Erecting Procedures

POULTONS ERECTING PROCEDURE

SETTING UP THE BASE IS THE SINGLE MOST CRITICAL PROCESS INVOLVED IN ERECTING ANY BUILDING!!

1. CHECK SITE IS LEVEL AND IF NOT WHICH DIRECTION THE FALL IS IN AND LEVEL SITE AS BEST AS POSSIBLE BEFORE LAYING SLABS OR BEARERS. SOME DIGGING MAY BE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN THE BEST LEVEL FOR THE BUILDING TO AVOID A LARGE STEP UP OR USE OF TOO MANY SLABS.

2. WHERE SLABS ARE TO BE LAID: START AT HIGHEST POINT AND CAREFULLY MEASURE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF BUILDING PLACING A SLAB IN EACH CORNER. CHECK LAYOUT IS SQUARE BY MEASURING THE DIAGONALS.

3. WORKING DOWN THE SLOPE SET UP EACH ROW OF SLABS AND BEARERS AT THE CORRECT DISTANCE APART REMEMBERING THERE SHOULD BE A BEARER UNDER EACH FLOOR JOINT WHERE MORE THAN 1 FLOOR SECTION IS USED. USING A SPIRIT LEVEL ENSURE EACH ROW/BEARER IS LEVEL AND LEVEL WITH THE PREVIOUS ROW USING THE CORRECT CHOCKS.

4. WHEN THE SLABS AND BEARERS HAVE BEEN SET UP, CHECK THAT THE ENDS OF THE BEARERS FACING THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING ARE ALL IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND THAT THE SLABS ARE ALSO IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND DO NOT PROTRUDE BEYOND THE BEARERS, SO GIVING A TIDY APPEARANCE AND ALSO ALLOWING FOR ANY SKIRTING THAT MAY BE REQUIRED TO BE FITTED EASILY. MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE PACKING PIECES BETWEEN EVERY SLAB AND BEARERS TO FULLY SUPPORT THE BEARERS. WHERE SLABS AND PACKERS ARE REQUIRED AT THE CORNER OF THE BUILDING MAKE SURE TWO SETS OF PACKERS ARE USED (ONE EITHER END OF THE SLAB) TO GIVE BETTER SUPPORT AND STOP THE SLAB FROM TIPPING.

LAYING THE FLOOR:

1. ONE PIECE FLOORS: LAY FLOOR CAREFULLY ONTO BEARERS ENSURING THAT THE FLOOR IS ALIGNED CORRECTLY WITH ANY PATHS, PATIO SLABS, WALLS ETC SO THAT IT LOOKS NEAT. THERE IS NO NEED TO FIX FLOOR TO THE BEARERES UNLESS THE SITE IS VERY EXPOSED OR THE JOB CARD INDICATES THAT YOU SHOULD.

2. MULTIPLE FLOOR SECTIONS: LAY FIRST SECTION OF FLOOR CAREFULLY ENSURING ALIGNMENT IS CORRECT AS ABOVE. FIX FLOOR TO BEARER AT EACH END OF SECTION USING 90MM SCREWS. NB: THE INNER BEARER SHOULD BE POSITIONED SO THAT THE FLOOR JOIST IS HALFWAY ACROSS THE BEARER SO ALLOWING THE NEXT FLOOR SECTION TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE SAME BEARER. THE NEXT FLOOR SETCION SHOULD BE PUSHED UP TO THE FIRST ONE ENSURING THERE IS A GOOD FIT ALONG THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE SECTION. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY GAPS BETWEEN THE SECTIONS. IF NECESSARY, CAREFULLY PLANE THE FLOOR BOARDS TO GET A GOOD FIT THEN SCREW THE SECTIONS TOGETHER THROUGH THE FLOOR JOIST AND INTO THE BEARER USING 90MM SCREWS. CARRY ON WITH EACH SECTION UNTIL YOU USE THE LAST ONE, AFTER WHICH DOUBLE CHECK THE ALIGHMENT BEFORE STARTING ON THE SIDE SECTIONS.

THE BUILDING:

1. START WITH END SECTION AND SIDE SECTION AFTER REFERRING BACK TO PLAN TO ENSURE RIGHT CONFIGURATION. POSITION SECTION ON FLOOR AND ENSURE THAT THE TOP OF THE SECTIONS LINE UP AND THE JOINT IS TIGHT BEFORE FINAL FIXING.

2. CHECK ANY JOING STRIPS ARE IN PLACE BEFORE ERECTING AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE CUT TO LENGTH.

3. MOVE ONTO NEXT SECTION AND SCREW OR BOLT TOGETHER DEPENDING ON SIZE OF BUILDING. AGAIN ENSURE THAT EACH SECTION IS LEVEL AT THE TOP AND FLUSH ON THE INSIDE BEFORE FIXING.

4. WHERE THERE ARE MULTIPLE SIDE SECTIONS MAKE SURE THE TRUSS CUTOUTS ARE CORRECT AND THEN SCREW THE TRUSS IN PLACE BEFORE ERECTING THE NEXT SIDE SECTION.

5. WHEN THE FINAL SECTION IS IN PLACE CHECK THAT THE BUILDING IS SQUARE ON THE FLOOR, THAT ALL SIDE AND END SECTIONS ARE IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND VERTICAL. THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS ON SMALLER BUILDINGS IS TO PUSH THE FRONT BACK TIGHT ONTO THE FLOOR AND THEN LINE UP THE SIDE SECTIONS WITH AN EVEN OVERLAP BOTH SIDES. ON LARGE BUILDINGS IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO MOVE THE SECTIONS ONCE THE WHOLE BUILDING IS IN PLACE SO CARE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THE BUILDING IS SQUARE AS YOU GO. AT THIS STAGE YOU CAN FIT THE RIDGE BAR IF ONE IS REQUIRED.

