Man has several basic necessities that he requires to lead a complete life. Food and shelter are the most important of the needs. He should be sheltered from dangerous animals and the adverse weather conditions. A house without a roof is deemed incomplete and unsafe to reside in. A roof is the outer covering to a house. Roofing dates back to the ancient days when it was done using reeds and caved rocks to the modern roofing styles used in the current days.
Roofing systems
There are various roofing systems employed by different roofing contractors. Some of these styles are briefly described below. The roofing systems can for instance be classified into low slope and steep slope roofs.
1. In low slope roof, the materials are installed in slopes less than 3:12(140). Such roofs are water impermeable and also weather proof. Such roofs have three components. These are:
- The water proofing layers that keeps the water from entering the structure
- Reinforcements that strengthens the membrane
- The surfacing that protects the water proofing components and the reinforcements from sunlight and weather.
2. In steep slope roofing the coverings are installed in slopes greater than 14o. Such roofs are water shedding. These consists of three elementary parts:
- Roof deck is a structural component and is usually wood based for instance plywood.
- Underlayment that provides the temporary protection until the roofing process is completed
- The roof covering which is the water shedding component.
Roofing styles
There exist a variety of styles that can be applied during provision of roofing services. A contractor or the client can prefer a specific style or a combination of styles to give the desirable aesthetics. Some of the roofing styles however depend on the roofing materials being used. The materials being chosen should always be environmental friendly. This is where green roofing comes in. Green roofs ensure proper maintenance of vast bio-diversities available. The styles are always designed to suit the structures the roof is covering. Some of the roofing styles are:
- Gable roofs: These are one of the simple styles available in the construction industry. They look like an inverted V. These roofs are suited for areas of low winds and do not give an impressive aesthetics. They are commonly used in residential roofing.
- Flat roofs are common in commercial roofing. This is the easiest to construct since it has very small or no pitch. They are majorly employed in structures such as go-downs or high rise buildings where pitched roofs do not make an impact on the appearance of the structure.
- Hipped roof are commonly used in residential roofing where the aesthetics are greatly contributed to by the mode of hipping employed. Such roofs are more difficult to design and construct, hence they need qualified personnel to be involved in the process. It has four sloping sides and can be rectangular of square
- Gambrel roof is commonly used in barns, they may however be used in residential roofing. These styles provide good spaces that are often turned into bedrooms or other living areas.
- Folded plate roofs looks like several gable roof placed side by side.
- Other roofing styles are winged gable roof, butterfly roofs, mansard roof, round roofs, shed roof and the Dutch Hip roof.
In conclusion the choice of the roofing style ant the suitable roofing system should be done carefully so as to yield the best result. Contractors and building owners should therefore be cautious enough during the undertaking of roofing services. A carefully done market assessment on pricings and affordability should be done appropriately to get the best services.