roof loading

[earwig]

hello everyone. I'm a sole trader pv installer. I am interested to know if any of you have concerns and customer enquiries with regards to the weight being added to the roof. I have approved document A1/2 but does anybody really know how to calculate the weight so as to comply to 15%. I am concerned that we'll all end up paying out for new roofs sometime in the future when it bows. Any help and advice on this issue would be appreciated, anyone use a system/calculator ? thanks

 

[JD6400]

We always use a structural engineer .
On the bigger jobs we find that the insurers will not Honor a claim with out the original report , should they ever need to put a claim in that is !
Would like to get away from using them on the smaller jobs but i ain't that smart to understand it confidently .

 

[earwig]

Thanks,that helps. I have consulted one and he charges £200 for visit. He also said that in a lot of cases he would probably not 'prove' the installation, worrying. Suspect I may have to build his survey into the price ?

 

[JD6400]

|Its a pain and expense but i prefer the peace of mind !
If he will not 'prove' the roof then he is a waist of time !
Does he offer advice on how to strengthen , then he will 'prove' the roof when the work is carried out ?
If not you want to bin him and get a decent one !

 

[earwig]

I,m not sure yet. I have'nt used him up to now and you're right, it was peace of mind that made made me approach him. How do you work it ? do you get the engineer in when a quote is accepted or get the customer to sort it out ?

 

[JD6400]

I give the client the choice of us supplying them and billing or using their own , normally my engineer but direct to the client .

 

[earwig]

Thanks for that. Would probably be best to tell the customer a structual survey will be required at their cost prior to installation. I use a rooofing company so will consult with them about this. Appreciate your advice, its been concerning me.

 

[JD6400]

Its a pleasure mate .
And if he is a good roofer try not to lose him , they are invaluable !
We use Three different firms depending on the type of roof and size of job , one for domestic one for agricultural and one for commercial and agricultural if the other is too busy .

 

[SRE]

We use a structural engineer and build it onto the price. Non refundable if the job can't go ahead. Sorry to be a bit dense what do you mean by "prove" the job? Ours charges £250 for looking at the roof and providing a design if necessary. We are in a rural area and some of the jobs can be 50 miles away - that's why it's a bit more expensive.

 

[JD6400]

I think earwig means signs it off as correct and strong enough in a covering letter ? Well thats what or one does .
We find he starts at £ 250 and rises rapidly , probably why he turns up to site in a personal plate 911 !!!
Mind he is one of the best around here by all accounts .

 

[SRE]

Thanks for that - we don't get ours to do that - but maybe we should ....