While Genuine Gerard® may be the only choice when it comes to quality roofing materials, using it gives you the choice of three different types of roof frame, so you can choose the right material for your budget, style and location.

Unlike clay, concrete and bitumen roof coverings which require specific and expensive sub structures, Genuine Gerard® tiles can be fixed to timber frames, lightweight steel frames or a mixture of both.

While timber may be the traditional choice, lightweight steel roof frames are becoming more and more popular. Here’s why:

Lightweight

Like Gerard® tiles, steel roof frames are lightweight. This gives you all the strength of steel but in a material that’s easy to install and doesn’t require your building to support a heavy roof.

Each piece of the roof frame above is manufactured to the correct length, so assembly on site is just like a giant jigsaw puzzle. There’s no cutting or waste – just a simple straight forward assembly. This reduces installation time.  

Availability

Depending on where you are, what time of year it is and other external factors, the timber you require for your roof frame may not be readily available when you need it. A steel frame on the other hand can be manufactured to be available on any specific date.

Precision

Unfortunately, most of the timber used for roofing is not of a quality that matches that of Genuine Gerard®. Timbers are often not straight, and this can lead to problems laying the tiles, particularly if your installer is unskilled (Although a Genuine Gerard® Distributor should be able to recommend a trained installer). With a lightweight steel roof frame, every measurement is exact, the trusses and battens are dead straight, as are the spaces in between, and the finished result is a precision roof that looks as good as it possibly can. Genuine Gerard® customers are the most discerning of all and the combination of Gerard® and a steel roof will in most cases give the best result.

Cost

Closely linked to availability, and depending on where your site is, timber can be very expensive. In these cases, a lightweight steel roof could offer a cost advantage.

The Environment

While timber requires the cutting down of trees, often resulting in harmful deforestation, steel frames are manufactured in a clean environment from a material that can be recycled indefinitely.

To discover more benefits of Genuine Gerard® Roofing Systems, please visit our Benefits page, or explore www.gerardafrica.com