Roof

The roof is one of the structural and esthetic elements that are significant for the whole building. Its shape and the materials used for the finish determine the style of the entire construction; once finished, the roof becomes an element that is expressive of the style of the building. 

The roof is the most exposed part of a building and requires regular upkeep. During work to replace it, it is necessary to be watchful to respect the coherence of the whole composition in order not to harm its balance. The use of original materials for a roof replacement contributes to the retention of the architectural integrity of a building.

Church of Sainte-Famille of Cap-Santé

Region: Québec - Chaudière-Appalaches

At this building site, it was a question of whether all the Canadian sheet metal should be replaced, and whether the wooden arrows should be taken down and restored on the ground.
The problems in restoring these roofs arose from their dimensions rather than technical aspects. The type of sheet metal in place was of small dimensions. For the installation, that meant that more rows would have to be laid out, and the greater amount of work would result in higher costs for the building site.

In order to reduce these costs, a type of slightly larger sheet metal was selected. Technically and visually, it was not too much different from the original model in place. By this decision, the expenses of the building site were cut by 20% to 25%.

During the repair of the soffits, major questions arose: at the opening of the base of the roof, at the junction of the masonry walls, significant bulging was noticed. The question consequently arose whether this already expensive building site should not be allowed a second phase for the restoration of the masonry. After several surveys, it proved that the deformations were not recent, and that the walls had since stabilized. One of the principal indices was that the interior decoration, among others that of the cornice, followed the lines of deformation and seemed to be applied to the already deformed wall. This outgrowth of the walls probably dates from the years immediately following the construction of the building.

Excerpt from the technical guide no 3, Les couvertures en « tôle à baguettes », collection Maître d'œuvre, Ville de Québec, 1988.

"Sheet metal with rods" is a type of metal roofing, which was commonly employed in the 19th century. It was used to cover both important buildings and simple houses. "Sheet metal with rods" is a material of great durability. 

This very old technique was probably imported around the year 1800 from Europe. It owes its name to the wooden rods on which the joints of the metal sheets are attached. These wooden cleats, which vary according to the time and the region they were used, are laid out perpendicular on the overflow of the roof, with spacings that depend on the width of the sheets. Thus, the pattern varies according to the shape of the roof. Builders usually used tinplate in the oldest roofs. After 1850, this material was replaced by galvanized sheet metal and, on prestigious buildings, by copper.

There were also similar systems, such as pinched sheet metal or sheet metal with upright joints. One can recognize it by its drawn-up joints, which do not require rods at the longitudinal junction of the sheets. Nowadays, new materials are available, like sheets of stainless steel, of enameled steel, and of pre-painted aluminum. There are also several industrial products, which imitate the pattern of "sheet metal with rods". On the other hand, structures using these materials seldom possess either the aesthetic quality or the degree of strength of the original ones.