Yet another flat roof to pitched question

[Andy.T]

Hi there,

Sorry to ask a question similar to others here but I want to be sure I am understanding what I've read.

We have a single storey extension with a felt flat roof at the back of our property which contains a bit of our kitchen and our dining room.

We are sick of struggling to get home insurance every year and worrying the roof is going to fail and so would love to be able to install a pitched, tiled roof. We also want to improve the insulation there as it's blooming freezing that end of the house.

We have been told by a couple of roofers/builders that we can't have a tiled roof due to our windows on that wall being too low to allow the required 22 degrees.

But I've just had a look and by my calculations 22 degrees brings it almost exactly to the bottom of the windows, so I think it's closer than they think. Could the roof (if needed) go a few inches above the bottom of the window (at the sides) and we just have flashing or something extending out from the bottom of the windows to join onto the roof?

Failing that I was very interested to read on here about pitched roofs below 22 degrees, that would surely get round the problem as we are so close. I think it would need to be tile though to be considered as "standard" by an insurer, what is the minimum pitch required for a tiled pitched roof? Did I read it is 17.5 degrees?

Excuse my terrible paint brush skills but the following gives a rough idea at least.

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...does anyone know a roofing company in the Sussex/Hampshire area that might be up to the challenge of helping us tackle this?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[noseall]

some interlocking tiles are deigned to go as low as 15 degrees, i.e. marley wessex.

 

[justlead1]

Hi. Yes you can extend a flat area at window intersection. How ever this would be difficult with a hipped roof,owing to the position of hip rafters.A gabled roof (extending the walls at ends upwards to proposed roof line) would allow this. Good luck

 

[Andy.T]

Thanks for that, I suppose the challenge is getting something that performs at low pitch but which is also a close match to what we have currently on the main roof so we can get planning permission.

I don't have a great photo of the existing tiles, but you can just about see them here on the far right hand side.

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Andy

 

[Andy.T]

Hi. Yes you can extend a flat area at window intersection. How ever this would be difficult with a hipped roof,owing to the position of hip rafters.A gabled roof (extending the walls at ends upwards to proposed roof line) would allow this. Good luck

Thanks for that, do you mean that the replacement roof would be like an "A" shape, with a peak in the middle? Rather than peaking at the wall?

If at all possible I'd like to avoid that as I worry it would make it more obtrusive for the neighbours off to the left of my first picture, and I probably wouldn't get planning for that anyway.

If I can find a tile that looks ok and performs at 17.5 or 15 degrees then hopefully I can avoid the windows altogether.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[noseall]

your existing tiles look like marley anglia plus.

these will deal with a roof as low as 25 degrees (smooth only) or 30 degrees (granular).

you are limited to choice with such a low pitch i'm afraid.

 

[noseall]

Thanks for that, do you mean that the replacement roof would be like an "A" shape, with a peak in the middle? Rather than peaking at the wall?

justlead is referring to a lean-to roof with the brickwork ends being built up to form two half gables at each end.

 

[CloakedVerger09]

Redland Grovebury tiles are guaranteed to 15 degrees and visually will provide much the same appearance as your main roof.

This means you will be able to construct the pitched roof so as to be able to get a decent flashing detail at the top edge where it abuts the wall (needs 65mm minimum vertical clearance from underside of cill to top of tiling).

Hope this helps.

 

[^woody^]

Regents do down to 11 degrees, or the roof can be felted/sealed and then tiled to any pitch the OP likes - so he could use the same tiles as the main roof

There are no regulations or limits requiring roofs to be a certain pitch

 

[Andy.T]

Thanks gents.

Regents do down to 11 degrees, or the roof can be felted/sealed and then tiled to any pitch the OP likes - so he could use the same tiles as the main roof

I think an insurance company might whinge about that though if it came to a claim as they would argue the roof was not of standard, tiled construction.

 

[^woody^]

No they would not, and they could not.

 

[Andy.T]

Thanks for that.

I'd love for that to be the case but I suspect that as the actual water proofing function of the roof would be being provided by something similar to a flat roof (the felt underneath the tiles) that at insurance company would treat it as though it were just any other flat roof? As, if the felt were to fail, the results would be similar as if a flat roof failed (i.e. expensive claims)? Whereas a standard tiled pitched roof would be expected to last for many more years than felt based?

 

[^woody^]

No its a proven construction method. The underfelt does not weather, therefore it does not fail in the life of the roof

I deal with numpty loss adjusters regularly and it's not an issue

Further, I don't think it actually makes a difference to the premiums or policy in any case

 

[noseall]

Further, I don't think it actually makes a difference to the premiums or policy in any case

you are well aware woods, of how fickle our friends the insurance companies can be.

if you were to say, deliberately install a product that was not fit for purpose, albeit with relevant underlay precautions, don't you think a sharp eyed adjuster would wriggle out of coughing up if he were aware?

i personally, am not a fan of faux low pitch tiled roofs, even with onduline, felt or whatever.

...and i know you are going to say it is the same as a flat roof but with a tiled frock on top, blah blah.

for me it is either a pitched roof or a flat roof.

not some monstrous hybrid.

 

[Andy.T]

Just a bit of an update, thanks to info here my roofer is going to come back with a joiner/chippie and see what angle they could get, using tiles like Marley Wessex, Redland Grovebury he is hopeful we might be able to achieve something. Subject to planning of course.

I'll let you know how we get on.