Home DIY

I'm making a cupboard to have a rather heavy bit of music equipment sat on top, total around 60kg maybe more.

I was thinking making a box frame, screw it to the wall at the back and metal gussets on the inner corners, then clad with some kitchen doors I have spare. using this timber - https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Studwork-CLS-Timber---38-x-63-x-2400mm/p/107177

would this be sufficient or would more be needed? the timber would be the strength part, cladding is just for cosmetic purposes. it will have a slab of marble worktop at the top making up a fair part of the weight. dimensions will be approx, 60cm deep x 90cm tall x 70cm wide.

What's the roof made of? Ie under the roofing felt?

Corrugated iron? Concrete?

Surely that will dictate a lot of what route you go. I get the hesitancy of drilling through, but car roofs are drilled to fit roof rack bars. With enough srsalent it should be fine right?

Wooden beams, then wooden boards, roofing felt on top of that.

If you can get at the beams and the wooden boards from below then fixing stuff becomes much easier.

That's not a problem at all, I just have The Fear of puncturing the membrane and being unable to seal it afterward.

That's pretty much the easy bit. Making sure whatever you fix to it survives the weather and the thieves is the tricky bit! Plenty of products and techniques to make sure the water can't get in through fixings. I can understand the reluctance not to mess with it though.

Are the roofs sloped to provide drainage? if water can't pool on it that makes life a whole lot easier.

I would never design (Arch Tech) a fixing detail at the waterproofing level (maybe ok for a garage) especially with a timber structure below. I would be looking at fixing an upstand at least 50mm high (ideally 150mm) so any penetrations don't have the potential of being in standing water.

Could maybe use 100/140mm thick DCM blocks laid on there side (140mm 20kg) - might not even have to fix them down depending upon your frame design

@BrickMan

can't get to outside with 4 stories of scaff

There's usually no need to work on them from the outside. The sash can be removed completely, but yours would be a heavy bugger and it's not really needed. Just rotate it to vertical and there would be enough space to work.

They can pivot right around and the shootbolt locks into the hole in the bottom of the frame, for a maintenance position / cleaning.

Mines a GGL-804. So the next generation. Same width but not as tall.
Yours will probably be a similar setup, but likely a bit different. My version has the vent filter clipped onto the top casing.
There's a screw in either end and the top casing fits under the top flashing.

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I would never design (Arch Tech) a fixing detail at the waterproofing level (maybe ok for a garage) especially with a timber structure below. I would be looking at fixing an upstand at least 50mm high (ideally 150mm) so any penetrations don't have the potential of being in standing water.

Yes, this is what I suggested. Although I wouldn't bother trying to meet the regs on height.

I think what you’ve got there is an old version of a UK08.
I doubt the UK08 flashings will fit on an old ‘8’.
Worst case you could do a straight swap for the whole window.

Ah, this was my suspicion. Going to see if Veto have one of those deals coming up where you get a small bag with the purchase of a bigger bag. Hopefully take the sting out of dropping £240 on a toolbag.

I prefer my second suggestion after thinking about it using DCM sitting on the existing roof membrane and not fixing them down puncturing it. Maybe three per side and fix the frame to these. Would weigh 120 kg plus the PVs

They have got one I think it starts next month till may as they were talking about it on a group I’m in.

The backpack was only £180 I think when I bought it which isn’t that bad for something as well made

The £60 or so quid I save by getting something cheaper will be forgotten almost instantly, while being reminded that I should’ve spent the extra on a veto will haunt me each time I use it. Lol.
Sounds like it’s worth hanging on until the sale/deal starts - cheers for the heads up!

Even try looking on eBay, you’ll get one cheaper there that’s been used but they are designed to take a beating

This sounds sensible, I'm going to but them up against the perimeter wall, as that's going to be to the North of the panels, so between that and the weight I don't think they'll go anywhere.

I don't think they'll go anywhere.

Unless the existing roof can't take 120kg + PVs

I'm sure it can. Unless it's rotten already.

I have been wandering around up there ripping up the ivy and unidentified tree, so it can definitely take point loads of ~90kg. I reckon 130kg spread out over a wider area should be fine.

Yeah she's an old one! Ggl-8. Before they added the uk, or 0x designations.

The two pieces of vertical grey metal are still there, riveted on (flew a drone over roof to take a look), but the horizontal section the metal has fatigued and fallen off.

Ideally could replace whole thing for a gpl uk08 as same size and top hung so that it will actually open....

So it was installed to replace the 1880 ish stairwell light. Has a flat decorative glass ceiling over the actual stairwell which is still there in mostly one piece. Will look nicer when cleaned up.

Velux plonked on top of roof /boards (it's slate, felt then timber boards), so a mid pivot can't open more than 2cm due to the rafters being below.
Originally that was way onto roof, to do maintenance etc. So since this thing was done the building has gone downhill, as no one wants to pay £500 for scaff each time to get up there.
So in future might just replace whole unit with a top hung velux gpl type, so that can easily get on the roof once more. Only around £550 which i thought was very reasonable price tbh! But right now my indoor job list is massive

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Damn. The guy said he did that roof in slate! Bloody charged me for slate lol

So there's a couple of roof rafters running across the window opening!
If you have scaffolding up and don't ever intend cutting the rafters out, replacing it now with a top hung would mostly pay for itself next time you need a couple of slates replacing.

The current 24mm thick glazing should be a bit warmer compared to the old 16mm for next winter. Or at least just not leak whenever it rains.

2 or 3 from memory (fails to walk 5m to check). An epc cert guy was in yesterday and suggested just chopping the offending rafters, doubling up either side and top/toe it with some noggins.

Insulation question:

Kitchen has a hipped roof (slate), and the rafters are only 75mm deep.

Will I need to build out (in?) off these rafters to give a load more room for air gap and heftier thickness of PIR board - assuming 120mm?
Can’t tell if this is a mandatory building regs thing, or just what they prefer to see (and could I get away with 60mm PIR and 15mm between that and the membrane under the batons).

Previously had a suspended ceiling and zero insultation at all.

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I was told talk to (negotiate with?) building control. Especially true if you're in a conservation area. They'll want the best possible performance given the structure you have to work with. For us that means internal insulated board for sloping ceilings that gets close to (but doesn't meet) building reqs (U-value of 0.15).

Ventilation path is meant to be 50mm, eaves vents are meant to be equivalent to continuous 25mm gap.

Is this a new roof/extension?