Point North, Gloster Hill Self Build

Before we can finally get the scaffolding down the final bits of the roof needed to be finished, this meant putting on the aluminium parapets, laying the green roof, ballasting the main roof and finally installing the solar panels.

Aluminium Trim

All around the roof some bespoke trims have been installed, these ensure that water flows onto the roof and not down the cladding and provides a final protection.

The gutters are also installed along the east side. The gutters are quite large as the whole roof (98m2) feeds the rain water to this single gutter.

The hook in the last photo is for OpenReach to install their fibre .. which now apparently isn’t needed. More on this later.

Green Roof

A feature that we’ve always wanted is a green roof, and as the house is being built by Green Roof Structures we had to get them to fit one. There was no point in making the main roof green but we have a small ‘infill roof’ which our master bedroom looks over which was just right.

We’ve installed a hybrid sedum/soil roof – we double joisted above the guest bedroom for strength – the top soil under the sedum has been sprinkled with wild flowers and the top soil spread on the sedum has had some addition flower seeds.

Crossed fingers that it develops as hoped.

Supporting the ‘green theme’ I’ve transplanted my hop and Fiona’s hundred trees have been brought on site.

Solar PV

A key part of our build is sustainability and as we have only electricity powered heating (via Heat Pump), we want to produce as much electricity ourselves. As we are ‘North’ we don’t get as much sun and a flat roof means the panels are not quite at the optimised angle but they are directly south. So we’ve installed as many panels (18) as we can, which have a notional peak of 6.8kW – this will probably mean we produce a peak of about 5.5kW.

The panels sit in baskets with gravel bags in to stop movement – they aren’t fastened to the roof at all but are aerodynamically shaped to push down when the wind blows – something I may need to confirm with John our RollsRoyce engine expert! Before the next Storm Arwin

Solar panels are reducing in price all the time and the baskets actually cost more than the panels !!!!

These panels are being paired with a 9.5kW battery and a 5kW inverter from GivEnergy

Final Finishing

The main roof as it’s not a green roof needs to be ‘protected’ with first a felt membrane, and then some gravel ballast.

Unfortunately for the builders the day the gravel was put on the roof it rained, and rained. So much so that the hoist failed so they man handled the gravel up to the roof ! Rather them than me.

Although we won’t see it much the roof look good now it’s finished.

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