# Forum Home Renovation Roofing  scribing colour bond ridge caps

## estwing

i am replacing a colour bond roof .Has anyone got any tips or advice for scribing the ridge and hip capping.thanks in advance.
                                                   Estwing :Biggrin:

----------


## chrisp

If you are happy with how the old capping fitted the roof, you could use the old ridging as a pattern for cutting the new capping.

----------


## pawnhead

Hi estwing (great hammers  :Wink: ) 
The prevailing weather here is from the South, so I'd start at the north with my roofing, and overlap the Southern sheets to minimise the effects of wind driven rain creeping between the sheets, and travelling by capillary action. Before installing the hips, I'd turn up the valleys of the corrugations in the roof sheets at the top, with a pair of pliers (if I hadn't already done it more easily on the ground). 
I'd tack the Northern hip on first with two fixings, then I'd mark the bottom in line with the roofing. Then I'd mark the the centre line of the ridge, and the centre line of the opposite hip, and I'd cut it along those lines with a grinder or tin snips (a grinder is more likely to give an unruffled cut, but be careful since the spoils can burn into colourbond, and start rusting if you don't clean them all up). Then I'd fix the hip down.  
A professional steel roofer that I once worked with (I'm a chippy/builder), just pop riveted the edges to the roofing at reasonably close centres, with a bit of silicone in between. It looked much neater than big roofing screws, but I'm not sure about the permissibility, especially in cyclone areas. 
Then I'd tack the Southern hip in position, mark the centreline of the ridge along to the crown point, and mark from the intersection of the edge, with the edge of the Northern hip, back up to the crown point, and mark the bottom of the hip. When installing, I'd put some silicone where it overlaps the northern hip, and pop rivet them together. 
The ridge should go on last, overlapping everything else. I'd hold the ridge in place with its end exactly at the crown point, and I'd mark where the edges intersect with the hips, and join the dots. I'd put heaps of silicone inside and around the apex before installing the ridge capping, and I'd clean up any overspill with a dry rag. 
A lovely roll top capping looks good when all the mitres are perfectly straight, the intersections meet perfectly, and they come to a perfect point at the apex. Most people woudn't notice a dog's breakfast, but I'd spot a dodgy job in a heartbeat, because I've got a habit of scrutinising every building I see.  :Smilie:  
My next door neighbour's is a shocker (he did it himself)

----------


## estwing

thanks for your replys i will let you know how i get on
                                          estwing :Biggrin:

----------

