How to Protect the Roof of Your Garden Home from Decay - 20 March, 2012

When you are building a garden home on your property with structural insulated panels, you should take efforts to prevent roof decay to make your garden home last longer.

 

Structural insulated panels, or SIPS, are made with an inner core of lightweight polyurethane foam product between two panels of oriented strand board. They are excellent for constructing outdoor structures such as a garden home and they are very easy to use and quick to assemble. However, these materials can be sensitive to moisture if they are not sealed properly and over the long term this can lead to decay.

 

It is very important to make sure that the SIPS are sealed properly so that moisture-laden air from the outside cannot make it through to the inside of the house. If the seals are airtight there is no risk that moisture will enter into the structure and cause problems. Taking a bit of extra time and effort to seal your garden home at first will ensure that it will last for many years to come and offer you an excellent and high quality structure.

 

This is especially crucial in a climate such as the United Kingdom, where there will inevitably be a large amount of precipitation throughout the year. With so much rain, your garden home will need to be able to stand up to the elements and stay sealed in order to prevent eventual decay.

 

Strategies for Sealing the Roof Structure

 

One strategy for preventing this problem is installing a membrane which will go between the tongue-and-groove ceiling and the structural insulated panels, as well as another membrane which will go between the top of the panels and the metal roof.

 

Another solution is to spray sealing foam into all of the roof seams and then cover the seams on the interior with special tape. This can be difficult depending on the style of roof you have chosen, as tongue and groove construction makes this strategy impractical. However, the important thing is to create an airtight seal so as long as you can do this it will help immensely.

 

Ventilation is Important

 

Another factor which affects the structural insulated panel roof on your garden home is ventilation. If the space is improperly ventilated it can exaggerate the roof decay and cause a number of problems. Before your garden home is installed, talk to your builder about what type of ventilation system is right for the structure and how to properly install it.

 

Structural Insulated Panel Maintenance

 

Once you have built your garden home and ensured that your structural insulated panel roof is properly sealed, you will want to keep an eye on it over the years to make sure that it is still functioning as it should be. All it takes is a quick check up every now and then to ensure that the seals are still airtight. This means that if any maintenance is needed it can be done right away and will not cause any serious damage. With proper maintenance your structure should last for many years to come.