Choosing a new roof requires more thought than simply choosing a tile and colour. There are a range of considerations including:
Pitch:
The pitch of your roof will dictate what products you can use. It is important to remember that different products can only be laid at certain pitches. Details of the pitch performance of our products can be found by using our roofing selector, or in the current literature.
Materials:
Clay – Is a traditional product bringing warmth and character to a building and is available in a wide range of colours and styles from the modern and precise through to heritage handcrafted. Clay roof tiles offer exceptional long term aesthetics and performance.
Concrete – For many years concrete has been the most common roofing material in Britain. Concrete provides an affordable alternative to natural materials and is available in a wide range of profiles, shapes and colours to suit a multitude of roof types.
Colour/Texture/Profile:
Marley's range of concrete and clay tiles and fibre cement slates come in a variety of colours, textures and profiles all able to achieve a unique aesthetic.
Weight:
It is important to ensure that the roof structure can support your chosen roof covering with consideration given to other loadings such as snow and wind. If the existing structure has weight restrictions, then an alternative might be to use fibre cement slates that offer a low weight, securely fixed solution.
Roof Design:
Complex roof designs may also be a factor in what product you are able to choose as your roof covering. A roof incorporating a lot of features and potential tile cuts may be more suitable to small clay or concrete plain tiles.
Sustainability:
The roof is without doubt a key meteorological interface between the building and the environment and creates an ideal platform for sustainable technologies such as photovoltaic, or solar thermal panels.
Rafter Lengths:
The length of the rafter has a direct effect on the speed at which water drains from the roof. The longer the rafter, the longer the water takes to drain. In instances of long rafter lengths, it may better to use profiled tiles that provide channels and increased speed of drainage. If unsure, please contact the Marley technical department on 01283 722588.
Planning:
The UK is an amalgamation of many regional styles in terms of roofing products. For example, areas such as the North West are commonly associated with slate type products, whilst other areas such as the South East will have an abundance of clay roofs. It is important that whatever product you wish to choose is in keeping with the local vernacular and meets with local planning requirements if applicable to the property.
Other considerations relate to, fixing, ventilation, dry fix and the use of mortar.
This might seem a lot to think about, but Marley have a wealth of expertise available to help you every step of the way. Call our technical team on 01283 722588, or access our suite of technical tools which can provide you with estimates, National Building Specifications, or fixing specifications.