Roof construction: construction technology, instructions on how to do it yourself, video and photos

It looks like a simple gable roof that you can build yourself

How to carry out the construction of the roof of the house, while not having any skills? My experience has shown that this is quite possible. Below I will tell you in detail how to do this and describe all the stages of building a roof, and step-by-step instructions will clearly confirm my words.

Content

What can be built

Before you start building a roof with your own hands, you need to choose a design that will match the configuration, dimensions and appearance of the house.

Illustration	pitched roof type
	shed roof - the simplest type of roofing systems, since there is only one slope and one vertical support.
	gable roofs - the most common solution for country houses. There are symmetrical roofs, where both slopes are the same, and there are asymmetrical roofs, where one slope is shorter.
	Hip and semi-hip roofs. This is another type of pitched roof, but without gables. Instead of gables, smaller slopes are used here.
	hipped roofs. In these systems, three or more slopes are arranged, which converge at one point in the upper part.
	Mansard (broken or gable) roofs - gable roofs, in which the rafters have a hall at half or a third of the length.

Roof design

The construction of the roof and rafters begins with the design. The main task is to develop the appearance of the roof and calculate the dimensions of the structure, taking into account various loads.

The scheme that we will use to build a roof with two simple inclined slopes, and therefore it will not be difficult to cope with their construction

To design the roofing system, special software is used: Google Sketch UP, AutoCAD, etc. If the roof is simple, calculations can be performed without special programs, taking into account the minimum and maximum angle of inclination of the slope, the area of the slope, the wind load and the load of precipitation.

Illustration	Recommendations for the design of the truss system
	We take into account the ratio between the dimensions of the rafters and the distance between them. Long rafter legs with a small cross section will sag under snow load. Excessive thickness with a small length is an overrun of materials and an increase in the load on the load-bearing walls.
	With a ceiling beam length of 6 meters or more, we must provide struts. Their task is to prevent the deflection of the rafters in the middle part.
	Choosing the right angle of inclination of the roof. There is a universal rule: In open areas - in the steppe or near large bodies of water, the wind load is high, and therefore the optimal slope angle is 30 °. In hilly or mountainous areas, where the wind load is less, we make an inclination angle of 45 °.
	Roof and snow load. It is not advisable to deal with snow load by increasing the slope of the slope. An increase in the slope of the slope leads to an increase in the wind load. To increase the resistance of the roof to snow load, it is better to provide additional struts and limit yourself to the choice of roofing material with a smooth surface.

Procurement of materials

Illustration	What will be required
	Lumber. To assemble the truss system you will need: Beam 50 × 150 mm (for Mauerlat and lying down); Board 25 × 100 mm (for rafter legs, puffs, and battens); Bar 50 × 25 mm (for the counter-lattice).
	Mounting hardware. To fasten the elements of the truss system, metal plates with perforation are needed. On sale there are straight and right angle molded plates.
	Threaded studs with nuts and washers, construction nails, self-tapping screws and anchor bolts. The listed hardware is needed for fastening the truss system and load-bearing walls of the house, as well as for assembling the structural elements of the system into one.
	Steam and waterproofing. On a thermally insulated roof, there is a high probability of condensation from the roofing material.Therefore, in the interval between the roofing material and the insulation, a film necessarily spreads.
	thermal insulation. Insulation is used in both warm and cold roofs. In warm structures, it is laid between the rafters, and in a cold roof it is lined on the ceiling.
	Roofing materials. You can buy soft and hard roofing materials. An example of a hard roof covering is metal and asbestos-cement slate, metal or ceramic tiles, etc. Soft roofing materials are rolled coverings and shingles.
	Additional elements. These elements are selected in accordance with the type of roofing material used. Additional elements include cornice and ridge trims, trims for finishing the valley, etc.

Recommendations for the harvesting and storage of lumber

Illustrations	Recommendations
	Boards and beams must be dry. To do this, we keep the lumber before construction in a ventilated room or under a canopy. Proper storage ensures air circulation and the wood dries out.
	Boards and bars must be level. We stack lumber for storage in piles so that the boards do not sag under their weight. Lumber needs to be sorted out and sorted out - crooked boards and beams.
	We disinfect lumber. Wood must be pre-treated with antiseptic compounds. To do this, you can use industrial impregnations or used engine oil.

