Kevin Sherlock, Managing Director of Smartroof explores ‘room in roof’ solutions
With the UK having some of the smallest homes in Europe, we traditionally need to explore the basement or roof space. Basement construction is costly and complicated, so the next logical place is to expand upwards. It is here that prefabricated roofing packages can offer real benefits in terms of ease of installation, improved energy efficiency and cost certainty.
In the past two years we have spent more time in our homes than ever before, and evidence suggests that hybrid work will continue to exist, and so will the importance of maximising space. But in the UK our homes have been getting smaller. A 2019 survey carried out by LABC found that UK homes have reduced in size by an average of 10m2 since 2010. Much of this is a result of affordability and developers maximising the land on which they are building.
Logic says that below ground basements or lofts are the best options for maximising smaller footprints and increasing the space in homes. An additional ensuite guest bedroom, a home office, living room or even a home gym can bring a wealth of benefits to the homeowner. However, basement excavation is a costly proposition and construction work below ground is complex and carries a significant degree of risk. It’s why the smart decision is to ‘go up’ in order to find extra space in homes.
Habitable room on top
Creating habitable roofing spaces has been made easier by the increased use of off-site fabrication and systems such as structural insulated panels (SIPS), and pre-engineered insulated roof systems such as Smartroof’s ‘room in roof’ system. Manufactured offsite, the NHBC-approved Smartroof system is a complete room in roof system that eliminates purlins and ridge beams to create an internal space completely free from structural intrusions. Comprising a series of factory produced panels incorporating insulated roof panels, spandrel wall panels, dormers, roof windows, GRP chimneys, soffit and fascia, it is delivered to site and craned into place. Once in place, the roofs simply require roof tiling.
More competitive than traditional forms of construction, the system has many benefits – less waste, better quality control, safer to install – and meets the industry’s demand for solutions that allow us to build better quality homes more efficiently.
Improved energy efficiency
In addition, the interlocking design of the system makes it ideal for housebuilders adopting a fabric first approach. Production of the system in a factory-controlled environment ensures consistent and predictable thermal performance. With the latest changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, Smartroof’s factory insulated panels eliminate voids or cold spots and offer design flexibility, as insulation levels can be easily upgraded to meet requirements. This allows the client to ‘future proof’ their roof so their desired U-values can easily be achieved.
Build faster
An off-site solution such as Smartroof can also reduce the detrimental impact of bad weather on build times, whilst faster weatherproofing of structures will reduce delays for follow on trades. Its off-site manufacturing reduces the time spent working at height and decreases on-site wastage to provide a cost-effective, modern method of construction. A full vaulted ceiling and an extended floor area in the eaves can be achieved in a matter of hours, making it a highly cost-effective package for house building projects of all sizes.
Evesham Gate
At Bloor Homes’ Evesham Gate development close to the market town of Evesham, the three and four-bed Makenzie, Medina and Morris homes will maximise fabric efficiency and maximise sellable space through the creation of rooms in roofs. The project provided the perfect opportunity for Smartroof to provide Bloor Homes with its offsite produced room in roof system for phase one of the scheme.
With energy efficient, fabric first design having become a key driver for all new homes, particularly with the latest changes to Building Regulations Part L, Bloor Homes require solutions that can maximise airtightness, optimise insulation and eliminate thermal bridging. Smartroof’s pre-engineered insulated roof system does just that and has allowed the developer to maximise a smaller footprint by increasing the space in homes and creating rooms in roofs.
Bloor Homes also benefited from reduced working at height and decreases in on site wastage to provide a cost-effective method of production.
At a time when the construction sector is facing challenges in terms of cost, quality and a shortage of trades, the Smartroof system expedited the build process and has ensured the homes at Evesham Gate are future-proofed to meet the required thermal efficiency standards whilst also providing additional much-needed space for the homeowner.
To find out more download the Smartroof brochure by visiting https://app.smartroof.co.uk/files/Smartroof-Brochure.pdf
