Hello everyone,
I have a question for those of you with experience. We are currently in the planning phase of our house and working with an architect. We are building a one-and-a-half-story gable roof house using solid wood construction. Our wish was to have the façade material and the roofing material be the same. Originally, we planned to use standing seam metal roofing for the roof and a similar seam cladding for the façade, but I keep coming across houses like these, where the roof continues the wooden cladding of the façade—which I personally find much more attractive:
xxx.archdaily.com/104506/volgadacha-house-buro-bernaskon
xxx.archdaily.com/124290/8-blacks-nrja
xxx.alleideen.com/architektur/09/tolle-dacher.html
All roofers and other tradespeople, especially advocates of traditional solid construction methods, immediately react with disbelief—“Wood on the roof? Never!! The moisture problems!” But what I wonder is: why are there so many houses that use wood cladding on the roof anyway? Or put differently: what do they do to make it work? I don’t believe the architects of those houses did it out of naivety or ignorance. Interestingly, these roof types are uncommon only in Germany—in the Anglo-American region, Scandinavia, as well as Austria and Switzerland, they are quite common. One could argue weather conditions, since Austria and Switzerland probably have different precipitation than here. But what about Norway? Sweden? Denmark? Or even... England??? 😀
So I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this.
PS: I’m less interested in the advantages of roof tiles or standing seam metal roofing, as I’m already quite aware of those! 😉
I have a question for those of you with experience. We are currently in the planning phase of our house and working with an architect. We are building a one-and-a-half-story gable roof house using solid wood construction. Our wish was to have the façade material and the roofing material be the same. Originally, we planned to use standing seam metal roofing for the roof and a similar seam cladding for the façade, but I keep coming across houses like these, where the roof continues the wooden cladding of the façade—which I personally find much more attractive:
xxx.archdaily.com/104506/volgadacha-house-buro-bernaskon
xxx.archdaily.com/124290/8-blacks-nrja
xxx.alleideen.com/architektur/09/tolle-dacher.html
All roofers and other tradespeople, especially advocates of traditional solid construction methods, immediately react with disbelief—“Wood on the roof? Never!! The moisture problems!” But what I wonder is: why are there so many houses that use wood cladding on the roof anyway? Or put differently: what do they do to make it work? I don’t believe the architects of those houses did it out of naivety or ignorance. Interestingly, these roof types are uncommon only in Germany—in the Anglo-American region, Scandinavia, as well as Austria and Switzerland, they are quite common. One could argue weather conditions, since Austria and Switzerland probably have different precipitation than here. But what about Norway? Sweden? Denmark? Or even... England??? 😀
So I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this.
PS: I’m less interested in the advantages of roof tiles or standing seam metal roofing, as I’m already quite aware of those! 😉
N
nordanney15 Dec 2015 18:50Take a look at the houses in real life. Of course, that’s only possible in Russia. There must be a reason for it ;-)
Can you tell me what is beneath the wood-look roof? Try talking to the architects of the wooden roof houses – find some in the countries you mentioned.
Can you tell me what is beneath the wood-look roof? Try talking to the architects of the wooden roof houses – find some in the countries you mentioned.
...that would definitely be a great excuse for an exciting holiday. But the idea of contacting suitable architects directly is a good one; I will give that a try. I am particularly curious about what is underneath the wood – perhaps bituminous membranes? Interestingly, my books always cover wall construction, heating, etc., in great detail, but the roofs are noticeably left out – probably because no one wants to risk getting into trouble.
Just ask your architect why they are unwilling to fulfill this request for you in Germany.
Alternatively, try to address issues like roof drainage at the eaves without using gutters. Or consider factors such as having a “hard roofing” surface in inner-city situations, where fire safety requirements play a role. Also think about durability and ease of repair.
Outside the scope of German building laws and standards, such experiments might be easier to carry out. Here, however, they are not approved by building authorities or require a private agreement between the client and architect, with the risk of deviations ultimately resting with the architect. These claddings assume the actual roof, which must meet all technical requirements, remains hidden underneath. In other words, two roofs are being constructed.
Among the avant-garde highest design demands is also the ability to manage all the consequences of implementation, including financing them.
But perhaps you will succeed in solving the structural details perfectly and thereby convince your architect.
Alternatively, try to address issues like roof drainage at the eaves without using gutters. Or consider factors such as having a “hard roofing” surface in inner-city situations, where fire safety requirements play a role. Also think about durability and ease of repair.
Outside the scope of German building laws and standards, such experiments might be easier to carry out. Here, however, they are not approved by building authorities or require a private agreement between the client and architect, with the risk of deviations ultimately resting with the architect. These claddings assume the actual roof, which must meet all technical requirements, remains hidden underneath. In other words, two roofs are being constructed.
Among the avant-garde highest design demands is also the ability to manage all the consequences of implementation, including financing them.
But perhaps you will succeed in solving the structural details perfectly and thereby convince your architect.
...that’s a good point – that the roof meeting the requirements is underneath the cladding. I have read about a wooden-clad roof with bitumen membranes installed underneath. The architect has not yet said that he cannot meet this request; he just had different ideas so far 🙂
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