A common problem is the roof leaks. This is caused by cracking in the caulking compound used during manufacture in the rain gutters and the sealant used to join all the different pieces of aluminium together which form the roof. The sealant tends to wear out over time crack and allow water to filter in through the cracks back along these channels into the side channel and then when you brake at a light for instance all the water will run down and get on to your feet which is really annoying especially in winter.
Over the last 11 years I’ve tried many times to seal the roof with some success. In the past I’ve used silicon which is generally not advisable because of the acetic acid curing which can damage paintwork and cause rust. But this time I’m trying Sikaflex 291 marine adhesive sealant. So hopefully this will be the winner. Now I washed the roof twice yesterday as well as using some cut and polish along the seams just to remove any flaking paint and grime. And then followed up with some methylated spirits to degrease the area to prep it ready for the Sikaflex. I also have some sandpaper which I’m going to do a light sanding in along the rain gutters just to tidy it up. Now this is a fairly messy job from past experience so you’ll need some gloves and some mineral turpentine and some rags to help clean up any excess. I tend to use fingers to get it in to the rain gutters as there’s not many tools that will fit the particular curvature of the gutter. So let’s have a go with some Sikaflex at sealing up these Defender roof leaks. There are 3 seams on the Toronto roof to complete.
First I run a rough bead along working the Sikaflex deep in to the gaps that’s then followed up with a rag soaked with mineral turpentine. Next I run masking tape around the outside of the gutters and then begin working the Sikaflex deep in to all the cracks. I do it in small 30 cm sections as the Sikaflex tends to tack off fairly quickly. I then add extra Sikaflex back and forth just to layer it up and then run my finger straight down that helps smooth everything out nicely. It’s important to clean it up as you go just so it doesn’t harden off. Also remove the masking tape before it begins to tack off just so you’re not damaging or ripping up the Sikaflex as you go. On the rear there’s the seam as well that’s much the same process. Just do it in sections and clean up as you go.
I also chose to fill in the pop rivets just in case water was getting in through there as well. The compound from the A pillars was cracking so I dug that out and refilled. Ok two weeks later and I’ve allowed the Sikaflex to cure off that takes around a week to get a full cure. In that time I had a few rain showers come through and I had no leaks come inside so it appears to be a success. One thing I noticed about the Sikaflex is it does tend to attract dust so the channels are kind of dusty dirty looking but to me that’s not really an issue as it’s up inside and you don’t see it. I did a light sanding in a few places just to smooth it out a bit better but I see no point in breaking the skin and disturbing it much it’s quite nice looking.
How to Replace a Section of Guttering on your Toronto roof
If you’ve got a damaged bit of guttering, like this, water is just going to pour out every time it rains. So I’m going to show you how you can fix it yourself. We’re going to replace this damaged section of guttering up to the closest joiner. To do this, I’m going to use a fine-tooth pulse saw. Also I’m going to slip a couple of blocks into the gutter. This is going to help stiffen it up when I cut. Start to cut the old guttering in a smooth up-and-down motion. Make sure to keep the strokes even so you don’t crack any of the existing guttering. Now I’m just going to unclip the gutter. To Next, carefully remove the gutter clips from the fascia. Now before we glue on our jointed bracket, I’m just going to clean out the end. And it’s a good tip to throw a rag in the guttering to stop any water coming over us while we’re working. Next is to apply our PVC welding cement inside our bracket, applying a liberal amount. Then we fix that into our guttering. This joiner is the link between our old and new guttering.
Now before we put on our gutterings clips, we’ll just clean the fascia up a little bit. This is also a good time to give the fascia a paint, if you wish. We’re also going to replace the down pipe, so we’re going to take out the dropper and put a new one in it’s place. When removing the down pipe, be careful not to damage the exterior of the house.
So next, let’s just throw up our dropper onto our existing guttering. That depicts our height of our back plate. Let’s put a mark with pencil exactly where the back plate lands. Take off our dropper. Now we’re just going to fix that with a stainless steel screws. So now we need to run a line from our back plate onto our joiners. So now we’re just going to run a chalk line. This is going to show us exactly where our gutter brackets go. I’m going to put up our gutter brackets using our stainless steel screws. We’re about to clip on our dropper. Now when we put this on, we don’t actually need any pipe cement glue on it, so it allows for expansion. OK, now we need to measure up for our length of guttering. Cut it and fit the new length of guttering into the gutter clips. Put gutter cement onto the joint, and clip it in. Assemble the new down pipe in exactly the same way as the old one.
