Roof Slope

This house has one of the steepest roofs that I have seen around Melbourne.

I certainly think doing any work would be a bit scary, and very expensive.

So what are the considerations when thinking about Roof Slope (or Roof Pitch)

Roofing Material

In general a tile roof needs more of a slope than a metal  roof.

Depending on the type of tile, and the length of the roof. the minimum slopes for tiles ranges from 15 degrees to 30 degrees.

In the case of a metal roof the slopes can be much less. Again it depends on the type of metal profile with corrugated steel having a minimum slope of 5 degrees. Other profiles can be even flatter.

Appearance

I think that the roof has to be in proportion to the rest of the house.

If you look at the sketches on the right you will get an idea of how a different slope can look.

In my opinion:

  • The most appropriate roof for a single storey house will be no more than 20 degrees.
  • A 30 degree slope looks too much on a single storey house, but looks OK on a 2 storey house.

Solar Efficiency

Basically the angle should be within the range of:

Angle of Latitude   and     Angle of Latitude – 15 degrees

see this link: Solar Panel Alignment

Brick ‘Bulldust’


I hear a lot of people agonise over the choice of bricks for their new house.

That’s probably because they are:

  1. Looking Too Closely. At the builders display centre you may be handed individual bricks or see a board with about 8 bricks on it. When you have been in the house a month you probably won’t notice the individual bricks. You only see the overall effect.
  2. Taken In By The ‘Hype’. Brochures use words like Premium, Valued, Crafted and other ‘Bulldust’. (see ‘Brochure Bulldust’ below)

 

Brochure Bulldust

These premium bricks are derived from the uniquely textured and blended heritage of the original “hand made” English bricks. It is these timeless characteristics that have been applied by highly skilled craftsmen to a range of clay colours.

The palette now includes subtle grey blends, warm, earthy reds & tans, bold coffee browns and deep black tones.

This premium range of genuine clay bricks are unique and highly valued by building professionals. The range is a statement of luxury befitting premium homes, residential developments and commercial applications.

Translation

In the old days when all work was done by hand it wasn’t practical to mix clay to get a consistent colour, so you got what came from the raw clay.

These  bricks are machine made with a mix of clay colours, but we think we can charge a lot more for them.

 

HINT

When choosing bricks go to a Brick Suppliers Display Centre and only look at bricks panels from at least 3m away. It much easier to see if a cheaper brick gives the effect you want.

 

‘Premium Bricks’ will add thousands when ‘Choosing a House’

See Bricks for more posts

 

Where Is The Other House?

I saw this curious looking house one rainy day.

It looks like it’s one house short of a semi-detached pair.

I can only assume the owner saw an example of the house and liked the layout so much they thought they would copy it.

A problem that is not so apparent from the photo is the blank wall faces North so most windows face either West or East with a few facing South

A little more thought and …….

  • The house could have been handed  (Built as a mirror image) for better orientation.
  • The parapet wall could have been deleted so the both sides had eaves.
  • The windows positioned more centrally in the walls.

 

For more Fails and unusual houses go to What the………….?

 

Brickwork – Mortar Joints

During your Selection or Pre-Start meeting It isn’t just Picking a Brick. You also have to pick a mortar colour and a type of mortar joint.

Mortar Colour

If you have been to a Brick Display Centre check what colour mortar they use in the test wall of the brick you like. This will probably be the best colour for your house.

Joint Types

Below are the more common types of brick joints:

  • The ‘Ironed’ or ‘Rounded’ joint is quite common and helps to keep the water out of the brickwork
  • The ‘Weather’ joint, which is not so common in Australia, also helps to keep the wall dry.
  • The ‘Raked’ joint does give an interesting texture to the wall, but is the least moisture resistant joint. Best choice for beveled edge, or tumbled, bricks. It is unsuitable for bricks that only have a surface coating on the sides as the body colour will be exposed at the joints.   Because the mortar is almost always in shade it will look darker than you expect.
  • A flush joint is reasonable weather resistant but can look uneven. It is unsuitable for rustic or rounded edged bricks. Another issue is it is more likely to result in staining of the brick face.

My E book Guide to Selection/Pre-Start includes lots more information and checklists to help you choose the details that will make your new house a home.

 

Choosing Bricks

If you want brick you really need to go and visit one of the brick manufacturers display centres where they have display walls built with the various bricks.

Make sure you look at the bricks in the builders standard range first. If you are happy with a brick from this range you will save thousands of dollars compared with the ‘premium’ brick.

Looking at a couple of square metres of wall gives you a much better idea than looking at a couple of bricks in the builders office.

Seeing a larger panel may also stop you going for one of the short term trends such as brightly coloured bricks.

When you are at the brick manufacturers check what colour mortar they use in the test wall as this will probably be the best colour for your house.

 

More about selecting finishes including 28 pages of Check Lists in the‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

Want a Flat Roof ?

When thinking about a flat roof for your new home my advice is…..a roof can be:

  • Flat.
  • Inexpensive.
  • Have a long leak free life. 

PICK ANY TWO!

Sounds harsh but my experience, and others I have talked to, confirms this opinion.

My personal experience  with a flat roof was my parents house which had a pitched roof for the main house, but a flat roof for the garage.

After about seven or eight years the garage roof started to leak. Following 4 attempts to fix it they bit the bullet and had a pitched roof put on the garage. No more  problems in the next 30 years.

Yes, I know many multi-storey building have a flat roof without problems but with these tall buildings the roof is a small proportion of the total cost and so the builder can invest in a more sophisticated, and expensive, roofing system.

In your one or two storey property the roof will be a much bigger proportion of the total cost.

Most builders go for a low cost, low tech roof to keep the cost down. If it’s flat it will probably last until the guarantee period runs out and then you could be faced with ongoing repairs.

These comments will also apply to balconies over habitable rooms which are also prone to leaking.

If you do decide to have a flat roof you will need plenty of large downspouts (See Roof Choice – Risk)…………..otherwise you could have several cm of water on your roof in a storm, which will really tests the waterproofing.

 

Want Tiles or a Colorbond Roof see  What’s On The Roof

 

Exit mobile version