be equal in length. The lower seam is always pointed in the direction of starting work. For this reason, some sheets will need to be unfolded. Always lay the sheets from the bottom to the top. With a length of the slope of more than 6 m, it is necessarily compiled. This is due to the difficulty of transporting sheets or rolls to the top in the case of a very long slope. The pedestal on the roof is fastened so that it completely covers the seam. It is also mounted on self-tapping screws for roofing with rubber gaskets.

The ridge for the rebated metal roof can be of different types. For a shallow roof, you can use a flat horse, and for steep roof it's better to have a shaped version. It is required to screw it onto roofing screws, especially at an angle of more than 25 degrees. At the junction of steel roofing sheets with walls or other structures on the roof, a rubber or plastic gasket is provided that provides reliable protection against moisture.

The standalone device of the rebated roof is quite laborious, but feasible. If you take into account the savings that this type of roof gives, this option should be considered.