June 2020

Perfectly Pitched
IT’S A GOOD TIME TO TAKE A FRESH
LOOK AT ROOFING STANDARDS
By John Mercer, Pitched Roofing Consultant.
As the construction industry returns to work,
it seems an ideal time to just refresh
ourselves on some of the relevant
Standards and practices roofers need to be aware
of, from workmanship, to design, through to
installation.
Goods to site: handling and storage
Starting when goods arrive on site, it is important
to check materials and products to ensure that
they conform to the project specification. There
could potentially be a serious financial risk to the
roofer if materials are installed without having
been checked, only to find out later that the
wrong products have been used or there is a
quality issue.
Similarly, handling and storage
on site prior to installation is
important to prevent
damage from passing
traffic or soiling from
ground conditions or mortar
preparation. Product
manufacturers’ storage
instructions should also be adhered
to avoid damage from, for example, exposure
to direct sunlight whilst in plastic wrapping, or
from water saturation if exposed to excessive
rain.
Roof tiles and fittings should be stored as close
as possible to the roof to avoid excessive
handling, in compact and stable stacks on a firm,
John Mercer, Pitched Roofing
Consultant.
even base free from soiling
and away from the risk of
damage from passing
traffic. Stacking of tiles on
the roof prior to installation
must be done in such a way to
avoid slippage, and they must be
distributed evenly to avoid overloading a
part of the roof structure.
Commencing work
Before commencing work, the roofer should check
that the roof is square and with no uneven
junctions, for example at party walls or gable
walls. Fascias should be set at the correct height
32 TC JUNE 2020