Choosing a Roof Shape for an Attic Construction ∼ Expert Advice

When choosing a roof type, you must be guided by the criteria that will be most important in a particular case. The main ones are:

1. Climatic features. If there are special climatic conditions in the construction region, then they must be taken into account; for example, with heavy snow loads, it is recommended to make the roof slope angle as large as possible, and with strong winds, on the contrary, it should be minimal.
2. The appearance of the roof and the internal space being formed also play a big role when choosing a roof, since the architecture should not only be functional, but also aesthetically attractive.
3. Construction material. If for one reason or another we become attached to a specific construction material, then we must take into account its structural and operational properties.
4. The construction budget also affects the size and configuration of the roof, as they entail the cost of labor and materials.
5. The dimensions of the space to be covered determine the type of roof truss system.

TYPES OF ATTIC ROOFS

1. Shed roofing is the easiest roof to build, it is a fairly budget option, but not a very common option for the attic. The ramp is placed on the windy side. The tilt angle is usually 35-45 degrees for optimal precipitation removal.
2. Gable (gable) flat - has a convenient shape for the location of the attic, but implies the presence of attic walls, which usually have a minimum height of 1-1.2 m. It is not the best option for climates with a lot of snow.
3. Gable steep is a fairly convenient common option that allows you to save on attic walls.
4. A gable sloping roof is the most common option for a mansard roof due to its convenient internal space and ease of construction.
5. Hip roof is a common and attractive type of roof, but not very convenient for placing an attic due to the presence of four slopes. It also implies the mandatory presence of skylights in the roof.
6. Multi-slope (multi-gable) - is arranged with a complex house plan, implies the presence of valleys (internal corners formed at the junction of two slopes), which requires increased requirements for the characteristics of the roofing covering.

It is better to include an attic room in the house design in advance, although often an existing attic is equipped for it to increase living space. Most often, a bedroom, recreation room, workshop or children's room is placed in the attic.

Video description

In the video you can see an attic under a hip roof:
Half-hipped roofs, of course, look more presentable than all the others. There is room for experimentation in these designs. For example, organize a small balcony as a relaxation area. Or make an open terrace. There are many options, the main thing is to correctly formulate your plan in terms of aesthetic appearance, plus the functionality of the additional part. That is, the balcony should not be just an element of architecture. It should become a full-fledged exploited zone.

Semi-malm mansard roof with balcony Source roomester.ru

Multi-forceps

It is probably difficult to say about the popularity of this type of roofing structure. The roof itself is difficult to construct. It requires a large amount of building materials, and the waste is significant. Especially roofing. But this roof has one big advantage - with its tongs it divides the room into several zones that can be organized for different purposes. And although this is also easy to do with other roofs, multi-gable roofing is easier in this regard.

It should be added that each zone will have its own opening in the form of a door or window. This means there will be no need to install skylights, which are expensive.

Multi-gable roof of a private house with an attic Source remontik.org

Tent

This is another hip roof with an attic. It consists of four identical slopes with the shape of an isosceles triangle. These types of roofs are rare. It's all about the complexity of organizing the space underneath. On all sides, slopes form zones near the ceiling that are practically impossible to use. That is, there is little usable area under such a roof.

But, as practice shows, if it is possible to use the under-roof space for living space, then even under a hip roof it will be organized. After all, the main thing is to insulate the roof structure and create living conditions. One of them is natural light. The photo below shows just such an attic. Notice how well the balcony fits into the architecture of the house, which mainly serves as a window opening.

Hip roof over the attic Source blues-dev.ru

HOW TO BUILD AN ATTIC ROOF - STEPS

• Construction of attic walls (if any), which are a continuation of the external walls and are 0.8-1.5 m in height (optimal height 1.2 m).
• Construction of an attic frame (wooden, metal), which includes a mauerlat, bed, rafter legs, purlin, ridge, rafter legs, racks, screeds, sheathing.
• Waterproofing – a water barrier film is attached to the sheathing.
• Roof insulation . Since the space under the roof is residential, you cannot save on roof insulation, since the roof is exposed to strong weather conditions all year round.

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The insulation is laid on the inside end-to-end between the rafters. Usually basalt wool, ecowool (cellulose), polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, glass wool are used. The thickness of the insulation is 150-200 mm, depending on its thermal characteristics, climate and choice of roofing material.

• Laying a vapor barrier film that protects the insulation from air vapors that can penetrate from the attic into the roof and thereby reduce the thermal insulation properties of the insulation.
• Installation of roof windows . When determining the number of windows, it is necessary to be guided by standards for lighting of residential premises. The width of the windows is usually set 4-6 cm less than the pitch of the rafters for ease of installation; when installing wider windows, it is necessary to make a reinforced beam above them.
• Laying roofing material . When choosing a roofing material, it is important to formulate several criteria that will be most important in a particular case.