Rafter Assembly

Illustration	Description of actions
	Mauerlat installation. Rolled waterproofing is lined along the two side outer walls of the house. On top of the waterproofing, a beam or, in our case, a thick board is attached to a 12 mm anchor. The instruction allows the installation of the Mauerlat only on a flat surface of the walls.
	Installation of the bed. In fact, this is also the installation of a Mauerlat, but not on the outer, but on the intermediate wall. The technology is the same - we level and waterproof the surface, lay the board and fix it with anchor bolts. Fixing anchors should be located no further than 60 cm from each other. In this case, the anchors should not fall into the masonry seam. .
	The erection of gables. Gables can be assembled from wood at the end of the assembly of the truss system, but in our case it was easier to bring the gables to the level of the rafters from the foam block. The pediments were laid out before the rafters were assembled, since then the rafters would interfere with the masonry work.
	Installation of racks with a run. On both edges of the bed, one vertical rack is installed. A board is laid on top of two racks and fixed with self-tapping screws. In the interval with a step of 1 m, intermediate vertical racks are installed. All structural elements are fixed with self-tapping screws through the mounting plates.
	Rafter preparation. We raise the rafters one by one to the roof and apply one end to the run, and the other to the Mauerlat. We make markings for cutouts. We make cutouts so that the board with one cutout stands on the run, and the other on the Mauerlat.
	We cut the alignment of the rafters on the run. To do this, we combine the rafters so that they find each other. We draw the center line and cut the rafters along the center line. Then we connect the prepared rafters along the cut line.
	We fasten the rafters. Using metal perforated plates and corners, we connect the rafters at the bottom and at the top.
	Installing the rest of the rafters. A cord is pulled between the already installed extreme rafters in the upper and lower parts. Intermediate rafters are exposed and fastened along the cord as a guide.
	Aligning the top of the pediment. Since masonry was made along the pediment, we cut off the protruding parts of the masonry. According to the shape of the remaining recesses from the blocks, we saw additional elements and lay them on the mortar.
	Installing puffs. We measure half the height of the extreme racks. According to the mark made, we fix the board, the edges of which will slightly protrude beyond the edges of the rafters. We level the board and fasten the edges to the rafters. Cut off the excess board along the edge. We install the same puffs on the intermediate rafters.
	Setting short puffs. In the upper part of the roof trusses we fasten short puffs. As a result, the rafters will be rigidly fixed in the upper, middle and lower parts and this will provide the required rigidity.

Roofing pie device

Illustration	Description of actions
	We cut the rafters under the drip. As shown in the photo, the edges of the rafters are trimmed so that the vertical end is completely vertical, and the bottom edge is horizontal. Since marking and pruning need to be done at a height, you will have to assemble sustainable scaffolding in advance .
	Installing a drip. A drip is a metal bar bent in half along which water will flow into the gutter. The dropper is laid out along the edge of the overhang and nailed with roofing nails. Neighboring planks are combined in length with an overlap of 10 cm.
	Laying a vapor-permeable membrane. A K1 rubber tape and a strip of good double-sided tape are glued along the upper edge of the dropper. A strip of membrane is spread across the installed rafters.
	We install the counter-lattice. On the lined membrane on top of the rafters, we fasten a bar 50 mm high. As a result, the membrane strip in the span between the rafters must be stretched.
	We install the crate. On top of the counter-lattice, as shown in the photo, boards are stuffed in increments of 20-30 cm.
	We waterproof the skate. After the counter-lattice with the crate has reached the ridge, we spread a strip of membrane along the ridge line and poke it about 20-30 cm under the counter-batten and screw in the screws.
	Trimming and strengthening the end of the slope. At the end of the roof overhang, all rafters are cut to the same size. At the end of the overhang, as shown in the photo, a board is attached to the edges of the rafters with self-tapping screws.
	Roofing installation. Sheets of corrugated board are alternately raised to the rafter system and fastened with special roofing screws with press washers. The construction of the roof is completed by the installation of additional elements, such as a cornice strip and a ridge.

In conclusion

Now you know how the construction of roofs is carried out. Compliance with simple rules allows you to build a gable roof no worse than specialists do, and the price will be significantly lower. I recommend watching the video in this article, and if you have any questions, ask in the comments.

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