What material to use for summerhouse replacement roof?

by **Alvin Wyllie** » Sat May 09, 2015 7:34 am

I erected a 3m x 3m summerhouse three years ago. The roof was less than 1/2-inch thick chipboard and is now sagging well and needs replacing (the structure was the cheapest but looked good). What material (wood or plastic) would be better, or best for replacement? I'd prefer to recover it with roofing felt to keep the outside appearance the same. Also what should be the maximum unsupported dimension?

by **diydoctor6** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:32 am

It sounds as through the sagging has been caused by moisture getting to the chipboard, but if it has been covered with felt properly we would expect this not to happen after only 3 years. The options for covering the roof are felt, rubber, tin or even shingles - up to you and your budget.

There's nothing that stipulates the 'unsupported dimension' for a shed/summer house - If it's sagging, I suspect you need more support?

Find out more about joist spans here: https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/lo ... _walls.htm