A new British Standard for pitched roof fixing, came into force on 1 March 2015, which will improve the security of Britain’s roofs and ensure they are resistant to increasingly volatile weather, according to Marley.
The roofing and facades manufacturer is also advising that the revisions to BS 5534, the Code of Practice for Slating and Tiling, will inevitably have an impact on the length and cost of roofing programmes.
Steve Bryceson, technical manager from Marley, comments: “The new BS 5534 brings the UK in line with the Eurocode and it is also an important step in ensuring that Britain’s roofs can withstand future extreme weather events. While the roofing industry has had six months to prepare for the changes, architects, house builders and main contractors also need to be aware of the consequential effects of the new Standard, as there will inevitably be additional time and cost incurred as a result of the extra fixings required.”
There are three key changes included in the new Standard:
- Every single lap tile will have to be mechanically fixed with a degree of clipping required on most roofs
- Mortar alone is no longer deemed sufficient on its own to secure tiles and their associated fittings to a roof, so areas including ridges, hips and verges will now require mechanical fixing as well
- BS 5534 also introduces new requirements to secure lightweight underlays and prevent a recent problem of ‘ballooning’, caused by wind deflection, which has been known to place a load on the underside of the roof covering, capable of dislodging it.
Steve Bryceson continues: “We have been working to develop products and services which can be used to reduce the impact of these additional requirements. For example, we know that clipping is the most time consuming of all mechanical fixing methods and is the area that has the potential to increase roof labour time the most. Therefore we have developed SoloFix, an affordable one piece clip and nail made from ZiAl, which not only saves up to 30% on clipping time, but delivers a high strength, high performance solution which can be used for all UK exposures including corrosive marine environments.”
The revised BS 5534 was announced in August but there has been a six month crossover period where the two standards (BS 5534:2003+A.1:2010 and BS 5534:2014) have coexisted. However, from 1 March all new pitched roofing work using tiles, slates and shingles should be specified to the recommendations of the new standard, BS 5534:2014.
Some exceptions may apply to ongoing sites of multiple properties under the control of the NHBC, where contracts have been agreed to the old standard, in which case any outstanding roofs may be completed using BS 5534:2003+A.1:2010 up until 1st July 2015.
