The ever-looming chance of rain in the UK makes it necessary for all outbuildings to have a good roof on top. If you are still parking your car in an open garage, be sure to install a polycarbonate sheet over it before the snow really piles up. Even if all your outbuildings have roofs already, a thorough inspection is highly recommended before the temperature dips further. In fact, that is where we will start in this guide.
Gather Information
You don’t necessarily need to be a DIY enthusiast to inspect the roofing condition of your outbuildings. At this point you are only looking for potential problems such as:
- Structures that have not been roofed yet
- Buildings with partially and/or fully missing roofs
- Roofs that look visibly damaged, misshaped, or bent
- Roofs with leaks and cracks
This is a fairly straightforward and simple checklist, but it’s enough to let homeowners know if their property needs a professional roofer’s attention.
Check the Roofing Construction
Check if all the roofs are properly designed to provide high resistance against local weather conditions. There are several aspects to checking a roof’s construction, mainly the material, the thickness, and the slope among other things. If you notice the need to install new roofs and/or replace old, damaged roofs, go with waterproof polycarbonate sheet roofs. Polycarbonate roofing sheets provide the best protection against bad weather since the sturdy roofing material does not rot, corrode, bend, expand, or contract even under extreme weather conditions.
However, when it comes to deciding on the thickness and the incline necessary, things get a little technical. Those parameters will vary quite a bit depending on how much area needs to be covered, local wind speeds during thunderstorms, and the building’s architecture. Get a professional consultation from the Clear Amber Shop to know more about different types of polycarbonate roofing sheets that are used for outdoor roofing, the appropriate thickness for your new installations, and the price plus installation costs.
Consider Your Options
As already mentioned, the polycarbonate sheet is the most ideal choice for outbuildings in the UK since weather resistance is a priority here. Nevertheless, there are other roofing materials that you can opt for. Each material has its own set of advantages and disadvantages too. To make an informed choice, go through the following as we discuss some of the most popular roofing materials for sheds, carports, garages, barns, stables, etc. next.
Felt
Made from compressed fibres, it is often difficult to determine what a particular set of felt shingles or tiles are made from exactly. It could be natural fibre, artificial fibre, or a blending of both. Irrespective of its origin, felt has a classic sense of aesthetic appeal to it and it’s that beauty which has kept felt roofs popular even today. Compressed felt shingles are also waterproof and quite affordable.
The biggest disadvantage of felt is that it is nowhere as durable or strong as most of the alternative materials that are used for roofing outbuildings. There will be frequent maintenance costs, especially after a season of harsh weather. Felt as a material is also vulnerable to weather damage, which means that the roof will eventually lose its waterproofing. Unless felt roofs are inspected, maintained, and replaced regularly, they will not last long.
The bottom line is that felt roofs may look nice, but they are not the most weather resistant roofing options for outbuildings. Keep your felt shingles reserved for smaller, decorative garden structures because they are not suited for heavy duty weather protection that storage units need.
Polycarbonate
From carports, sheds, and barns to industrial buildings and grain silos, polycarbonate roofing sheets are unmatched in their ability to resist extreme weather conditions. Be it rain, snow, hail, storm, or heat, polycarbonate remains unaffected for a long time. They are one of the lightest roofing materials in use today, which makes it possible for almost anyone with decent DIY experience to install polycarbonate sheet roofing on their own. The lightweight of polycarbonate sheets is a crucial advantage to have, if you need to cover a large outdoor space on your property.
Even stainless steel is less suitable for large areas because there is always a chance that it may buckle under its own superheavy weight, in case it’s stretched too thin and too far. At the same time, polycarbonate roofing sheets cost less than any other material of comparable quality, especially considering the material’s indefinitely long-lasting durability over the decades.
A polycarbonate roof’s susceptibility to high wind speeds can be easily countered by choosing slightly thicker sheets and through the intelligent use of fasteners. The sturdy, durable, waterproof, low maintenance polycarbonate sheet roof has no practical disadvantages, especially considering the cost. However, they do not always make for the most fashionable roofs. Polycarbonate sheets can develop scratches over time, but that has no impact on its structural integrity.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass and polycarbonate sheet share several of the same advantages. They are both waterproof, weatherproof, durable, strong, lightweight, and fire resistant. However, fiberglass is more expensive, and the material is significantly lighter than even plastic sheets. This can be problem if you live in a windy location, but fasteners can help keep the roof from flying away!
On the other hand, fiberglass is a better option for greenhouses and garden structures because it can be used to manufacture completely transparent roofs, without compromising on the integrity. That can be an issue if you plan to store grains, edibles, or anything else that’s light/heat sensitive. Fiberglass can be tinted, but it cannot be made completely impervious to light and heat.
EPDM Rubber Sheet
EPDM rubber sheet roofing is cheap and completely waterproof, so if those two are your only goals, you just cannot go wrong with EPDM rubber roofing sheets. Unfortunately, the list of disadvantages is a bit longer with EPDM sheets. Above all else, the biggest disadvantage of EPDM rubber is the fact that it looks just as cheap as it costs! There are ways to make it look comparatively better, but there really isn’t much to the aesthetic appeal here.
Even if we were to overlook the looks, rubber membranes are one of the flimsiest roofing options out there. This means that bad thunderstorms, hailstorms, and just a few months of rain will poke holes through your outbuilding’s roof in no time. Therefore, they can be best suggested as a short-term solution.
Also, the fact that rubber roofs retain too much heat makes it a bad choice for roofing some outdoor buildings, especially buildings with animals in them (barns, coups, and stables). Sometimes, EPDM layers are used in conjunction with other materials to make it a more durable choice, but that also boosts the total expense.
Now you know what to look for while inspecting old roofs, and what to expect from the different materials. Selecting the right roofing for your outdoor space should feel a little bit easier than before. You can look at asphalt, concrete, metal, and even wood of course, but they do not usually make for the most weather resistant roofs unfortunately. Metal corrodes, wood tends to rot, and asphalt/concrete roofing is too permanent as a roofing solution for outdoor buildings.