This will make sure the lengths are absolutely correct. Then clip the down pipe into the dropper, and away you go. Screw the support brackets into the original holes. In case the section you’re replacing is a corner, here’s what you’ll need to do. Hook your tape onto the corner of the fascia. Measure back to the center of the closest joiner, and add on the distance from the front of the fascia to the back of the guttering. Now that’s going to allow for the corner piece to slide in. And one final tip. When fixing a corner, make sure that the fall from the corner to the dropper is at least five millimeters for every 10 meters of guttering. For all your guttering needs, pop down to Mitre 10, and check out the Easy As stand..
There’s a few things you need to know, a few specifications. So, let’s get started on that now. We’re gonna show you how to do the sheathing on the roof of your shed. There’s a few things that are important.
To get started, just want to point out that we put blocking on our sub-fascia to support our panel when we put it up here. Makes it very easy, especially if you’re working on your own. I also have one on the very end over here. That I can just slide my plywood over, butt it up against there. And then just pull it back a little bit, just to make sure we’re not hanging over the edge. And on here, is our joint. So we’re gonna put it. So we also have blocking for the next sheet. The measurement I’m gonna be doing first is just under 80 and a quarter.
That’s allowing for the end here to come in a 1/16th of an inch. I’m gonna go cut that now. I’m gonna be right back, show you how to place that. Okay, we have our sheathing in place. You’ll notice that blocks hold it nicely at the bottom. It is flush across the bottom here. I put a screw in it, just so that I can show you a couple things. It’s halfway on the truss over there. And over here, what’s important to look for, is you wanna be a 1/16th of inch back here and you want this even all the way up.
If for some reason, the end gable here on the ladder is either in or out. Then that means, that your end wall and your gable end of your shed is probably not level and you’ll need to make some adjustments. Either bring it this way or that way. Right now, we’re good. So we’re just gonna finish screwing this panel off. Then we’re gonna go over and do the next panel over there. Once we’re done with that, we’re gonna do the top pieces. And we’re gonna be using H-clips on those. Those are important. When we get there, I’ll show you why. One more thing, just as I showed you on the floor, I don’t know if you can see it on the film, but if you can, there’s lines from the rollers in the mill.
Typically speaking, these are parallel with the end of the panel. So you can actually use these as a guide when you’re screwing into your trusses. The other thing I wanna talk about, is if you’re using OSB, half-inch OSB on your Toronto roof, there’s a smooth side and there’s a kind of rough side to OSB. When you’re using OSB, put the rough side out. If does give you some extra traction when you’re walking on the roof. Also, on the reverse side of this plywood, we have a marking for labeling it as an exterior sheathing. It’s probably best to put it down, if you’re having your shed inspected or if you’re doing this on a house.
That way the inspector can actually see the labeling. He knows it’s exterior plywood, because if the roof’s on here he won’t be able to see that. That’s the only reason for that label on this sheathing. If you’re not gonna be inspected or if you’re not having your shed inspected then don’t worry about it. You can put the label up or down. It doesn’t matter if you’re using plywood. But again, OSB put the rough side up. Other than that, that’s about it for those few tips. Okay, got this piece cut. You lay it up here. Make sure you got about 1/16th of an inch space between this and the next panel. That’s just for expansion and contraction. We’re about a 1/16th of an inch in on the end here. But I didn’t mention in the previous section, is the spacing for the screws, about every eight inches across the bottom, every eight inches up. I’m gonna screw screw this sheet off. I’m just gonna show you a little safety thing you should do before you climb on the roof.
I’m only screwing as far I can reach safely. (drill squeals) It’s a good idea, too, when you’re screwing along edges to pair them up, not have them randomly spaced. (drill squeals) Also when you’re laying these in place, make sure the plywood isn’t sticking past here on the sub-fascia. That’ll interfere with your finished fascia board. (drill squeals) Okay. I’ve screwed off what I can reach. Now, what I like to do before I climb on the roof, is put a two by four cleat on the bottom. Make sure you’re near a truss, just for, right in the center or you can screw it in there. You want to screw through into solid two by four, putting it right at the bottom is a good bet. Make sure you’re using three inch screws. And one every 16 inches to two feet, should be sufficient. Remember this is just a safety feature. Now that that’s on there, can safely climb up here and if I was to slip, I got that to grab onto.
