We often come across the phrase ‘to have a roof on top of your head,’ which essentially means that you have somewhere to live and are not homeless. Any building form has two primary visible parts without which they are considered incomplete. They are:
- Walls
- Roofs
In simple words, a roof is defined as the topmost cover for a building for protecting it against adverse weather conditions.
Roofs And Their Types
The pre-historic buildings discovered throughout different eras of history do not have a defined roof that could be differentiated from the walls. Some of the prime examples are the Pyramids of Egypt.
The earliest form of defined roof is found only during the classical era in ancient Greek and Roman buildings like the Parthenon, the Pantheon, etc.
As and when the building design evolved, various roof types came into being. Some of the most common roof types include:
- Flat
- Pitched (single or multiple)
- Gabled
- Mansard
- Arched
- Domed
- Hipped
- Butterfly
The above classification is based on the various shapes of the roofs. Further bifurcations are also done based on the materials and methods of roof construction.
Understanding The Roofing Process
It is now understood that the roof is one of the essential parts of the building, and it requires special care for its construction and maintenance. Nowadays, a specific Roofing company usually takes care of the roofs in a building and has a definite say in the design procedure of the building as well. Besides, these companies are also quite efficient in the maintenance and replacement of the roofs.
Replacing roofs also needs utmost care. The roof re-installation starts with old-roof material disposal right to the layer of plywood substrate. In case plywood sections are damaged or rotten, then they are entirely removed and replaced with new plywood so that the roof stays strong and durable. All of this is done in a way so that the budget of re-roofing does not shoot through the roof.
Installing Roofs Has Two Primary Steps:
- Underlayment: This is done to deal with any leakage that is present by sealing any vents or cracks present in the roof.
- Covering: When the underlayment is complete, then the covering layer is provided. This covering acts as a dual purpose, one is the beautification, and another is the protection against wear and tear due to weather conditions.
Roof Design
The roof design is primarily based on three main points:
- Durability
- Material
- Construction
These three factors decide the form of the roof. For example, the use of flexible material for the construction of roofs allows the building to have a free-flowing organic shape. Moreover, durability is also required while choosing the product as well as deciding on the method of construction as well.
The most important factor to consider in roof design is the budget. Without an appropriate estimate, no roofing should be done. Only if the budget suits the piece of work, then only the works should initiate because budget alterations often hamper the quality, thereby resulting in a faulty roofing system.
