Roof Construction Manual

Rating:
Summary: Essential information for builders
Review: I never would have guessed one could write a whole volume on pitched roofs, but, now that I've seen it, I see how specialized roof construction is. This being a European book, there's far more coverage of various types of roofs, with the asphalt shingles that are ubiquitous in the US being but one of many options. Even thatched roofs are covered. There's an extended section on structural requirements, and even a mention of historical methods, using hammer beams, for example. But it's the building science section that stands out. This is covered to some degree in all the books in the Construction Manual series, but the concepts of heat flow, moisture control, etc., are explained at great length here. Practical guidelines are given based on the European building codes, and construction details abound. The translation to British English (e.g. roof sarking) is well-done and the book design and paper quality are every bit as good as the excellent and highly technical content.