roof panels

Our steel erector began putting the insulated roof panels up this week. Together with the insulated wall panels and the metal trim, this comprises the final layer in the prefabricated shell of the house. The panels themselves are pretty impressive:

Each roof panel is held in place by a series of stainless steel clips which are fastened to the z-purlins with long screws. The standing seam on the roof panels is then crimped around the clips, and around the adjoining panel, holding them in place and providing a watertight seal. The clips are designed to avoid providing a thermal break, or interruption in the insulation. Two kinds of sealants – a butyl tape and a polyurethane caulk – provide a moisture barrier between the panels. 

Our roof panels have a 4” layer of isocyanurate insulation (which gives them an insulating value of R-33) sandwiched between two thin layers of steel. The inside face is painted white, and is intended to be exposed, but in tin box it will be hidden behind the galvanized B-deck, which will provide the shiny, silver finish for our ceilings. On the upper side, the roof panels have a beautiful galvalume finish. 

Kingspan manufactured the roof panels in Deland, Florida. Their equipment cuts the panels to their final length, which eliminates a lot of on-site waste. The panels need some preparation on site, since some need to be cut to fit around various obstructions and the lower ends of each roof slope need to be adjusted to accommodate the gutter. The tricky part is lifting the panels into place, since they can weigh a lot, and need to be lifted in a way that does not flex them or cause the metal and insulation to delaminate.

When the shell is complete, we will install the photovoltaic panels on the upper roof. Our p/v panels stick directly to the surface of the roof panels.