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According to the UK Government, as of March 2023, 63,662 individuals have joined the self-build and custom housebuilding register, an increase of 6% from 2020 to ‘21.
Having an aesthetically-pleasing design can increase the property’s value. However, many people do not realise that having a well-designed roof can significantly enhance the rest of the house and outdoor areas.
After working in the industry for over two decades and recently receiving an award at the Trussed Rafter Association’s Roofscape Design Awards 2023, here are my top tips for completing a successful self-build project.
1. Share any superstructure or design plans with your designer
Before working with a roof truss designer, it is important to share any superstructure or design plans you may have in place.
The superstructure of a building is the load-bearing shell that supports the entire structure, including the roof. By sharing this design with your roof designer, they can create a roof that is better suited to the building’s structural requirements and can help reduce material waste and minimise construction time. In addition to this, sharing your design with your roof designer can help ensure that the building meets local building codes.
By sharing any superstructure or design plans with your designer, they can sometimes create value savings.
2. Always have a contingency fund in place
It is important to maintain a contingency fund when undertaking a self-build project. This fund can cover unexpected expenses, such as delays, availability of materials and changes to the project that can lead to budget overruns, which can cause financial strain and potentially jeopardise the project’s success.
3. Remain flexible when it comes to the type of materials used
It is important for self-builders to be flexible with the type of materials used. By being open to different materials, self-builders can take advantage of the latest innovations in building design, which can help them create a more sustainable and energy-efficient building. Additionally, self-builders can save money on construction costs simply by using materials that are more readily available.
A trussed-rafter roof for a residential new-build
At Crendon Timber Engineering, we were approached to design a trussed roof for a three-home residential project in Cheshire. The client shared a superstructure design from a structural consultancy, which involved a steel portal frame-type construction with loose-cut timber roofs.
After looking at the plans, it was clear that the dwellings had highly-complex roofscapes with intersecting high- and low-pitch surfaces, hip ends, valleys, pediments and dormers. The project required high-vaulted areas inside the building to allow for feature ceilings in several locations. The complexity of the roof truss designs required for the project was similar to commercial-level design work.
The roof was designed using trussed rafters, and as many of the steel beams as possible were removed from the building. This solution allowed the site teams to have a more efficient installation while ensuring that the requirements of the structure design were kept. Although steel was relatively expensive at the time due to material availability, this design removed the need for 95% of the roof-level steelwork and only the remaining steel beams required for the design were at the ceiling level. This resulted in a saving of approximately £10,000 per plot once the superstructure was at the wall plate level.