So the next thing we’re gonna do, is we’re gonna rip our pieces for the top here. Just measure straight down from the peak, minus an 1/8th of an inch. We’re gonna have an 1/8th inch space here. That’s important. The H-clips we’re gonna put on here, which I’ll show you later, automatically provide the correct spacing, so you won’t have to worrying about sizing that up. So, I’ll finishing screwing this off. We’ll get our pieces ripped. We’re gonna stagger ’em, the same way did the floor. So we’ll be back shortly to show you that. Okay, we’ve gone ahead, placed all our plywood on the last run here. We have staggered the plywood, just like on the floor. This was a larger roof, you’d wanna go four feet and then eight feet. But because of the size of the roof, this is how it works out. It’s one truss difference. Another important thing to know about. In between your trusses, where your plywood joins together, you should have an 1/8th of inch space and use H-clips.
Reason for that, you don’t have these in place here, your plywood can push past the other sheet of plywood. What’ll happen when you’re shingles are on here, they’ll crack. So, you gotta put these in, they’re really easy. They look like that. Typically come in bags like that. And you just slide ’em onto the edge of the plywood, in the center of your space between your trusses.
Next sheet comes in, it just slides into place. Also automatically gives you an 1/8th inch space. Very handy and definitely will add life to your Toronto roof. That’s about it for this side here. Just the same as on the lower sheets. Make sure you’re in a little bit from the ends. Nice and tight to the peak. Once you have this side done, you can remove your spacing brace on this side. And do the other side exactly the same way. Now also, if you’re using a vented ridge, and you’re gonna insulate your shed, you may want to cut this back a little bit from the peak. Check with the vent for the ridge that you’re buying, the company, what their instructions are for that. If you’re not insulating and you’re not putting a ridge vent up here, don’t have to worry about it. Just keep it tight. You don’t need any backing here for the top. The two pieces coming together will be more than strong enough for the ridge on your roof when we do the asphalt shingles.
So go ahead, finish the other side. We’re gonna do that. Go ahead and do that. And then, we’ll come back and I’ll show you some detail on how we’re gonna do the fascia. And why we’re doing the roof first and some of the things that we’re not doing that you might expect we were..
Check your Toronto Roofing if it needs a Roof Repair
Over time, roofing materials on Toronto roofs are exposed to weather changes that cause shingles and flashing to inflate. Eventually, this process causes roofing materials to deteriorate. This could be 15 or 25 years for most roofs, but, it can be much earlier depending on a variety of reasons. Therefore, a roof should be thoroughly inspected at least once a year, and a roof approaching 13-17 years of age becomes a candidate for a roof replacement.
In order to assess your Toronto roof and its condition, you’ll need to do an inspection. First, we recommend that you hire a professional Toronto roofing contractor. If you decide to do it yourself, here are some tips that can help you. First, check for leaks inside. Look at ceilings and walls in each room of your home. Be sure you check the following areas as they frequently leak, around chimneys, vents, skylights, and other penetrations, in valleys, or other areas that are flashed, low sloped or flat roofs. Also, check the attic for signs of leaking. Next, look at the roof from the ground using binoculars.
From the ground, you can get a pretty good idea of what shape the roof is in by visually inspecting it with binoculars and checking downspouts for excessive amounts of shingle granules that have washed down. Access the roof. The most accurate way to inspect the roof is by accessing it or at least climbing a ladder to get a closer look. Always exercise care when using a ladder and inspecting a roof.
Also, shingles are easily damaged when they’re hot or cold, so avoid walking on them as much as possible. Now, let’s take a look at the basic indicators. The basic indicators of a deteriorating Toronto roof are loose or missing shingles, and lots of granules. Tar, patching marks, or sections of different colored shingles indicate past repairs, and the Toronto roofing cement used to patch them may only last a few years, so pay particular attention to these areas. You can tell a lot about a roof by the way it looks. Normally, a good indicator of a well laid roof is straight lines. If shingles were set and fastened properly, they should form straight lines all the way up and across the roof. This tends to indicate that the roof is well-built and, as a result, will last longer.
Look for any unevenness or sagging in the roof. Check inside the attic too. If the ridge or whole sections of a roof sag, there could be insufficient framing support. Contact a professional from a Toronto Roofing Company. Now, let’s take a look at some of the common warning signs. In composition shingles, look for broken, damaged, or missing shingles. In wood angles or shakes, check for mold, decay, splitting or curling, broken, damaged, or missing shingles. On your flat roof, look for obvious patches, cracks or tears, several blisters, and/or wrinkles, and soft spongy areas. In flashing, take note of tears and buckling around roof penetrations. In your socket and fascia, make sure there is no decay, stains, and cracked or peeling paint. Also, check your socket and edge vents for clogged or damaged vents, flashing, and whether shingles around them are curling or missing. Take a look at your gutters. Things to look for include decay or rust, leaky seams, loosely attached to structure, bent or sagging, missing sections of the gutter or downspout, and if they’re filled with debris.
