Victorian ridge tiles - dry verge?

[Strak]

Hello there,

 

Having a bit of a panic and hoping someone can help!

 

We're in the middle of a renovation on our Victorian house, which requires the roof to be replaced. We had asked the builder to look at the slates to see if they can be kept, but they're apparently not in great condition so have gone in the skip. Unfortunately I got home last night to find that several of our ridge tiles have also gone in the skip, which I was pretty upset about as I thought it was pretty obvious these are not things you should smash, especially when we're asking about saving other tiles on the roof.

 

The tiles look like the ones in this picture from a listing I found for replica finials (not sure if that has also been smashed yet, I haven't had the courage to look): https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1567111711/victorian-ball-roof-finial-copy-of?affcss=1&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=uk_location_buyer&utm_content=323889&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=323889&awc=6091_1773749147_23ef4306c19fc78597c4ac005b2b94c4.

They don't seem to be particularly common from a quick scan of reclamation yards.

 

As we're having a loft conversion done, I need to look at the plans to see if we can rescue some of the ridge tiles from the section of the roof that has not yet been removed to reuse elsewhere.

 

Builder has said it's not possible to reuse them as they will install a dry verge system. So my question is:

• Could this type of tile be fitted onto a dry verge system somehow?
• Is there a building regs requirement to specifically use a dry verge system?

 

Thanks!

[Redbeard]

Hmmm...

 

a) I share your pain!

 

b)

1 hour ago, Strak said:

Is there a building regs requirement to specifically use a dry verge system?

Maybe there is (though I am not certain for refurb) due to the feeling that mortar and gravity are not going to hold your ridges forever. I wonder if you could satisfy them if you did some clever metal strap-wrangling so that you could trap down each 'plain' end below the 'oversail' of the next. If you used, say 3mm steel and worked it hot (or got a fabricator to do so - all they need is your sketch and dimensions) this could work. But it would have to 'work' for roofer and BCO. If I had such lovely ridges I would be happy to finish that myself if BCO would accept it.

[Strak]

Thanks for your reply - I'm planning to email BCO to understand if they have specific requirements about it. I'm not quite sure what you mean on how a metal strap would work, I really have no experience in this area. Do you mean use a strap attached to each ridge tile to create an oversail that would hold down the next tile?

[Redbeard]

 Oh bu--er! I have just looked at your pic again. I was thinking of bog-standard Victorian terrace ones like mine, where each one has a 'hood' which overlaps the next. That won't work with your plain-ended tiles. Will see what else I can think of.

Edited 4 hours ago by Redbeard
Visualising wrong ridge tiles!!

[Redbeard]

OK, try again! I cannot see how wide your butt joints are, but could you have it galvanised with one end flat and the other rising and curling over the curved section of the next tile. But how does one stop water running down the strap? 

 

And again...!

 

Brackets shaped to sit over the ridge with 'wings' rising up the triangular edges of the ridge tile to 'hug' them - maybe 2 per tile, and somehow with some 'spring' to the 'wings'.