Building the “Forever” Roof

RENOVATIONS

‘It’s for forever’, is a phrase Filippo Scaramella uses when you talk to him about the roofing work he does.

Filippo comes from a long line of Italian roofers and quarrymen and takes pride in providing the same high level of service and quality to the New Zealand roofing market, that the generations before him did in Italy.

As anyone that has travelled to that part of the world knows, the Italians are proud of their architectural prowess and have ancient structures such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon still standing as a testament to the design and durability of materials used.  So, building for the long term or ‘for forever’ is literally in Filippo’s DNA!

After moving to New Zealand with his family in 2016, he quickly developed a reputation for completing roofing projects with no compromise on quality.  From the materials used to the level of craftsmanship, everything is done with longevity and quality in mind.   His roofs often incorporate terracotta, slate, and schist, as well as copper, stainless steel and lead for flashings and gutters.

Filippo has done a lot of work on older homes around Auckland and sees re-roofing as the ideal time to improve not only the building’s weathertightness and aesthetics, but also its thermal performance.  Typically, older homes in New Zealand were built with little consideration for airtightness (or lack of air leakage) and insulating against the elements. As warm air tends to move upward, the thermal performance of the roof area plays a big part in the overall performance of the building envelope. In fact, the roof is responsible for around 30% of heat loss or gain, so installing an insulation layer at the roof level helps to reduce the reliance on air-conditioning for year-round comfort.

After removing the original old & tired roofing, Filippo usually installs a layer of pro clima DASATOP^® membrane to the back of the ceiling sarking/lining, up and over the rafter or truss, ensuring it is taped and sealed at the perimeter, so it acts as a continuous air and vapour control layer. DASATOP^® is like pro clima INTELLO^® in that they both have a humidity-variable vapour control function. However, DASATOP^® has been designed specifically for renovation projects and is installed from the outside. Unlike INTELLO^®, which is for internal use only, DASATOP^® can be left exposed to the weather for up to one month during construction.

Once DASATOP^® is in place, a layer of vapour permeable insulation is placed between the rafters (Filippo often uses wooden fibre or cork, which are both great insulators), and then pro clima SOLITEX MENTO^® 3000 connect roof underlay is laid over the top of the insulation.  As all pro clima wall and roof, weather-resistive barriers are non-porous, the insulation can fill the whole framing depth and sit tight against the back of the MENTO^® underlay, without the risk of the insulation getting wet. Filippo loves the quality of pro clima’s SOLITEX MENTO^® 3000 underlay and especially likes using the ‘connect’ version as it removes the need to buy and install additional flashing tape to seal the laps.

Depending on the roofing substrate being used, a vertical counter batten and a tile batten or roofing purlin are then installed over top of the SOLITEX MENTO^® 3000 roof underlay, to provide uninterrupted ventilation and drainage path beneath the roofing.  Continuity of the air, moisture and thermal control layers are important for each layer to function correctly, and for as long as possible.

As Filippo says, ‘the right roof not only improves the quality of the life inside the house, but the use of quality materials equates to a saving long term, because no future maintenance is required, and the value of the house increases.  High performing materials are environment friendly or more sustainable, while poor quality materials are an expensive waste that we end up leaving for the next generations to dispose of.’

To learn more about giving your roof the “forever” treatment, check out Filippo’s projects and offering at www.italianroofer.nz and get in touch with our team at Pro Clima NZ Ltd www.proclima.co.nz/contact.