Choosing between roof structures

Self-builders spend a great deal of time studying building systems and pondering whether to opt for conventional on-site construction or switch to a factory-built, off-site system. Habitually, they begin and end by looking at walling systems. The roof is added on, almost as an afterthought.

But there are very similar issues to consider with roofing and it is worth making yourself familiar with the options.

The roof structure

Although roofing can be steel-based or even pre-stressed concrete, the bulk of roofing structures are timber-based, to which insulation is added and a variety of membranes to counter both external weathering and condensation issues stemming from inside the structure. Today’s roof cover, the material you actually see from the outside, is but the topmost layer of a thick bed of materials sitting beneath it.

Until the 1960s, all house roofs tended to be built using an