The final stage of building a house is the arrangement of the roof. Whatever it is according to the project, the planes of the slopes intersect at the top, which must be isolated from snow and rain. The ridge of a roof is a straight line formed by two of its surfaces at their intersection. It is technically difficult to make it, but it is possible.
Pre-calculations and construction
First you need to calculate what will be the height of the roof ridge. The easiest way to make this calculation is for a gable triangular roof using the Pythagorean theorem. We know the hypotenuse (rafter leg, c), one of the legs (half the width of the house, b). Then everything is simple: a²=c² - b².
In other cases, everything is much more complicated, but the 7th grade geometry textbook will solve our problems. When determining the length of the rafter leg, you need to remember that the angle of inclination of the roof relative to the base should be within 35º-60º. Too flat in winter will accumulate a lot of snow on itself, and it does not look very aesthetically pleasing. The high roof is difficult to install, it will take an unreasonably lot of material, it also does not look the best.
To fix the final part of the roof, a wooden beam is attached to the roof ridge. In the literature, it is often called the "skate run". The ridge of the roof is nailed or attached to it with self-tapping screws.
If the roof is made of tiles, finishing elements are sold along with it in hardware stores. Everything is assembled in the same way as the Lego constructor. A purlin holder is attached to the intersection of the roof slopes with self-tapping screws. It is shaped like an anchor plate bent at an angle of 45º, at the top of the corner there is an inverted letter P.
After laying the timber in the groove of the holder, a ventilation tape is applied from above. Ridge tile elements are inserted into the grooves and additionally fixed with brackets. From the side of the facade, decorative plugs are installed. If the eaves consist of roofing or galvanized sheet, the roof ridge is made from a strip bent at a right angle. It is recommended to provide self-tapping screws or nails with which it is attached with a rubber gasket so that moisture does not get into the breakdown site. On each side, the final element should have an overlap of 100-150 mm so that water does not seep in.
Note
It should be remembered that the ridge of the roof of the house should not completely hermetically close the roof. Air entering from below through the eaves and the ventilation gap under the outer layer is discharged into a small space between the material and the ridge. This ensures ventilation. This is especially important for houses with an attic. In summer, the ventilated layer does notthe room to overheat, in winter it serves as an additional heat-insulating layer. Moreover, with insufficient ventilation, the insulation under the influence of condensate will get wet and decompose.
If the surface is smooth (soft roof), a plastic roof ridge called an "aerator" is used. Such an element is produced for flexible tiles. It has a small height, perforated walls. At the intersection of the slopes, a ventilation slot is made in the roof, covered with a plastic aerator from above. After fixing the part, it is covered with soft roofing plates.
