It would seem that it could be easier than dismantling the old roof? It has long been known that to break is not to build. This is probably why in many sources you can find information on how to cover the roof, what materials to choose, how best to equip it, but there are practically no articles on how to properly disassemble the roof of a house.
When dismantling is necessary
The process of removing a roof covering that has become unusable, as well as replacing the frame, is quite complicated and is carried out in the following cases:
- Major repairs of the roof. There is nothing eternal, and no matter how well the roof is made, over time everything becomes unusable.
- Demolition of the building. It is not always possible to use heavy equipment. Sometimes you have to take apart the roof manually. This work is quite traumatic and requires appropriate skills - this explains the high cost of dismantling.
Depending on the purpose, two methods of dismantling the roof are used:
- Full. In this case, alternately, usually withusing equipment (cranes), the roofing is removed, then the roof itself and ceilings are removed. This method is most often used when dismantling concrete structures.
- Custom. With this method, part of the old roof frame is preserved, and the replacement is made through window openings. In this case, all work is carried out manually, the technique is used only as a vehicle (lifts).
The roof can be flat and pitched, and depending on this, the dismantling method is selected.
Dismantling the flat roof
Most often, a flat roof has a soft roll coating. It is quite difficult to repair such a roof due to the fact that under the influence of sunlight in summer and frost in winter it seizes a monolith, which is almost impossible to separate from the base of the roof.
There are several options for how to disassemble such a roof:
- Using a wall chaser - a special tool that can be used to cut the old coating into strips to make it easier to remove. This method of dismantling a soft roof is used in cases where the thickness of the coating does not exceed three centimeters.
- Using a roofing ax (long handle). It is used in cases where it is necessary to remove a thick layer of the old coating, or it is not possible to use more complex and expensive mechanisms and devices.
This method of dismantling is possible only in dry, warm weather, since at temperatures above 20 degrees, the bitumen included incomposition of such coatings. It is clear that such work is carried out only manually and requires a lot of time and effort.
If there is such an opportunity, and we are talking about a major overhaul of the roof, then they try to lay a new coating on top of the old one, which makes it possible to somewhat reduce the cost of dismantling. In cases where this is still impossible, the following rules for dismantling a flat roof are observed:
- When cutting strips and then removing them, move from the center of the roof to the edge. Stripes should also be removed while facing the edge of the roof.
- If possible, use safety belts or install temporary fences around the perimeter of the roof.
- If the roll coating is laid on a wooden formwork and secured with wooden slats, then you must first free the entire roof area from these rails and only then roll up the roll coating.
- At the end of dismantling, the waterproofing and insulation layer, which is usually broken during disassembly, should be restored.
Pitched roof removal
Buildings with this roofing option usually have a fairly good lifespan, and dismantling is required only for partial replacement of roofing materials or in the case of adding an additional floor or building extension.
The dismantling of the roof with a slope is carried out in the following order:
- Remove outdoor equipment - antenna, chimney, etc.
- Additionalelements - skates, planks, cornices, etc.
- The old roofing material is removed (work is carried out from the ridge).
- The layer of hydro- and thermal insulation is being removed.
- Rafters and support bars being dismantled.
When dismantling the roof frame, make sure that the remains of the old roof do not protrude anywhere from the walls. Such a roof is dismantled sequentially, layer by layer, to prevent the collapse of part of the frame. It is also worth enclosing the building so as not to injure bystanders from debris falling from the roof.
Steel roof removal
When dismantling such roofs, the coating is first removed near protruding structures - pipes, fire barriers; then - near the dormers and manholes. After that, the ordinary coating, valley, external overhangs, etc. are removed in turn.
Steel is removed with a roofing hammer and chisel, in some cases the sheets are pre-cut with roofing scissors. In cases where the dimensions of the sheets are small, they are picked up with a hammer-screwdriver or crowbar and turned over to the neighboring ones. Then they are lowered down in separate sheets.
If there is a parapet grate on the roof, then the roof is dismantled before the place of its installation, and after the grating is dismantled, the remains of the roofing material and hinged elements are removed from the attic floor.
Removing the rafters
First, all bolts, nails and twists are removed, after which the cuts are disassembled. Dismantle the inclined rafters in such a way as not to cause the collapse of the remaining partdesigns. To do this, one by one remove the free-lying element, sling it and lower it down.
The parsing order is as follows:
- struts;
- rafter legs;
- upper support bar;
- racks;
- lower support bar;
- Mauerlats.
Conclusion
For the production of such work, they usually try to hire unskilled labor, but due to the high risk of injury and the need to work at high altitude, it is still better not to save on dismantling the roof and hire professionals.