Clogged gutters can easily freeze shut and cause excessive weight on gutter fasteners and slippery walks below. Also, check your chimneys. Check to see if they’re leaning, loose, or missing, flashing, have damaged bricks, and have a gap or cracked mortar joints. Chimney flashing is especially prone to tearing because a chimney settles independently from the house. Roof care is very important. It serves as a barrier between you and nature’s elements. Maintaining a secure Toronto roof will keep you safe and possibly save you money in the end.
Start removing the shingles
If you want to take this shingle out you have to go to shingles above and you have to pull these nails out so this is the one that we’re wanting to take up .
These shingles are in pretty bad shape so they’re not you’re not sticking very well to the seal tab to the shingles so this feel very easy you can see they’re just looking up sticking it all again want to take this one up
You got to take these nails out now these are mailed to high no there’s supposed to be one inch above the cutout line you get your flat bar upon these roofing nails and raise the tab like that well that head just work right off so you have that loose here they say they just slides right out as you can tell
Catch the top of the shingle here and over here it was two highest I didn’t catch the top just barely right there on the edge and again the nail supposed to be about one inch above the cutout and on the ends one inch up and one edge over that’s a good nail pattern on steeper roofs where the shingles could slide the building codes and the manufacturer of the shingles may require you to put a nail on each side of the cut out so you have one here to here to here and then on the other end.
Let’s take the next shingle out and these are put on a running bond line there stepped over six inches if you have a 12-inch tab as you can see here six inches this way six inches back and then fix inches over this way again and that’s how they’re put on so as you can tell this nail is not catching the top.
Supposed to catch the top of the shingles that way you have two rows of nails on a channel and supposed to be dependent venom of four males for single some people looking this tab as you can see here there’s not a nail there so that’s called a three and four pattern yeah those are gonna gets three nails as I don’t want to get for that’s not the proper way to do it so let’s put these shingles back.
Always try to use new nails will slide this up under here you want to line the shingles up you don’t want just a drop or go higher it’s just it’s not a good way to do it once your I to be nice and neat about .
We have four nails in that jingle and lining them up and that is over here well I have we’re missing a nail so you want while you’re here go ahead and put a nail right there make sure this hand is still up.
We had to pick nails out to get it in a well we won’t go along and make sure you nail out these good just do a quick check make sure and once again you got your flat bar these are sold at the building supply hardware stores just about everybody carries these
As you can see my corners are rounded off when you buy them they’re usually sharp and that’ll cut into shingles this one’s been used a lot and could get a grinder and just grind the sharp edges off I think it just respect you got two utility knife with the hook blade and a utility knife just with a straight blade
I like having two knives I don’t have to to change them out change the blade out if you’re just doing a repair to you know one knife where you can change the blades out that we find this one’s good for cutting felt paper and like say the backs of the shingles this one had just just mostly used just for cutting the face the shingle it just it just glides right through it
Although there are many commercial-grade roofing systems to choose from in Toronto.
I want to explain that three types of single cater roofing methods frequently installed by roofing contractors in all the regions of the GTA. Of the three types, EPDM is the most popular. It has been used for over 40 years. It is the same synthetic rubber membrane used to clear inner tubings. Another form is TPO, which is a thermoplastic layer, and finally there’s revised bitumen, which is an asphalt located sheath. EPDM is produced in different thickness. They are 45, 60, and 90 thousandths of an inch. Most toronto roofing contractors use the industry standard of 60 thousandths of an inch, which is very near the thickness of a part. Some advantages for using EPDM on a flat ceiling are; first, it is the least expensive system to install per square paw. Second, it is simple to install with the use of fixes adhesives and rollers. Third, it weighs less than other single ply layers, and lastly, it is sold in wide-cut buns of eight to twenty feet resulting in fewer seams.
Second, the black membrane assimilates ultraviolet light justification shrinking and brittleness, which reduces its life expectancy drastically. Right here, over its first year, the EPDM has diminished a little bit and then, and thus extended, right here in the angle. And then, with the stretching and the UV rays pounding down on it, it started dining it apart and right here in the region where is mostly, elongated “the worlds largest”, this is where it get eaten apart the most, also.
