How to build a roof for a wooden house - tips from professionals

Wood Roof Coating
Wood Roof Coating

A reliable roof is a good reason to feel comfortable and safe. When there is confidence in your roof above your head, then no rains, thunderstorms, as well as a bright scorching sun or a raging cold wind are not terrible. And therefore, when erecting the roof of a wooden house, special attention should be paid to the design and design of each node and the details of the roof, in order to sleep in the future.

The reliability of the roof is, of course, excellent quality, but its attractiveness is no less important. The roof, to some extent, is the “face” of any house, and the aesthetic component and the integrity of the entire structure depends on how it is designed, what building materials are used, and also on its shape.

Various shapes of roofs for every taste and budget

Roofs are classified according to various signs. The number of types of roofs, in fact, is huge, but among them there are several of the most popular.

The very first view, and perhaps the simplest, is pent roof. In terms of material consumption, as well as cost-effectiveness, she could be the undisputed leader in the field of roofing, if not for her appearance. On this point, it is significantly inferior to other forms of roofing, so it is possible, of course, to find such a roof in the construction of private houses, but most often it is used for outbuildings.

Roof with two slopes (gable), from the point of view of design, already looks more attractive. This popular type of roof can be found almost everywhere: both in simple wooden buildings and in elite houses.

A roof of this shape is held on load-bearing walls, as well as on the gables of the house. The shape of the roof, which consists of two slopes, resembles unfinished triangles.

Roof broken shape - it’s practically the same gable, but with a large attic space. Therefore, she is increasingly finding fans. If the roof of this type is mounted correctly, then the attic takes on the form of a full-fledged living space.

Hip roofs in terms of design, they look very attractive. The view of the house is more solid, solid. In terms of functionality, this roof is considered very practical, reliable, but the price of its construction is very high. What distinguishes this type of roof from others is that its structure consists of 4 slopes: two have the shape of a triangle, and two have the shape of a trapezoid.

Hipped roof - this design differs from others in that in it all the slopes converge at one point. Four or more slopes are the same size and triangular in shape.

Another view worth mentioning is cruciform roof financially, a rather expensive design. In Russia, to meet a roof of this form is quite difficult. Buildings with a roof of this shape, a priori, must have a very complex layout (gables above the entrance, attics with side lighting).

Note!

When erecting any of the above roofs, you need to approach the stages of construction work very thoroughly and seriously! It is imperative to carry out all the necessary roof calculations, which should include both snow loads and wind.

Wooden Roof Structures

For a better understanding of the design features, we list the main nodes of wooden roofs:

  • In the first place there are slopes, roof planes, which are located at a certain angle.
  • Chimneys are a necessary thing for any wooden house. Since most houses still use Russian stoves, such an element as a chimney is an important part of not only the roof, but the entire structure of the house.
  • The place where the two slopes connect at the top is called the skate;
  • The gutter through which water flows is a drain.
  • Pipe for rainwater care.
  • Frontal overhang (this part often protrudes over the area of ​​the entire building).
  • If the wooden roof has a complex structure, then a valley (inner corner of the roof) appears.
  • And of course, one cannot fail to say about such an important element as the roof rafter system.

A detailed examination of the main nodes of the roof

Consider in more detail the main elements that make up the roof. No one will argue that, practically, all roofs have similar elements. For example, rafters or trusses, which are present in all forms of roofs, where there are ramps. Each roof also has struts and bevels. And, of course, not a single roof can do without roofing materials, as well as layers of waterproofing and thermal insulation.

Elements of a wooden roof
Elements of a wooden roof

If we consider the main load-bearing elements of the roof, then they should consist of rafters, Mauerlat, as well as another important element - lathing. When constructing a wooden house, many roof units are made of boards, as well as various beams and logs.

Note!

It is important to choose the right materials for the construction of the roof, since depending on the final material chosen, the method by which all the nodes of the roof will ultimately be connected will be determined.

Other important units of the roof are the fasteners: spacers, various, used if necessary, crossbars and racks. They are necessary in order to give the entire roof the necessary rigidity.