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The first is the weight of the material; heavy roofing requires a powerful rafter system. This type of coating includes: ceramic and cement-sand tiles, slate tiles. Light materials include: corrugated sheets, metal tiles, ondulin, soft bitumen tiles, composite tiles, seam roofing. For an attic, an important criterion is the noise level of the roofing material and its ability to heat up. Natural selection criteria are durability, fire safety, environmental friendliness, aesthetic and price aspects.

• Interior decoration of the attic . As interior finishing materials, you can use any of the materials used in the house - wallpaper, plaster, paint, wood paneling.

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Useful tips

When choosing an attic design, you should take into account the layout of the house as a whole and the efficiency of using individual rooms and spaces. When erecting an attic roof, it is recommended to follow one simple rule - its boundaries should not extend beyond the walls of the house located below.

Before you decide how you will use the premises and rooms located under the roof, you need to carefully calculate the costs of constructing the attic and its engineering support. And from this, make a decision on the purpose of the attic space.

And the most important point is that when building a roof, it is extremely important to provide it with high-quality hydro- and thermal insulation. They will provide complete protection from leaks and other negative environmental influences.

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RAFTER SYSTEM OF ATTIC ROOF: DRAWINGS

Depending on the shape and size of the roof, the rafter system of the attic floor can be simple or more complicated. Important factors are the length of the span to be covered, the angle of inclination of the roof, snow and wind loads and the mass of the roofing material, cross-sections of structural elements, and the distance between the rafters.

Small-width rooms are covered with roofs that are simple in design. The simplest roof is a pitched roof. The rafters are laid on a mauerlat located on the load-bearing walls. The angle of inclination can be any. Depending on the width of the span, with increasing span width the design becomes more complicated with additional supports.

The procedure for constructing an attic

In any construction, the most important stage is the development of the project. The attic is no exception. It is necessary to make accurate calculations to ensure the structure has adequate strength and a long service life. When creating an attic on a frame house, the structures of the rafter system are assembled on the ground, then raised and secured to the mauerlat or ridge beam.

When creating an attic, the following order is observed:

• laying a Mauerlat that will distribute the load;
• installation of beam elements;
• installation of racks;
• screeding racks with purlins;
• fastening of crossbars;
• installation of slope rafters, creation of a ridge;
• gable trim;
• creation of sheathing, overhangs, cornices, ebbs;
• strips of vapor barrier material are laid overlapping on the frame, the joints are taped;
• formation of counter-lattice;
• waterproofing material is fixed to the rafters using timber and nails;
• sheets of mineral wool (another insulation material) are laid between the rafters;
• The waterproofing material is laid with an overlap and fixed to the rafters with bars;
• the surface is leveled with OSB boards or other materials;
• roofing materials are installed.

Upon completion of the roofing work, window systems and balcony doors, if any, are installed. After this, you can begin interior finishing.

GIBLE MANARD ROOF CONSTRUCTION

The gable roof is the most popular for arranging an attic, because it is quite convenient in functionality, inexpensive and popular in modern architecture. Rafter systems for gable roofs are of hanging and sloping types.

Hanging type rafter system. In this scheme, the rafters rest on load-bearing walls on one side and are connected to opposite rafters on the other. To ensure rigidity, the rafters are fastened with a bottom tie or a crossbar from above, or a tie and a crossbar at the same time (for a larger span).

Method I

The structural elements are assembled on the ground, and the finished structure is lifted up. The procedure is as follows:

1. The gables are exposed and secured. They can be temporarily fixed with a long beam nailed to the wall.
2. Parts of the structure are mounted into pre-made niches in the Mauerlat. The vertical position is constantly monitored; the elements are temporarily secured using timber.
3. The vertically installed elements are connected by horizontal ribs, after which they make the roof, insulate the attic roof, etc.

ATTIC ROOF: CONSTRUCTION

The main structural elements of a gable mansard roof structure are:

• Mauerlat is a beam with a cross-section of 10×10 or 15×15 cm, which is placed on the longitudinal walls and secured with anchors. The rafters rest on the Mauerlat to uniformly transfer the load from the roof to the load-bearing walls.
• Rafter leg - The main structural element of the roof with a section of 15 × 10 (5) cm. The installation pitch of the rafters depends mainly on the size of the roofing material and insulation and usually ranges from 0.6 to 1.2 m. The standard length is 6 m, with a larger span the rafter the leg is grown to the required length.
• The tie is an important structural element in a hanging structural design. The tightening can be lower or upper; it works to fasten the rafter legs, giving them rigidity.
• The bench is the so-called Mauerlat, which is placed on the internal load-bearing wall in order to uniformly transfer the load from the roof to the wall.
• Struts are a structural element installed between the rafter legs and load-bearing supports.
• Sheathing is a system of boards onto which the roofing material is attached. The bars are laid perpendicular to the rafters and have different sections, depending on the roofing material - 3x10cm, 5x15cm, etc.
• The roof ridge is a horizontal element at the very top of the roof, formed by the connection of the rafter legs.
• Roof overhang is the lower element of the roof protruding from the wall, protecting the walls from rain. It is formed by the rafter legs, but if the length of the rafter legs is not enough, then additional elements are mounted - fillies.

