residential weekend course

roofing & foundations


venue: Redfield Community, Bucks

Whether your house is straw-bale, timber, cob, rammed earth, or bricks and mortar, it's going to need foundations and a roof.

This roofing and foundations course is run by builder and Redfield member James Betteress (who built LILI's wonderful new office).

Theory sessions will include:

  • general roof design
  • flat roofs, hipped roofs, reciprocating roofs, shingles, slates, other kinds of tiles, flashing, corrugated roofs, including onduline
  • health and safety
  • scaffold towers
  • the importance of getting foundations right
  • strip or raft foundations with concrete
  • the environmental benefits of avoiding concrete
  • strip foundations with hardcore and tyres
  • pier foundations of brick or timber
  • limecrete foundations

There will be a tour of various straw-bale and timber-frame structures at Redfield, looking at different kinds of roofs and foundations.

There will be practical sessions on a demo roof, including fitting slates, recycled plastic slates, shingles, tiles, ridges, felt and battens and soffits and fascias.

The foundations part of the course will be just theory - don't worry, we won't get you digging trenches.

dates: see 'book online' below

more on roofing           more on building general


how to book:
 

if you can't open the booking form, you need Acrobat Reader - it's free

arrive:
 
Friday evening at 6.30 for dinner at 7.30
depart:
 
Sunday after lunch (served at 1.00)
directions:
 
click here for directions by bicycle, public transport and car
what to bring:
 
pen and notebook; towel (meals and bedding are provided)
NO DOGS PLEASE
let us know:
 
if you are vegan or have any food allergies, or any special needs
accommodation:
 
3-4 people sharing single-sex rooms
prices:
 
£190 high-waged; £170 waged;
£150 student / unwaged
Refundable up to two weeks prior to course (minus £30 admin fee)
No refunds for cancellations within two weeks of course
car sharing:
 
visit our car sharing forum to offer or request a lift