Reed

A house with a reed roof attracts attention at first sight. It looks extremely harmonious in the surrounding landscape, creating a feeling of a cozy nest. Formation of a hand-made reed roof is a labor-intensive process that requires special knowledge and skills. The material itself used in production is environmentally friendly, has high rates of naturalness, heat and sound insulation. Advice from experts will help to understand the specifics of construction work associated with it.

Preparing for the installation of a reed roof

At the initial stage, you need to worry about the procurement and preparation of the working material. In this case, it is recommended to use one-year or two-year reeds of specific varieties, which are collected in winter. The length of the blanks should be within 1.5-2.2 meters, the presence of leaves and rot is unacceptable. Then they are tied into bundles for the construction of a reed roof - the diameter is 20-30 cm. Further actions are as follows:

• designation of the angle of inclination of the roof made of natural materials - the optimal indicator is calculated at 45 degrees and more;
• load calculation - on average, the weight of the roof is 35-50 kg / m² with a layer thickness of 30 cm;
• creation of a ventilation system;
• installation of a frame for mounting reeds on the rafter system;
• creation of the lathing - it is stuffed from beams horizontally on the rafters with a step of approximately 30-35 cm. Also, according to the installation according to European standards, vapor and wind insulation and insulation under the reeds are installed.

For them, you can use a specialized membrane that perfectly allows air to pass through and retains heat.

How to make a turnkey reed roof

This material is ideal for creating a roof for a cottage or a gazebo. The work uses traditional roofing technologies, which provide for a certain stage-by-stage process. Modern construction companies include this service in their list of works, offering mainly a turnkey reed roof format with material. In addition to design, they perform the following stages:

• arrangement of the lower edge of a natural reed roof - installation begins at the eaves overhang, where the first layer of material is laid thickly and tightly;
• laying the reed roof - work is carried out in rows in the direction from the bottom up, each next row provides for overlapping for tightness and for cascading water drainage;
• compacting layers - to create an exclusive roof in the ethnic style, all sheaves are tamped in rows with trowels or wooden spatulas, creating a layer thickness of 25-35 cm;
• formation of slopes - both when arranging a decorative thatched roof and when laying a reed roof, the plane of the slope is created with each row.

The fastening of an eco-friendly roof involves the use of wire or screws with clamping strips. The first option is considered classic, implying the use of galvanized wire made of stainless steel with a thickness of 1.2 - 2 mm. The clamping strips on the screws can be metal or wooden.

Final installation works

This process involves installing additional elements:

• ridge - made of reed or heather, laid across, fixed with a special mesh;
• valleys - made of copper sheet, galvanized steel, lead;
• chimney, dormer windows - for tight adhesion to the roof surface, metal aprons with a polymer coating are used, which are inserted under the reed material.

Cutting and processing of the material is carried out using specialized knives. To create a durable and breathable roof, its surface is treated with fire retardants that are not washed off with water.

Installing a reed roof is a creative endeavor that requires experience

If you do not have the skills to work with this material, it is best to order the service from professionals. It is worth knowing that such work is recommended to be carried out in dry summer weather, and the price of installing a reed roof will include the preparation and delivery of the material. The service life of the finished coating is usually 40-60 years.

Experienced craftsmen of RSK "Alba" work only with high-quality material, providing not only the arrangement of a new roof, but also the restoration of old reed roofs. At the same time, the customer can count on recommendations on the features of caring for such a roof. The cost of reconstructing a reed roof is determined depending on its condition, the complexity of the design, the volume of work performed.