Construction requirements

Any construction begins with the preparation of a project, which takes into account all the requirements of existing regulatory documents. The attic is no exception. When planning it, you should adhere to the provisions specified in SNiP 2.08.01-89, SNiP 21-01-97, SNiP 23-05-95, namely:

• it is necessary to maintain the minimum ceiling height at different slopes;
• take into account the provisions for the distribution of living space, the established minimum values ​​for the area of ​​rooms;
• arrangement of a flight of stairs;
• strict compliance with fire safety standards and regulations;
• ensuring natural light in the room;
• safe wiring of all communications connecting the attic space with the rest of the house;
• compliance with safety regulations when carrying out work.

When designing a new house, it is easy to take into account all the standards, but when renovating an existing residential structure, it is not always possible to create an under-roof space. This cannot be done if the foundation is not strong enough and cannot withstand additional loads, and also if for some reason it is not possible to make the ceiling height at the highest point at least 2.5 m.

CALCULATION OF AN ANTIC ROOF

The calculation of the attic includes the calculation of the room area, the calculation of the roof parameters, the calculation of the thermal insulation of the walls and roof, and the calculation of the total load of the attic on the building.

The area of ​​the attic depends, of course, on the area of ​​the house and on the shape of the roof, since the attic floor has a usable area and blind areas. According to the attic design standards, when determining the area of ​​the attic floor, its area in places with a height to the roof of 1.5 m with a roof slope of 30 is taken into account, 1.1 m - for 45 and 0.5 m - for 60 or more. For intermediate values, the height is determined by interpolation.

The area of ​​areas with a lower height is taken into account in the total area with a coefficient of 0.7, while the minimum wall height should be 1.2 m for a ceiling slope of 30, 0.8 m for 45-60, and not limited for 60 or more. As a rule, blind areas are used to place storage cabinets and built-in wardrobes.

Broken roof

This is one of the types of roofs with two slopes, with the difference that each slope consists of two parts.

This structural subtlety allows you to change the slope of the slope, due to which, accordingly, the height of the wall increases. Obviously, with a broken roof shape, the area of ​​the rooms increases, and the under-roof spaces can be used more rationally.

When deciding to build a broken roof, you must be prepared for the fact that you will also have to build a rather complex rafter system. However, there is also a positive aspect. The load from snow in winter on this type of roof will be much less, since the snow will slide off quite quickly.

Calculation of a Mansard Gable Roof

Calculation of roof parameters includes the following indicators: height of the roof ridge, height of the attic walls, height of the room at all its points, calculation of the roof pie structure, calculation of the dimensions of all structural elements - rafters, beams, crossbars, etc., total weight and area roofs.

Calculation of the total load on the building is the total weight of the attic, including permanent and temporary loads. Constants include the weight of the structure, roofing material, insulating and finishing materials, windows and doors, the weight of furniture and equipment. Temporary loads include: snow and wind loads, loads from people and animals. There are also special loads - seismic, explosive, and from base deformation.

Features of the interior decoration of the attic

If the roofing pie is made with high quality, all the necessary layers are laid correctly, any materials can be used in the interior decoration. The premises will maintain optimal temperature and humidity. Wooden materials are often used in the design of the attic; one of the most common options is lining. You can cover the walls and ceiling with plasterboard, and use wallpaper for decoration.

In uninsulated attic spaces, only materials that are resistant to moisture and temperature changes can be used. You can choose high-quality wood imitations:

• eco-veneer;
• imitation timber;
• block house;
• laminated chipboard, etc.

Classic attic wood trim

Plastic boards, vinyl wallpaper, etc. can be an excellent option for finishing. The choice depends on the purpose of the room and the design style.

The specificity of the attic is not only the slopes. This room has beams and racks. When decorating the interior, you can successfully disguise them or successfully play with these elements. For example, for the loft style their presence is an additional advantage; it allows you to more clearly reflect the features of the style. Beams are often painted in a contrasting color and used as a basis for installing spotlights, etc. There are many photos of houses with a mansard roof on the Internet, and it’s not difficult to find an interesting option.

Wooden beams will reflect the features of the loft style

Equipping the attic significantly increases the comfort of the home. It is worth using this opportunity for those wishing to create a cozy country home.