Third protective matters are clearly needed because the thin tissue is susceptible to stabs due to paw commerce on sharp objects left behind by upkeep gangs. Another conclude we don’t recommend EPDM is because it’s so easily punctured. Um, now, on this ceiling, you can see they’ve to be laid down matters for laborers to move on and this is supposed to offer protection, but there’s never enough rugs to cover the whole roof. Toronto Roofing Repairs to seams and flashing is necessitated long before the warranty of the 15 to twenty years expires. Now, I’m gonna accompanied my paw along this stratum that’s inside the comprise videotape; just watch this here, when I impart it along now with everything that irrigate coming out. The skin-deep prep can be an added labor cost when removing an old roof method, or lay one over a pre-existing one.
And lastly, the pitch-black complexion of the tissue absorb heat, and can lead to the super heating of the structure below, stimulating air conditioning costs to rise significantly. Now let’s talk about TPO. TPO is another type of toronto roofing tissue. There are two thickness options to TPO; 45 and 60 thousandths of an inch, which is roughly equivalent to the thickness of a quarter. TPO is composed of laminated strata. Of the three sheaths, this one necessitates more experienced roofing technicians and much more material. Some of certain advantages of TPO are that the seams are heat welded rather than glued, so they are much less prone to break. Secondly, the white-hot skin-deep of the membrane shows lots of the ultraviolet radiation deterring the structure below cooler. Third, if the contractor is certified by the manufacturer, to install the layer, the manufacturer, rather than the contractor, reputations with certificate. Now are some of the handicaps of TPO. First, the system is fairly new to the roofing manufacturers, about 15 years, and has a long track record of revises and improving due to skin-deep and stratum failures.
Also, TPO is known to shrink and its inflexibility starts stress on the issues and flashing. A prolonged period of excessive heat showing motives ultraviolet light humiliation Another con is that toronto roofing contractors must calibrate their welding machines very carefully. Improperly welded strata may come release during the course of its first freeze and thaw cycle and to be translated into spray infiltration. Lastly, the manufacturer’s warranty is simply fifteen to twenty years. Now, tell us talk about the modified bitumen light down layer that has been around since the late 1960 s. These single travel sheaths can be combined to create a two-to-three cater layer, that offers the best roofing plan to date because there’s a forty year guaranty. Some advantages for installing the modified bitumen membrane are; first, it is designed to be adaptable in extremely hot and cold weather Furthermore, it is a two ferry membrane with a thickness of about five one-fourths, or three-eighths of an inch, which is very puncture resistant. The layer surface has been embedded with granular ceramics to protect it from ultraviolet degradation.
toronto-roofing-contractors
Also, seams are fused together with high hot to prevent any segregation, unlike EPDM and TPO, the 2 to 3 ply organisation can brave a ponderous sum of hoof congestion. I want to show you some good report right now, this is uh, we ever depict you how bad things are and how people do occasions wrong, but this is how you do a ceiling. This roof we did 20 years ago and this is how it should be done; everything really clean, done with modified bitumen kindle down, and it’s previous this long and going strong.
Also, this 2 cater method can be installed over any existing roof or surface with minimal planning. Re-roof it and we decided to go over, um, because rather than deprive all the gravel off, and all the old-time tar, we saved them a great deal of cost by going over and I started about an hour ago and this is our fiber glass liner that I’m laying down right now. Um, this is the first step. Next, comes the self clinging locate and then our final bed of modified bitumen ignite down. It’s just as good as if we stripped it all the way down; you get the same warranty, um, but this is the most cost-effective ways to do it both with hour, labor and debris removal. Alright, I’ve already laid down my fiberglass liner and anchored down. This makes the ceiling the forte and stiffness it needs and we have a two-plus organization that we, we do.
This layer instantly to our other two layers and I’ll indicate you in just a second how thick it is, but this is why this is a good arrangement obligates it one unified sheath all across.
There are actually two advantages for install an new layer in such a case.
A.There is no cost for stripping and removing the aged tissue and
B. Fusing an additional tissue over an old one creates a roof that they are able to last-place well beyond 40 times, unlike the 15 to 20 time life expectancy of EPDM and TPO single travel roofing plans.
This is the best roof you can ever have on a residence, on a commercial ceiling anywhere. First of all, they had a revised bitumen roof. This is modified bitumen kindle down. It’s plain. They didn’t have the granular protection for the UV and that was called a single ply layer; justified they didn’t have the anchor and that was called a single cater layer recollecting years ago and it still in good shape.
