N. Thornton wrote:


Not 4x2 as far as I know, but I'm fairly sure they outlaw the ones
built with 3x 1.5". And I've seen 4x1" in one place.


Mmm. Bits of my old cedar shingled roof appeared to consist of

- and old broom handle nailed and lashed to a rotted bit of
- pine tree sawn into quarters. Quite a bit of this and
- an actual branch from an oak tree.
- and lots of other wobbly bits of timber. Not a sqare sawn bit in the
place except where some 'modern' bodging had been done with some 4x2.

In s. africa where thatch is often used and wood is scarce they tend to
use round poles tapering from 4" diameter and finishing at ofetn little
more than 2" for a 'rondavel"

They stay up and support the thatch just fine :-)

I am not decryng building regs, merely pointin out

that rooves are there to keep the rain off: A large tent does no better.


The timbers used are really all about the weight of the cladding.
In my case the imminent demise of the shingles was, with the leaking of
a tiled section and the impossibility of re-roofing without using
heavier rafters, that meant totally popping what they rested on etc etc,
that led me to fianally pull it down.


However, up till then it had been totally fine :-)




Regards, NT