A workshop roof rebuilt from the rafters up

Why a workshop roof needs to breathe

People put more care into a house roof than an outbuilding, and then wonder why the outbuilding is the one that rots. A workshop picks up damp from the ground and from whatever is stored in it, and the old bitumen felts trap all of that against the timber. A breathable membrane lets it out, which is the difference between a frame that lasts and one that goes soft in ten years.

How the roof was built up

Rafters first, then the membrane laid across and lapped down the slope so water runs over each join rather than into it. Treated battens on top, set out so the tile courses work up the roof evenly. Then the clay tiles.

Same build up, whatever the building

This is a workshop, but it is the same sequence we use on a house: sound timber, a membrane that breathes, battens set to the right gauge, then the covering. Do those four in order and the roof looks after itself.

The photographs here were taken while the roof was being built up, before the clay tiles went on.

We re-roof outbuildings, garages and workshops as well as houses. See new roofs and re-roofing or get a free quote.