
Review from a builder - I run a small building company and therefore have to do a variety of roofing jobs - from small repairs to building extension roofs. I am used to buying building books that purport to be professional guides but turn out to be DIY manuals, American guides inapplicable to the UK, reprints of books that are 50 years out of date or just academic architects guides that don t have practical information on techniques. This book is spot on. It gives a good overview of current roofing materials and methods, and then it details lots of commonly faced roofing tasks. The explanations are clear and detailed but if you don t immediately understand there are loads of diagrams and photographs.While not a complete manual on roofing it is probably comprehensive for anybody who is a general builder, and it is clear enough to be used by a reasonably competent DIYer.Any criticism? Although the book is 158 pages long I would happily pay for another 300 pages of cleaver solutions to unusual roofing problems.
Just what the roofing industry needs - In the UK roofing industry there is precious little good quality written information freely available on the practicalities of pitched roofing. This excellent book goes a long way to address this. It is written in a clear, practical way by the very practical author. I like the modern, chatty style and the photo s and illustrations are excellent. At Sandtoft we operate a very busy technical department and I know that we will be referring to this book often - to both answer customer queries and when writing our own technical guides etc. Anyone involved in the installation of tile or slate pitched roofs should have a copy.John Mercer: Technical Manager: Sandtoft Roof Tiles.
Good explaination for UK roofdesign and construction. - I was looking for a book that showed me how to layout and tile a roof using either slate or interlocking tiles. This book I found clear in illustration and techniques for doing the job, includes getting around laying out roofs with build errors. Geometry and calculation aren t my problem, its the actual laying out and progress of work I needed to learn. The problem is many books are published for the US market, it isn t.Well it worked for me. I doubt if one book will have all the info you need, so dont expect a silver bullet.