6. ROOF: PLACE THE FIRST SECTION OF ROOF ON THE BUILDING. FOR STANDARD SHEDS THE ROOF SHOULD BE LINED UP WITH AN EVEN OVERLAP AT EACH END THEN SCREWED TO THE RIDGE BAR. THE NEXT SECTION SHOULD BE OFFERRED UP AND FIXED IN PLACE ENSURING AN EVEN OVERLAP ON THE SIDES AND AT THE FRONT. ONE WAY TO CHECK THE FRONT IS SQUARE IS TO LOOK ALONG THE LINE OF THE ROOF BOARDS AND SEE IF THEY ARE PARALLEL TO THE FRONT OF THE SHED.

MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY SHED HAVE RECTANGULAR CUTOUTS FOR THE ROOF PURLINS TO FIT INTO. THESE SHOULD BE CUT IN THE FACTORY TO THE CORRECT DISTANCE FROM THE CENTRE LINE OF THE BUILDING TO ENSURE THE ROOF BOARDS COME TOGETHER WITHOUT OVERLAPPING OR LEAVING A LARGE GAP. SHOULD THE POSITION BE INCORRECT IT IS POSSIBLE TO RECUT THE SLOTS AND THEN CUT 38 X 50 OR 38 X 75MM PIECES TO INFILL BETWEEN THE PURLINS ON THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING. IF NECESSARY PIECES COULD ALSO BE CUT TO FIT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING TO LEAVE A TIDY FINISH.

LINED AND INSULATED ROOFS: THESE ARE FITTED USING THE SAME PRINCIPLES AS THE OTHER ROOFS EXCEPT THAT THE RIDGE PURLINS SHOULD BE SCREWED OR BOLTED TOGETHER WITH THE FIXINGS AS CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PURLIN AS FEASIBLE TO ENSURE THE INSIDE JOINT AT THE APEX IS AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE. CHECK ALONG THE LINE OF THE RIDGE EITHER BY EYE OR USING A TIGHT PIECE OF STRING TO CONFIRM THE RIDGE IS IN A STRAIGHT LINE BEFORE FIXING THE SIDES OF THE BUILDING TO THE ROOF SECTIONS. OSB BOARD SHOULD BE FITTED WITH A STANDARD OVERHANG AT THE EAVES OF 70MM AND THE BOARD SHOULD LAP HALFWAY OVER THE REQUISITE PURLIN.

FELTING:

START AT THE BOTTOM AND ENSURE THERE IS A 10-15MM OVERLAP BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE EAVES ROOF BATTEN AND THAT IT IS EVEN ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BUIILDING. SUBSEQUENT STRIPS OF FELT SHOULD OVERLAP BY AT LEAST 75MM AND MORE WHERE POSSIBLE. PENT AND FLAT ROOFED CORNER CABINS SHOULD HAVE SEALENT SPREAD ON THE JOINT BETWEEN STRIPS OF FELT TO ENSURE WATER CANNOT PENETRATE INTO THE BUILDING. ON THE RIDGE PIECE ENSURE THERE IS A GOOD OVERLAP PARTICULARLY ON THE PREVAILING WINWARD SIDE OF THE BUILDING. ALL FELT SHOULD BE NAILED AT 75-100MM SPACINGS.

FELT TILES:

THE BOTTOM LAYER IS POSITIONED UPSIDE DOWN SO THAT THERE IS CONTINUOUS FELT RUNNING ALONG THE EAVES OF THE ROOF AND WITH AN OVERLAP OF APPROX 38MM SO THAT IF GUTTERING IS FITTED THE EDGE OF THE FELT WILL COME TO HALF WAY OVER THE GUTTER. LINED AND INSULATED BUILDINGS WILL REQUIRE EITHER SLATERS FELT OR STRIPS OF THE FELT TILES NAILED TO THE VERTICAL EDGE OF THE EAVES BATTEN TO GIVE A CLEAN FINISH. WHERE POSSIBLE, USE UP ODD COLOURS/DESIGNS OF FELT TILE FOR THE FIRST ROW. THE NEXT ROW WILL COVER THE ODD COLOUR TILES. SUBSEQUENT ROWS OF TILES SHOULD OVERLAP BY HALF A TILES WIDTH TO ENSURE THE MAXIMUM WATERPROOFING. ALTERNATE LINES OF TILE SHOULD LINE UP TO FORM A STRAIGHT LINE UP TO THE APEX OF THE ROOF.

BARGE BOARDS:

1. ENSURE THEY ARE LONG ENOUGH BEFORE FITTING. IF TOO LONG TRIM OFF THE EXCESS AND TOUCH UP THE CUT ENDS. MAKE SURE THE APEX ENDS ARE TIGHT TOGETHER AND ABOUT 12MM ABOVE THE LEVEL OF TRHE ROOF ALONG THEIR LENGTH. WHEN FITTING FANCY BARGE BOARDS TRY AND MATCH THE ENDS TO GIVE A NEAT FINISH. CHECK FOR SHAKES, BAD KNOTS OR DEFECTIVE TREATMENT AND PUT THE BEST SURFACE FACING OUTWARDS.

2. FIT FINIALS MAKING SURE THEY ARE VERTICAL.

FINAL CHECKS:

MAKE SURE ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS OPEN AND CLOSE WITHOUT CATCHING OR RUBBING AND THAT THE LOCKS AND CATCHES ALL WORK EASILY.