It is nothing wrong with it, the ceiling and you can see it seems neat everything is nice about this room and precisely decided that you want now organization and installing a brand-new roof .
What we are doing now is only adding another layer and we are using them together you cannot do that with any other plan.
This is a dream come true for us we love the system you find all the modified and we just talked with the granular armour in this case that special from ultraviolet and we’ll never leak anyway some drawbacks are that the installing requires highly skilled Toronto roofing contractors.
Furthermore the added seam has an added costs for strive information we set our to move method on the ceiling that we’re standing on right now. It was installed several years ago. I’m going to cut the member and open right now to show you how well it performed in the extreme weather conditions we’ve had over the last several years.
The layers are contemplated so well together they cannot come apart and these stones never puncture.It is by far the best roofing structure that we offer a forty year warranty for our labor and our fabric for every toronto roof that we install the type and predicament of your lying settle “doesnt really matter” our toronto roofing method is cost effective and will outlast any other
The Roof pre-vegetated green roof system is simple and easy to install. But like everything else it can be done well or poorly. At LiveRoof we want to assure that each system is installed properly every single time. To help you plan and install the system we’ve developed the LiveRoof installation guide of standardized procedures. Before we go through the guide, here’s a few basics. As a LiveRoof representative it is important to understand the system in its entirety, the benefits and the advantages. Green roofs are admired for their beauty, and their financial and environmental benefits. They pay off by protecting the roof from sun, wind, heat, and cold and can also extend the life of the roof by more than 40 years. Considering the average life expectancy of a roof is 10 to 15 years, and can cost over $20 per square foot to replace, it’s easy to see why green roofs make financial sense. There’s ongoing cost savings. Green roofs reduce air conditioning costs, reduce or eliminate stormwater discharge fees, and allow building owners to sell or rent their properties more easily than old-fashioned buildings without green roofs. Environmentally proficient green roofs help to reduce the effects of global warming, release oxygen, and absorb greenhouse gases.
They keep pollutants out of our lakes and streams, absorb sound, reduce noise, and help replace the plants that existed before the building was built. They also provide natural views which help make people calmer, happier, and more productive. LiveRoof has many benefits. It’s a unique patent-pending green roof system with pre vegetated modules. It arrives fully grown for an instantly mature, effective, and attractive green roof. No need to start with a brown roof like other systems and then farm the roof for years, trying to make it green. A process that can take more than three years. With LiveRoof, the plants and roots are already established, so you get a green roof that’s instantly functional from day one. Designed and developed by a team of horticulturist, roofers, architects, and logistics experts, this professional collaborative effort is what makes LiveRoof stand out from the rest. From its effective drain slots to its unique patent-pending soil elevators and moisture portals, it’s specifically designed and engineered to grow plants successfully on a rooftop environment. LiveRoof modules are efficient. They can be vegetated with various plant assortments to address particular design needs and climate. And if there’s ever a need to make changes, LiveRoof modules are easily moved aside and then replaced after the work is done.
They’re invisible and subterranean, unlike other modular green roofs. Making them more aesthetically pleasing and natural looking. In addition, because LiveRoof is pre-vegetated, it brings immediate evaporative cooling, erosion control, reduced maintenance, and most importantly owners satisfaction. You should be proud to be a part of each and every LiveRoof installation and strive to conduct the installation as precisely as possible. The LiveRoof installation guide of standardized procedures is intended to help you do just that. When installing LiveRoof, always have a copy of the guide on hand and follow it step by step.
It’s the consistent execution of these standardized procedures that creates optimum performance and best appearance, maximum value, and customer satisfaction and a great reputation for the LiveRoof brand, for your company, and your staff. These are the steps to install the LiveRoof system. They should be followed in numerical order. Let’s get started. Always prepare for your LiveRoof installation long before the modules arrive at the jobsite. This saves time, money, and ensures maximum quality. You must be committed to timely communication. Stay in touch with your LiveRoof grower and the contractor who hired you keep everyone in the know. Determine how many modules you will install each day and schedule delivery with your LiveRoof grower three to four weeks in advance so the grower can make arrangements for trucks and drivers. Prior to placing the slip sheet the roof should be tested by flooding or other means to ensure that it’s waterproof. You should get an official sign off from the Installer of the waterproofing system and general contractor. Now conduct a pre installation training session with your staff. Review all OSHA and related safety procedures. Be especially diligent with safety harnesses and special safety equipment for working on rooftops and roping off edges of the roof.
