Diamond Concrete Roof Tiles

The diamond concrete tile was invented in the 1840s by a man named Adolph Kroher in a small village in the region of Southern Bavaria, Germany. The style was introduced to the UK in 1895.

The tiles are designed in a diamond shaped pattern and this proved to never become a popular style, making it uncommon in its time and very rare to still exist on roofs today.

In fact one of the only known complete concrete tiled roofs in Britain is that of the former Minehead School. The roof is over 114 years old and has managed to endure little to no damage until the 2010/11 winter when some of the tiles were damaged. Unfortunately chances of finding replacements are remote and it is likely that facsimiles will be constructed to retain the building's appearance.

Today concrete is used quite commonly for flat roofs and flat roof tiles. Mission/barrel tiles are also constructed from concrete; this type is composed of alternating columns of semi-cylindrical tiles, with each adjacent tile on the roof protruding in opposite directions.

Concrete roofing is generally expected to last for about 50 years, making the Maiden School in Minehead quite remarkable. In comparison, other roofing materials such as asphalt are about one third of the cost but significantly less durable.

BPM Maintenance has skilled Bath roofers that are efficient, affordable and accredited with Trading Standards among other organisations.

One of the reasons that concrete roof tiles are so durable is because they can withstand high wind speeds that tear off other roof tiles. They are also resistant to damage from algae and moss although professional roofers can remove this to maintain a buildings appearance.

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.