Due to attractive technical characteristics and unique aesthetic properties, this type of coating, such as reed roofing, is gaining more and more popularity. Especially often this roof covering technology is used in Western European countries and the USA.
The use of stems and leaves of various plants as roof coverings is one of the oldest building techniques.
Nowadays, this method of roofing is experiencing a rebirth. The reason for this phenomenon is quite understandable - modern people tend to surround themselves with natural, environmentally friendly things.
Today, reed roofing is an elite coating. It serves not only to protect the house from external influences, but also acts as a means of architectural self-expression.
What material is used to create the roof?
As a rule, stalks of ordinary reeds are chosen as roofing, the name of which in Latin sounds like Phragmites austalis.
This is a rather heavy material, a square meter of the assembled coating weighs about 40 kilograms if the roof is dry, and 10 kg more when wet.
As a rule, reed roofing is recommended for roofs that have a simple shape and a slope angle of at least 45 degrees. Such steep slopes must be planned in order for water to drain off the roof faster.
In addition to the reed itself on the roof, when creating such roofs, additional elements made of tiles, copper or wood are used. They are used to protect the valleys and the ridge of the roof.
Benefits of reed roofing
Such a coating option as a reed roof has a number of advantages.
Among them:
- High aesthetic appeal;
- Naturalness and environmental friendliness of the coating;
- The ability to maintain a stable temperature in the premises of the house;
- No need to install a ventilation system in the attic.
Reed roofing with a roofing thickness of 30 centimeters fully complies with today's thermal insulation standards.
In addition, a modern reed roof, provided that it is installed correctly, perfectly resists various atmospheric phenomena (strong gusts of wind, precipitation), as well as possible attacks from birds.
In addition, the service life of a properly assembled roof made of reeds is tens of years.
The use of modern technologies has eliminated the most important drawback of this type of roofing - a high fire hazard.
Today, special flame retardant impregnations are used to prevent fire, in addition, a special laying technology is used, thanks to which the beams lie very tightly.
Another condition is the installation of higher than usual chimney pipes, in this case, the spark that has flown out will go out in the air before reaching the coating.
The nuances of technologies used in the installation of the roof
Modern construction companies, as a rule, offer customers a variety of architectural types of reed roofs.
For installation, various technologies that have been proven for hundreds of years are used, including:
- Dutch;
- Danish;
- English;
- American and others
As a rule, with any method of laying, bundles of reeds are overlapped. For fastening, a wire made of stainless steel is used. The fixing collar is installed approximately in the middle of the beam.
The differences between the technologies are the use of stems of different lengths. For example, according to the standards of Dutch technology, bundles of reeds from 1.1 to 1.8 m long are used, while the thickness of individual stems should not exceed 0.2-0.6 centimeters.
Danish technology involves the use of stems no more than a meter long and with an average thickness of 0.4-0.5 cm.
It is clear that the more homogeneous and thinner the individual elements of the roof, the more neat it looks, and the protective properties of such a coating increase. Therefore, as a rule, reed stems are used in work, the thickness of which does not exceed 0.5 cm.
It is necessary to note such differences in technology as the nuances of padding. For example, a roof made using the Polish technology will be looser than one made using the Dutch laying method.
In addition, the Polish technology provides for the decoration of the ridge with the same reed, while the Dutch use a different material for this purpose. In particular, today the skates are decorated with tiles.
Thus, the technologies used today for laying reed roofing do not have significant differences, the nuances are mainly related to the length and thickness of the stems, as well as to the method of finishing the roof ridge.
In addition, options are available with an open and closed roof with a cane coating. In the first case, bundles of material are laid on the crate so that the inner surface of the coating is the ceiling for the room located under the roof.
This option is used, as a rule, exclusively for decorative purposes, for example, in restaurants or mini-hotels. In addition to some inconvenience (reed fluff can get into the premises), this design is also more difficult to implement.