If needed, give everyone a copy of the guide and review the toronto roof installation process. Review the importance of protecting the roofing membranes from scratches and punctures. Review your material handling plans. Don’t compose on the rooftop. Pre-plan how you will do the job. Designate the various functions each person will perform, including a crane or lift truck operator and Hoppit loader at ground level, a Hoppit unloader, a conveyor unloader, a module placer, a designated sweeper to keep the roof clean, a soil elevator remover, and a custom cutter if needed.
Let everyone know that each time a truck is unloaded, it should be filled back up with the empty delivery Hoppit’s. Otherwise, additional trips will be needed and additional charges will be applied. Next, visit the rooftop job site with a representative from the roofing contractor and get approval for beginning the LiveRoof installation. While visiting go through this detailed list and make sure to bring needed materials. In short, transportation equipment and delivery trucks can be positioned close to the building to minimize wasted transport time. Keep in mind, when using lifting equipment, lifting capacity decreases as the boom is extended. Use equipment that is big enough to easily do the job safely. Protect the building and roof surfaces from mechanical damage. Always protect the parapet from bumping and abrasion. Know in advance who will install the protective slip sheet root barrier, insurance pre-approved by the manufacturer of the waterproofing system. Normally this will be 40 mils thick or thicker. The barrier can be TPO, PVC, polyethylene, or polypropylene, with seams overlapping and fastened by heat weld, EPDM with seams overlapping a minimum of three inches and glued with a roll out adhesive tape that is impervious to and unaffected by moisture, or a low profile polypropylene drain board.
Never use a moisture holding fabric such as needle punch polyethylene or felt as a slip sheet root barrier. This type of fabric stays wet and encourages root growth that could impede drainage and is impossible to sweep and keep clean. If you become aware that a moisture holding fabric like needle punched polyethylene or felt has been installed by another contractor stop the process immediately. Call the architect and have them replace it with the proper material.
If it’s your responsibility, place the protective sheet root barrier at this time and hold it down with temporary ballast. Ensure approval has been made by the manufacturer of the waterproofing system. Place sheets of plywood or closed-cell foam on the roof to further protect the roof surface during installation. Bring conveyors and other transport methods to the roof. If it’s required install paver pedestals, pavers, and edging. If edging is used it should sit under the modules and be held by their weight. Edging is lightweight so, hold it in place with temporary ballast as a safety procedure to keep it from blowing off the roof. Never work in freezing temperatures and never install frozen LiveRoof modules. Frozen soil prevents the modules from fitting together tightly.
If you see the slightest damage to the underlying roof membrane immediately reported to the roofing contractor for immediate repair and stop the process until repairs are complete. Never cover over any damage or defect. Roof leaks can never be tolerated and the best way to ensure this is to prevent damage. When plants arrive plastic-wrapped they can bake in the Sun very quickly. Get them to the roof immediately, Unwrap, unload, and install them. Never store plastic wrapped Hoppits in the sun. Avoid walking on plants during installation. You may walk on them once a week after installation. Setup conveyance equipment in a manner that protects roof membranes and eliminates or greatly reduces the need to walk with the modules. The preferred method is to set up in a manner that establishes a point of delivery to a roller conveyor which runs parallel to the line of installation. Roller conveyors can be set on transportable jack stands and positioned within eight to ten feet of the line of installation.
Then seven or eight rows and modules can be set before the conveyor needs to be moved back another 8 to 10 feet. Move modules along the conveyor smoothly do not push them forcefully or slam them together. The impact displaces soil. Always set up work flow to minimize walking. If you must walk more than a few feet carrying a live roof module then the design of your installation procedure is inefficient and should be redesigned before work begins. When you minimize walking you’re more efficient. If you’re walking you’re wasting time and driving up your costs. Remember this, walking is waste. Now it’s time to prepare for unloading modules at the parapet. It’s important to follow these strict guidelines. Suspend the LiveRoof delivery Hoppit over the rooftop or along the parapet near the end of the roller conveyor.
You may find it useful to set a couple of tires on the roof and lower the Hoppit onto the tires so as to compress them just enough to stabilize the Hoppit but not enough to put too much weight on the roof itself. If the roof is strong enough however, you may be able to rest the Hoppit on plywood, closed cell foam, or on a roofing cart to protect the roof. Even if pre-approved for the weight, never set the Hoppit or other conveyance modules carts or heavy objects directly on the rooftop. Make sure to place the Hoppit or other conveyance devices on the roof only in areas that can adequately support the weight. A Hoppit loaded with 18 modules may weigh as much as 1100 pounds.
