Code of practice BS5534 spells changes for roofers

News
Picture of roofer on roof

A new code of practice that details design standards, performance and installation of pitched roofs and vertical cladding using slates, tiles, shingles and shakes, as well as their associated components, has been published.

You have until February 2015 to start following the new standards outlined in the new BS5534 Code of Practice: Slating and tiling for pitched roofs and vertical cladding, which was published in August 2014 by the British Standards Institution.

Key changes that will affect you are

  • Mortar alone cannot be used to fix ridges and hips. So, even if mortar is used, the ridges and hips must also be mechanically fixed
  • Fixing requirements for roof tiles have been increased. All single-lapped tiles on a roof will now have to be mechanically fixed and perimeter tiles must now have a minimum of two fixings
  • There will now be a single test for the measurement of the wind uplift resistance of underlays, which all testing bodies will have to comply with.

Ridges and hips - In future you are likely to be asked by building control bodies how you intend to meet these new requirements. Although you do not have to use dry fix systems, you will have to demonstrate how you can effectively fix ridge tiles when using mortar.

Fixing of roof tiles – This needs great care as there are a number of proprietary systems available, but beware as many of them are specific to particular makes of tiles. It will be up to you to demonstrate you have the correct fixings and numbers for the type of tiles you intend to use.

Roofing underlays – They are prone to stretching and ‘ballooning’ under wind load. This can cause the tiles to have greater wind loads applied to them than their design permits. The new standard for underlays will test against this issue. So be sure it has been tested to the new standard and clearly identified as being suitable for the site location and batten gauge in question.

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) is running a series of training courses to help you understand the implications of these changes. Contact Drew Beattie at NFRC for more information.

Comments

Loose ridge tiles

Submitted 4 years 10 months ago

I am in the process of renting a house from the council and I have pointed out to them that the ridge tiles are loose and require rework / repointing. Could you assist me in pointing me in the direction of what the regulations require and if I can refuse to sign the rental agreement until the work is carried out. I have also pointed out the morter at the edge of the roof is also breaking away and light can be seen from inside the loft, are there any rules regarding correct requirements reference to weather and bird / bat ingress.

Regards,

John Urwin

Reply to: Loose ridge tiles

Submitted 4 years 10 months ago

Hi John, thanks for your comment.

Sorry, but building regulations do not cover ongoing maintenance to properties. Therefore we are unable to help in this matter. We suggest contacting an organisation such as 'Citizens Advice' who may be able to recommend a suitable advice service for rental agreements.

Regards,

Barry, LABC

Ridge Tiles fixings

Submitted 4 years 5 months ago

I bought a new house in September 2017 since the purchase the builder has not honoured the two year builders guarantee and the 10 year buildings warrantee has gone bust. This has left me with no guarantee on my property. Last winter during strong winds the hip ridge tile blew off breaking several other roof tiles on the way down and narrowly missing my glass patio roof. The whole of the top row of tiles was also lifting in a Mexican wave and some breaking on impact. I called out an emergency roofer who did a temporariy fix to prevent further damage and time to contact my home insurance to cover the damage. A roof inspector came out and informed me this was down to builders negligence as the ridge tiles should have been second fixed and were not and the top row of tiles should have been screwed and double fixed, so they refused my claim.
How can the building regulations state that this is the way that the roof should have been built and obviously pass the building when it had clearly not been done in the correct way??? Who do I need to report this too so that the builder is held to count?

Ridge Tiles fixings

Submitted 4 years 5 months ago

Hi there, thanks for sharing your experience.

This is more of a legal issue than a building control one so I would suggest you speak to a solicitor to discuss the best way to proceed. Building control bodies, whether private or local authority, aren't clerk of works and aren't on site each day during a build and consequently can't inspect every aspect of a build. The actual responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations remains the responsibility of the person carrying out the works/homeowner. In this particular instance it would appear that the builder was at fault and, if liability does exist, it would rest with their company. As the defects became apparent within the first two years the responsibility for rectifying them would still have been theirs even if your warranty provider had not gone out of business.

Regards,

Ceri, LABC

Dry Verge

Submitted 4 years 1 month ago

Our house is 2 years 1 month old. We had a piece of dry verge come off only 4 weeks after our home builders warranty ran out. After the roofers inspection it turns out none of the dry verges have been installed at all, they are just resting on top of the masonry so you can just pull them off quite easily, they are not clout nailed or attached through tiles as per the manufacturers instructions, all our neighbours seemed to be fitted correctly though. Our Building control body is looking unlikely to help (as its not part of the roof directly responsible for water ingress) and we are unsure what to do. I think it must be against Building Regulations but am not 100% and not sure if that even matters. Its going to cost £4000 to fix in the way it was supposed to be originally, you need to take off some of the slates to fix it and its a tall house so requires scaffolding) Should we proceed legally against the home builder? Seems all a bit crazy on a 2 year old roof.

In reply to by Tim (not verified)

Reply to dry verge

Submitted 4 years ago

Hi there,

Thank you for your query, we're sorry you're experiencing issues with your roof. We would suggest you contact trading standards as this is an issue with the quality of the work carried out by the home builder. Please see https://www.nationaltradingstandards.uk/contact/

Kind regards

LABC

Orange horizontal spars

Submitted 3 years 9 months ago

I'm not a builder, but my understanding of the regs is that the horizontal spars to which tiles are fixed are supposed to be preserved and dyed orange, so that they can be viewed from the ground by compliance officers. Is it ok to use what appear to be plain wood?

Reply

Submitted 3 years 9 months ago

Hello there - thanks for leaving your comment.

I assume you're referring to timber battening associated with a slated or tiled roof. I'm not aware of a requirement for ‘colour coding’ of these battens, and certainly not to facilitate inspection. BS 5534: 2014 recommends that battens be indelibly marked with the supplier's name, origin (British or imported) and graded to BS 5534. This is however a recommendation not a statutory requirement.

Kind regards
Barry, LABC

Tile guards

Submitted 3 years ago

Hi LABC. Are tile guards a requirement under building control for new builds/conversions? A neighbour has converted a barn, part of which overhangs our drive. The conversion is 2 years old and has a tiled roof. We park cars alongside the building, and recently a tile came off and damaged one of our cars, we are now worried the next time it might injure someone. We have asked the owner to install a tile guard but he says he doesnt have to, so wondered if it was a requirement or just a recommendation? Thanks, Sally

In reply to by Sally Cullimore (not verified)

Tile Guards

Submitted 1 month 2 weeks ago

Our house was built 8 years ago and the tiles keep falling off the roof. One side of the roof overhangs the neighbours garden and this year a tile flew off and smashed their garden table. It is so dangerous as it could have injured or killed someone there. I am trying to put together a claim against the NHBC builders but I would be grateful for your advice. Many thanks Elizabeth

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