As the ever-changing weather continues to be a challenge to modern roofing, a mix and match approach to building homes could lead to further challenges. Mark Parsons, Technical Director at Russell Roof Tiles, explains how roofing products can help ease the oncoming storm
The latest housing statistics from the NHBC showed 42,470 new homes were registered from January to March of 2017, representing a 17% increase on 2016 numbers (36,351). With more homes needing to be developed across the UK, it is essential that these properties are constructed to the highest specification.
The roof is an essential element of the overall design of any home, accounting for 40% of the façade and is therefore an important aspect of any specification.
Roofing across Britain is very distinctive and unlike anywhere else in Europe, as many other countries tend to use predominantly one material. In contrast, every region and roof in the UK is different and various measures and circumstances need to be considered, such as weather and the individual tiling and accessory requirements of the roof.
Across the country, there are four main materials for pitched roof tiles – concrete, slate, clay and stone. Concrete tiles can replicate much of our indigenous materials and now account for around 60% of the market. Natural slates are used for 20% of the total and clay tiles around 10%. The remaining 10% is made up of various other materials.
Local authority planning officers are highly influential in ensuring the right roofing tile and material is chosen and are required to look carefully at the materials specified to ensure long-lasting stability for social housing.
An example of this was a 32-affordable house and apartment development on William Jessop Way in Hartcliffe, three miles from Bristol’s city centre. Planners at Bristol City Council were determined to find roofing products and a solution that met the Homes & Communities Agency’s Design and Quality Standards. It was important that this was implemented throughout the design and build of the scheme and this included adapting each home to the continual changing climate.
Russells delivered a high specification to meet these standards, providing 20,000 Galloway tiles in Rustic Peat and Slate Grey colours which form part of Russell’s Natural Range of products – an expanding selection of thinner leading-edge (TLE) interlocking concrete tiles.
The TLE concrete roof tiles are one of the fastest-growing roofing products in the UK and are often favoured by planners due to the sustainability benefits and being able to withstand all weather. With winds of over 100mph being recorded in some areas of the country, there is no room for substandard roofing installation by planners or builders.
Russell Roof Tiles’ dry fix solutions (dry ridge, dry verge, dry valley and dry hip systems) are all fully compliant with the BS 5534 British Standard for Slating and Tiling, which reflects the new knowledge and experience of weather patterns and Russells’ Technical Department is able to offer bespoke fixing specification to meet the standard to ensure there should be no issues at a later date.
RussSpec is our 15-year guarantee when using Russell’s whole roofing products, and where the specification has been followed in detailed in accordance with advice, the fixing specification and instructions.
However, while ensuring that the specification is correct, planners also need be aware that their builders and developers are using the correct products as well for the best results.
Would you buy a car with a range of different parts, some branded and some not? Using different parts actually designed and manufactured for a completely different make of car? That is the challenge for the roofing industry. How can we as manufacturers guarantee a product, with different components, supplied by different manufacturers, to work together seamlessly and be guaranteed too?
Guarantees give everyone in the supply chain, including local authorities, added reassurance and are essential. In law, a guarantee is an agreement given, without any extra charge, to repair, replace or refund on goods that do not meet the specifications set out in the guarantee. A warranty is an insurance policy that provides cover for the unexpected failure or breakdown of goods, usually after the manufacturer or trader’s guarantee has run out.
Our roofing products are designed and tested for use in combination with each other over many years. It is a condition of our RussSpec guarantee, for example, that specification is followed in detail in accordance with the fixing specification.
As weather conditions become progressively more volatile and the demand for social housing increases, it is becoming all the more important to have plans and solutions in place that everyone can rely on to perform time and time again.
Mark Parsons
Technical Director
Russell Roof Tiles
Tel: +44 (0)1283 517070
Twitter: @russellrooftile