A Hoppit with 36 modules will weigh as much as 2,200 pounds. Regardless of what type of Hoppit or cart is used, be aware of its weight when fully loaded with modules. Never overload the rooftop. It’s now time for installation. Analyze the job with your staff and designate the various roles. there should be a Hoppit unloader, a sweeper, a conveyor unloader, a module placer, a soil elevator remover, and a custom cutter if needed. It is essential that each person perform his designated role consistently. Multitasking should be avoided as there must be proficiency and accountability for each task. Tasks may be rotated each hour so to eliminate fatigue. If you must place modules across long expenses without a parapet to push against use chalk lines to ensure straight rows. When removing LiveRoof modules from The Hoppit or other conveyance device do not pull on push against, remove, or otherwise disturb, jar, or dislodge the flexible soil elevators.
Also when handling the LiveRoof modules, do so only by using the hand grips. Always start in a corner and work right to left. This is so the overlapping edges align correctly and to orient the overlapping lip. If you fail to do this you will not be able to install the modules correctly. The sticker on the module should be facing toward you. Take note of the overlapping edges on the LiveRoof modules. There is a front and a back side. The front side, which is the side away from you as you are placing the modules, and the right side have overlapping edges that center the containers and make them aligned correctly. Use proper body mechanics when lifting LiveRoof modules. Remember to always bend with your knees not your back. And keep the module close to your body. Place and push the first module tightly into the roof corner you’re starting in. Keep it against the edging or parapet with the overlapping lip away from you.
Make sure that it’s in straight. Never push against the soft soil elevators. That compresses the soil. always push the hard plastic base of the module on the side with the sticker that says “sticker faces installer.” Now place the second module next to the first. But, set it up and over the edge of the first module. This way the overlapping lip of the second module overlaps the half moon-shaped moisture portals of the first module. Then push them tightly together to close the gap between the modules and to compress any soil that extends beyond the edge of the module.
You must place every module in this manner. And you should never kick a module into place. The patented moisture portals unite the soil, water, and plants from one module to the next. After placing each and every module, check to make sure it’s correctly aligned. Never allow your installations to drift out of alignment. If any plants are hanging over the module edges carefully flip them up and out of the way before pushing modules tight against each other. Otherwise, the modules won’t fit tightly together. Do not set modules on top of any spilled aggregate or soil. This damages roofing membranes. During the entire installation process, the designated sweeper must sweep the roof surface clean and away from the previously placed modules before placing each new module. Sweep with a corn or kitchen type broom. Do not use a blower. It blows gravel under the modules. Continue placing the LiveRoof modules in this manner. Once the first row has 5 to 10 modules in place, other installers may begin the process with the second row.
Be sure the modules in the second row are placed so they’re overlapping edges cover the half moon-shaped moisture portals of the modules in the first row. As the second row is set, the soil elevators from the modules in the first row are now 100% surrounded by modules or edging and need to be carefully pulled out. Pull them sideways not straight up you may remove two at a time, by grabbing the elevators from adjacent modules, at once. Spring-loaded pliers are the ideal tool for this. This removal process of the soil elevators needs to be repeated after each row is set.
Soil elevators should be appropriately recycled. During placement, it might be necessary to custom cut modules to fit odd sized areas. LiveRoof modules with mature plants and soil in the container may be cut using a radial arm saw with masonry blade, the same that used in cutting paver stones. If the cut surface will be curved a reciprocating saw may be used. Always install modules in a manner that minimizes custom cutting to make installation easier and more cost-effective. When cutting use proper safety standards and always wear protective goggles and gloves. To make a custom cut place the LiveRoof modules against the edging. Mark the cut with a straight edge. Place the module in a safe protected area before cutting. For example, not on the roof membrane. Handle gently. The roots will bind the soil but can be disturbed by rough handling.
When custom cutting is needed on a non-draining edge, like the top side of the roof, custom cut modules may be held in place by fitting tightly against either another module or the edging. If the roof is sloping and custom cutting is necessary, start at the bottom and work up. This way if there’s any compression, the compression is against modules that haven’t been cut.
Every time a truck is unloaded, fill it back up with empty Hoppits. Never make the driver wait or return to the jobsite. If this happens there will be additional delivery charges. Once installation is completed, immediately water all plants. Soak the soil from top to bottom. This settles the soil and requires about one and a quarter gallons of water per module. Clean the job site daily to keep it neat and orderly at all times. At the end of the job clean the site 100%. Never leave any waste or debris.
