I'm finally putting up new fascia boards but find 2 weak old blokes cannot easily lift the weight of a 5m length of bottom row of (artificial) slates. So I want to fit the bits of wood which go over the rafters to take the weight of the bottom row. Can I just rip these "fillets" as from lengths of tile batten if I slap on plenty of preservative? Any other advice please on mistakes a complete noob to roofing could make?
I have concrete interlocking tiles which are even heavier, but aren't fixed. I slide the 2nd-bottom row up, such that I can lift the bottom row off. If your slates are nailed on (like real slates have to be), then I don't know how you would do this.
New roofing battens are supplied better preserved than anything you can buy to apply to them, so buy real roofing battens from a builders merchant or roofing supplier, not a piece of planed timber from B&Q.
However, on my house, the tiles rest on the top edge of the facia. When I replaced the facia, I fitted felt support trays over the top which support the bottom edge of the felt, and continue down into the gutter, so there's no way water can end up running down the facias (not to mention that the felt had long since rotted and been cut through by the weight of tiles on the top front corner of the old facias).
Yes thanks. I should have made clear I proposed to cut the fillets from battens and then treat the cut surface.
The bottom row of slates rest on the fascia. The roof and fascia were fitted that way by the builders in 1890 so I doubt I can get them back now to do it right :)
Thanks. I may buy them in for the main roof but the roofing supplies firms I called only do them with 45 degree cuts which I don't think will work for the low-pitch (c.25 degree) roof.
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