In the variant of the closed roof, sheaves of material are laid on a continuous covering of wood, which plays the role of an additional waterproofing layer. Installation of such a roof can be carried out much faster.
Installation of a closed reed roof using Dutch technology
As a rule, in the construction of private houses, preference is given to such an option as a closed reed roof. And, most often, it is the Dutch laying technology that is used. Consider how the work of roofers goes.
With this construction technology, sheaves are attached to a solid base with screws. As a material for the construction of the base, sheets of plywood, glued chipboard or fiberboard are used.
At the same time, the base under the roofing material must be even, clean, dry and airtight. If there are elements such as skylights or chimney pipes on the roof, then special attention should be paid to their insulation.
Mounting highlights
- The quality of the material used. In order for a reed roof to meet all quality requirements, it is necessary to carefully select the material. Only stalks of freshwater reed without leaves, which have sufficient flexibility, are allowed to work. Quality material cannot be burned, moldy, or mixed with grass or stems of other plants.
- Compression. In all places where the reed stalks go to the boundaries of the roof base, the material must be compressed. Compression is made towards the outer surface of the roof so that there are no gaps. For compression, wire clamps made of zinc coated steel are used. The first clamping is carried out at a distance of 20 cm from the clamping bar. The second clamp is indented 12 cm from the first. All subsequent clamps are performed at a distance of 28-30 cm from each other.
- Attachment features.Bunches of reeds must be firmly fixed. On the corner beams, the flashing method is used with a thin wire.
- The thickness of the reed layer. Provided that the distance from the clamping bar to the ridge of the roof is less than seven meters at an angle of inclination reed roofs 40 degrees, the thickness of the roof covering must be at least 25 cm at the bottom of the roof, and at least 22 cm at the ridge.
- Coating appearance. A properly installed reed roof should be flat. It should be borne in mind that the reed is a natural material, so the stems may have differences in color and thickness. This can be noticeable on newly installed roofs, however, such differences are not considered a defect and after a certain period of operation of the roof they become almost invisible.
Installation steps
When creating a reed roof, the work can be divided into several stages:
- Temporary fixing of beams using clothespins-clamps;
- Permanent firmware sheaves;
- Reed padding to form a dense structure and final leveling
- Trimming and shaping the roof.
Let's consider these stages in more detail.
Temporary fastening is used so that an even layer of sheaves can be created. As the laying is completed, the temporary clothespins are moved by the clamps, shifting along the rows. As a rule, 20-30 pieces of such clothespins are required for installation.
Advice! Part of the clips should be marked to be used to control the thickness of the laid layer of cane.
Permanent fastening of sheaves can be carried out using different methods. Most often used:
- Wire firmware. This option is good for open roof options. The work is done together.One master is on the surface of the roof, and the second is inside the room.
- Firmware with screws. This method is used for closed roofs, strengthening the sheaves with screws with a wire clamp put on them. To make work faster, screws with wire loops should be prepared in advance.
- Firmware with nails. This option is similar to the previous one. Nails are used, in which one end is bent in the form of a loop, for which the wire is attached.
- Firmware using constrictions. The tie-downs are pieces of wire, bamboo stalks, or similar material by which bundles of reeds can be fixed to the roof.
To form a denser layer of reeds and its alignment, padding is used with a special shovel-bit, which may differ in weight and shape.
So, a heavy spatula is a tool for final alignment, and a more compact model is used in places where the planes are joined.
The last stage is trimming and shaping the roof. It all depends on the preferences of the customer. The roof can be given a very neat look, or you can leave a picturesque "disarrangement".
Advice! Only the uppermost layer of reeds can be left loose, otherwise the roof will not cope with its protective functions.
Conclusion
Reed roofing is an excellent choice for a private house or other buildings. However, the installation of such a roof is a complex matter that requires high professionalism and considerable experience.
Therefore, do-it-yourself reed roofing can only be created if it is planned to build a garden gazebo or similar structure, the roof of which does not have serious requirements.
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