Basic Design Standards of Pitched Roofs

The design of a pitched roof must follow a series of government set regulations to ensure that the structure does not pose a danger to anyone within the vicinity of the building. There are basic capabilities the roof must uphold. These include:

The roof must be able to support both its own weight and that of imposed loads. 

• Imposed loads include non-voluntary such as snow loads and also the possible application of insulation, solar panels or water tanks in the future.
• The force induced upon the roof by wind must also be taken into consideration during the calculations of roof strength. The design of the roof must also resist wind uprooting. This may involve straps to hold down parts of the structure if the weight alone is insufficient.
• Holding straps may also be required in some parts of the UK. Straps are generally steel with a galvanized finish with appropriate fixings.
• Rafters supporting the roof and ceiling joints must not be more than 600 millimeters apart. Ceiling joists are horizontal supporting beams, rafters are the sloped supporting beams.
• Ceiling joists must also be calibrated by the size and thickness of the plasterboard or other material that the ceiling is constructed from. For example, for plasterboard sheets of 9.5 millimeter thickness, joist spacing must be no mote than 450 millimeters apart. For plasterboard sheets of 12.5 and 15 millimeter thickness, this joist spacing increases to 600 millimeters.
• Tile battens are used to provide a strong anchor for nails and clips that secure tiles/slates and also give rigidity to the structure. For natural slate battens, 25x50 sized battens can be used with both 450 and 600 millimeter spacing. Fibre cement or concrete slates must also be 25x50 for 600 millimeter spans, but can be 25x38 for 450 millimeter spacing.
• The size for nails fixing battens should be 10 gauge or 3.35 millimeters by 54 millimeters long. Nails can be either ring shank or galvanized smooth round types. The ring shank type should be used where the maximum basic wind speed is over 26 metres per second.

BPM Maintenance are a property maintenance and building company located in the city of Bath that have skilled and experienced roofers able to take care of any Bath roofing problem.

3 Common Autumn Maintenance Scams

It is a sad fact that there are significant levels of rogue contractors eager to take advantage of the unwary, both in Bath and all over the UK. One of the key methods to ensure you don't become a victim is to check that your contractor is accredited with the relevant organisations such as Safe Contractor, Trading Standards or trade specific organisations such as FENSA for glazing. In this article we will look at three of the most common scams that many of these 'tradesmen' will try, so you can recognise and reject any that attempt to play it on you.

1. Some contractors will tempt a client with greatly reduced prices, lower than any of their competitors, then insist that they must carry out an 'inspection' before doing their work. This inspection will then turn up serious and expensive problems that would prove highly dangerous if left untouched. The contractor will then try and charge thousands of pounds to correct these flaws. Make sure you are shown all the relevant evidence that supports their claims for example a detector that shows you have a carbon monoxide leak etc. Often the company that originally fitted whatever turned up 'broken' in the 'inspection' can recommend a reputable contractor that will offer an honest dependable service you can trust.
2. Some tradesmen will show up at your door when they notice you are in need of a service such as roofing or gutter cleaning. They will claim they will do the work at a low price as they are in the neighbourhood or have extra materials left over from another job. However the rogue contractors will then request for the money up front and disappear with it, leaving behind no contact details as it was they that approached you rather than vice versa. Again, always beware of prices that seem too low; if it appears to be too good to be true, it often is.
3. A third, more sinister approach, is for a pair of contractors to work together to burglarize a home. One will distract the home owner, often an elderly resident that lives alone, offering various services such as decorating or yard cleaning. The other 'contractor' will enter the home and steal what they can.

One of the key guidelines you can draw from these three common scams is that you should always research a company before purchasing their services. Search for the company name on the internet, visit their website and check for accreditations. Always enter a trade agreement on your own terms; ensure that you are the one approaching the contractor for their services and not the other way around.

If you ever need a highly reputable, experienced maintenance company in the Bath, Bristol or North East Somerset area with a large portfolio of work servicing a large and varied range of domestic and commercial clients, try BPM Maintenance. We offer skilled, efficient work with friendly, accredited and qualified tradesmen who will help you reach a fast and thorough solution to any of your building problems.