If it is assumed that the house will have large spans, then the need for the above elements will be much higher. It is worth remembering that all the details that are connected to each other are nothing more than a truss truss.

Another important detail to consider is Mauerlat. This is a beam that is laid around the entire perimeter of the bearing walls. It is needed so that the supporting rafters can be mounted on it, and he himself, using metal brackets, must be attached to the log house. If corners suddenly formed, then they are fixed with tie bolts, as well as brackets.

It is worth mentioning here that for the rafter system, only the best quality wood varieties should be used, without the content of knots, as well as cracks and other obvious flaws.

In most cases, in various forms of roofs, only two types of roof systems are used - hanging and layered.

If in the middle of the house there are additional walls, then it makes sense to use lay-on rafters. The span here also matters. If the wooden roof structures have a span, which is more than 5 meters in width between the supports, then you need to install slopes in the rafter system.

In this case, the lower ends of the lay rafters will abut against the supporting block (Mauerlat), and then the total weight of the roof structure will go to the walls.

Note!

Remember that you can use layered rafters only if the walls of the house are made very strong and reliable. When using layered rafters, the load on the external supporting walls of the building is very high.

When using layered rafters, the rafter system becomes the main structure of the entire roof of the house. Thus, the rafters of the wooden roof structure must have two supports: at one end they must rest on the Mauerlat, and the other end rests on the roof ridge structure, as well as on the run that goes under the ridge.

Another of the types of rafter systems are hanging rafters. Such rafters should be made of very high quality materials.The rafter system of this type is very popular, especially if during the construction of the walls, they turned out to be quite light. Such a rafter system does not experience horizontal loads at all.

Another significant advantage of the rafter system of this type is the ability to build additional floors if the spans of the house are large enough.

Note!

It is necessary to take into account the fact that the hanging rafters can be performed in various versions, both simple and complex.

Hanging rafters differ from layered rafters also in that they have support exclusively on the walls. In this case, the rafter legs mainly work only for deflection, as well as for compression. This creates some horizontal force, which works on the "bursting" of the walls.

To significantly reduce such effects on walls, an element such as a puff is used. With the help of it, the connection of the rafters occurs. The use of puffs as a floor beam is quite common.

The simplest construction of the roof of a wooden house is when only a couple of rafters are brought to the top of the roof and connected there to the ridge.

Roofing cake in detail

Wooden Roofing Pie
Wooden Roofing Pie

It is worth saying a little that no matter what roofing material is chosen, the composition of the roofing cake will always be about the same.

As for the crate, in different cases it should be different. If metal or slate will be used as roofing material, then it is advisable to use bars. Applying a cover of bitumen-based materials, in this case, the crate should be solid. For metal tiles, the lathing can consist of boards.

For the correct arrangement of the roofing cake, you must follow some immutable rules. Here is some of them:

  • when using finishing materials, it should be at a certain distance (about 5 millimeters) from the layer that is responsible for the vapor barrier so that the finishing material in no way is damaged by the formation of condensate;
  • the vapor barrier layer must be fixed with slight slack from the insulation layer and proper ventilation clearance must be ensured (in the winter season, when severe colds occur, such a slack will not allow the film to tear).
Note!

It is worth remembering that the vapor permeability from interior to exterior layers can increase significantly, and therefore all layers of the roofing pie must be mounted according to the instructions. This is especially true if the house is made of wood.

It is necessary to take into account the features of the waterproofing material. Its ability to pass moisture outside, no doubt, should be much greater than that of the inner layers of vapor barrier. If this is not so, then the steam, gradually accumulating in the inner layer of the insulation, will create large volumes of condensate, and this can lead to a significant decrease in the high level of thermal insulation.

As for the space located under the roof, and to the vapor barrier layer, it should lend itself well to ventilation.

Note!

If a roof is being constructed for a wooden house, then during installation work, in no case, the use of installation foam is not recommended! It is possible that its use can spoil the layers of the roofing cake, including insulation or special layers of insulating materials.

Knowing the basic structure of a wooden roof, you can create a real roof of your dreams, which will delight not only you, but also attract the eyes of others! The main thing is to choose the right form and make it a reliable shelter from the surprises of the weather!

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