Your roof is more than just a protected rafter system whose function is to keep it from leaking for as long as possible. What else should be on the roof of even the most modest house design?
Additional equipment and roof elements
First of all, think about how you will climb up if you need to clean or repair the coating. To do this, there is not even one, but several varieties of special devices. An ordinary stepladder attached to one of the walls will help you get upstairs without any obstacles.
In order for your children not to easily climb there, they attach it to the wall at a height of one meter and higher above the ground.As an option, you can consider a collapsible stepladder, the lower part of which, if necessary, is attached to the upper one.
An even simpler question can be solved by simply using the attachment roof ladder. But this option is not always acceptable, inconvenient, and unsafe.
Note! A more convenient and durable option for visiting the roof is an external staircase. It usually passes from terrace to terrace from the lower floor to the upper one, equipped with a special platform for accessing directly to the roof. The ladder is made of durable pipes with corrugated metal steps welded or attached to them.
The necessary elements of the exit to the top include a hatch. It, as a rule, is made above the upper end of the stairs, above its last platform. An exit equipped with a hatch can be made on both flat and pitched roof types.
It is advisable to place it next to the chimney, in which case you will greatly facilitate access to it in case of cleaning. Two or more hatches, if necessary, can be installed on the roof of a large house or cottage.
Not the main one, but a folding staircase can lead to the hatch, if it is more convenient for you. It is more suitable for access to the attic space or to a flat roof.
Usually these ladders come in two types - scissor and sectional. In terms of convenience, they are identical, the difference is only in the principle of expansion and folding.
Directly at the top, it is often necessary to install a ladder or roof steps. The greater the slope of the slopes, the more the need for these accessories, and the more often the step of the steps should be.
Climbing up or down the slope with their help will be convenient and safe. The steps of the ladder should not be smooth to prevent slipping, they are made of corrugated or perforated material.
An attic viewing window is also often necessary. Installed in the attic, in a convenient place for the owner. It also depends on the tastes of the latter whether the window should be hinged or hinged.
The design of the windows is such that they can be installed even on a roof with a flat surface, without losing the tightness of the roof.
A hatch-window of an uninsulated type is installed above non-residential attic spaces, if the insulation is laid in the ceiling of the upper floor. They also come in both swing and folding. Installed on slopes in such an option as roof pitch from 15° to 65°.
In order for the mass of snow not to roll down unexpectedly on your head in winter, snow retainers are used. They are located directly on the roof, they serve to prevent snow avalanches from rolling off the roof.
They look like pipes, plates or gratings made of metal, installed around the entire perimeter of the coating or in individual parts. Additional elements for retaining an excessively large mass of snow are special staples.
Advice! They are mounted taking into account the amount of snow cover, in places with the most likely convergence of snow mass. It is advisable to do the installation with the assistance of specialists who will find the optimal locations for the snow retainers and properly strengthen them.
A cable heater must be installed on the roof to prevent the rise and fall of icicles. . It will melt ice and snow and cause moisture to drain into drains for further removal from the coating.
Since electric current is required for its operation, it is also better to entrust the installation of the cable to specialists. Before laying it, a screed is made, then heat-insulating material is placed, and a screed is made on top again.
Next, the cable is laid and covered with a roofing. The cable is mounted in places with the most likely accumulation of snow and ice.
On tall houses and buildings on the roof, roofing fences around the perimeter are often installed. These are metal railings that serve for safety purposes when going upstairs and insure people during installation or repair work.
If viewing and dormer windows serve for ventilation, additional lighting, and also for external surroundings, then one of the main roles on the roof, indeed, is played by the drainage system.
Without it, your walls and foundations will be destroyed by floods in the very first rainy season. Systems are made in various types, colors and degrees of complexity.
The profile of the gutter can be semi-circular or rectangular - it all depends on your preferences. As for materials, gutters are most often made of plastic or galvanized steel.
The coating does not allow moisture to destroy the material, so the drainage systems serve for a long time. Of course, subject to their competent installation and careful selection to a specific roof.
Gutter systems serve not only to drain rain and melt water, matched by color and style, they look great on the roof, give a finished look to the house.
Small but necessary accessories
In addition to the equipment necessary for the full service of the roof, there are a great many small, but no less useful elements.They will make your life easier and more comfortable.
What else can we see on the roof, besides its rather noticeable additions? Although few people now use a stove for heating, it is not uncommon to see chimneys on houses.
The stove was replaced by a fireplace, the warmth of which is so pleasant to relax on cold evenings. Naturally, a pipe is needed to remove smoke. And, of course, it must be decorated in the same style and color with the roofing, and the joints with it must be made airtight.
For this, as well as for sealing complex transitions in the coating, a wide variety of sealants and sealants are produced.
All this, undoubtedly, trifles necessary for the economic house owner. Similarly, you will definitely need antenna outlets designed to prevent water from penetrating under the roof. All kinds of ventilation outlets for different needs surprise with a variety of styles and colors.
Purely aesthetic in nature, at present, is weather vane on any roof. Here everything will depend on the desires of the owner to see this or that image on his beloved home.
This decoration carries almost no practical load, except that it shows the direction of the wind. But to admire such a house, on the roof of which beautiful figures are spinning, is actually nice.
Turrets, kinks and original elements, in the same way, are more often only decorative than useful. However, it should be noted that the more complex the roof, the more carefully you need to monitor and care for it.
If the roof is flat
Increasingly, you can find houses with a flat roof. This is not only a tribute to fashion trends, it is also a practical use of usable space.This type of houses, the most common in warm countries, is now not uncommon in our country.
Most of all, it is suitable for those who like to use the entire space, including the roof, for the benefit of relaxation.
After all, it is now possible to equip a platform for sports or recreation with friends, put a barbecue, a table with chairs, make a lawn, flower beds, a waterfall or a mini-garden.
The most daring build pools there, there are even helipads. Of course, there is a drawback - you can relax there only in the warm season.
Yes, and the roof for this needs to be prepared especially for a long time and carefully. But, often, it is worth it, because, for many, it is the best option to relax and sunbathe in the summer on the roof, in the fresh air, without the need to go out into nature.
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