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FAQ’s

  1. I have accepted your quotation. What are your payment terms and how do we proceed from here?
    • Well, you have chosen a SATAS quality approved plant and a fabricator who is licensed to an ISO 9001 certified organisation, so congratulations are in order.
      In order to comply with our own quality system, our license conditions and SATAS requirements we request that you sign all pages of your quotation, the roof layout and any other addendums and forward it, together with your deposit to ourselves without delay. We will schedule your project as soon as these conditions have been met.
      Our representatives will keep you updated on the progress where necessary and inform you of the actual delivery date, upon which we require the balance due.
  2. Do you supply a “roof certificate”?
    • Yes, if included in your quotation we will supply you with a “Regulation A19” completion certificate.
  3. Does this “Regulation A19” completion certificate mean that my roof is structurally sound?
    • Yes, but you must take note that this is known as a “completion” certificate. In other words, this means that your roof has been erected according to the DESIGN drawings and in accordance with the bracing details as laid down by the Institute for Timber Construction (ITC-SA).This does NOT necessarily mean your roof has been designed correctly and that the correct loads have been applied. Once again – this means that a Fabricator with competent designer and quality system AND an Erector must be employed and who are correctly graded for your project. LCP Roofing can offer you this assurance and will supply you with a manufacturer’s certificate if requested.
  1. Can I support my geyser on the Roof Trusses or Tie Beam?
    • No, unless this was EXPRESSLY included in the design and indicated as such, this cannot be done. A full Geyser can easily weigh 300kg or more and this places the truss under extreme stress that was not designed for.
      It is far cheaper to support your geyser on internal walls.
  2. What about solar panels?
    • This must be EXPRESSLY requested and the position of the panels and geyser is to be indicated on the drawings submitted to ourselves. Most solar systems require that the geysers are placed above the solar panels and the affected trusses have to be specially designed to carry the imposed loads.
  3. Why do you sometimes use short battens (brandering) and join on site? Is this not substandard work and am I not being “short changed”?
    • Absolutely not. Timber is a natural product and its scarcity is increasing. There are times when the timber mills are unable to supply to the demand and long lengths are very difficult to come by. We then purchase short lengths and use a Batten Splice which is perfectly acceptable means of splicing timber. In fact, it is actually the preferred method and the method and application is governed by SANS 1783-4:2010.
  4. Do you use STEEL purlins and battens on roofs?
    • Yes, at our discretion we do, the reasons being two-fold:
      Firstly: Due to timber being a natural product, and being in high demand, there are times when the product is either unobtainable or of unacceptable quality.Secondly: Steel purlins and battens are easier to transport and wastage and site theft is less prevalent.We generally, as a rule, use steel purlins on steel sheeted roofs as the purlins are perfectly straight and give a high quality to the look and level of the final product. The roof sheeter is to take special note of this and accommodate the gable trim fixing details in his design.Steel battens can also be used on concrete tiled roofs but we take special care to ensure that the exposed areas are done in timber and retain the timber “look”.
  5. If I accept my Quotation today, when can you deliver?
    • We pride ourselves in a very reasonable delivery period which can be within a few days. Please bear in mind that there are traditional periods in the South African annual cycle when we enter which is commonly known as “silly season”. These are just before the Easter holidays and the last quarter of each year. Our factory is then often booked up for up to 6 weeks in advance. It is best to place your order well in advance so that you can avoid the bottlenecks.
  6. I placed my order and paid my deposit weeks ago and now you tell me that you can only deliver a week later than planned.
    • As soon as we accept your signed quotation and deposit, your project is entered into our production schedule. It is very important to note that we can only do final design once we are able to take accurate measurements of your completed building. We will guarantee the date originally agreed upon if your brickwork is completed according to schedule. However, if your building work is delayed for whatever reason, a new production date will be allocated to the first available opening in the factory. Please communicate with ourselves as soon as you experience any delays so that we able to plan a date that will fit into your schedule.
  7. Can you offload the timber or tiles anywhere on my property?
    • Unfortunately, this is not possible. Our delivery vehicles can, when fully loaded, weigh up to 50 tons or more. Some of our rigs are close on 18m long and are unable to turn in restricted spaces. Building sites are often fraught with muddy conditions and soft, uncompacted areas and a recovery can cost many thousands of rands.We request that you provide an adequate lay-down area next to a well-compacted access road.
  1. Now that the timberwork is complete, when do you commence with the roof coverings?
    • Our tiling teams will already have been scheduled to visit your site approximately 2 days after the timberwork is fully completed.This give you time to ensure the following is completed:
      1. All beamfilling is completed,
      2. All plastering is completed over areas where roof tiling is to take place,
      3. All undertile flashings are installed by the plumber,
      4. That there is sufficient plaster sand and cement on site to complete the ridging.
  2. Do you guarantee your work?
    • Yes we do. We will make good any problems due to faulty workmanship. Please do not allow plasterers, painters, electricians and TV installations to work on the roof. We can unfortunately not be held responsible for damages caused by others.
  1. Are You SABS approved?
    • The question is in fact a misnomer and begs clarification before it can be answered. This could indeed have been the correct question to ask prior to the repeal of the Standards Act, 1945 (Act No. 24 of 1945), which was replaced by the new Standards Act, No. 8 of 2008. By which the SABS is currently governed as the peak national standards body with no regulatory functions. All South African standards that were previously published by the South African Bureau of Standards with the prefix “SABS” have been redesignated as a South African National Standards and are now published by Standards South Africa (a division of SABS with the prefix “SANS”. The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) is recognised by the South African Government as the SingleNational Accreditation Body that gives formal recognition that Laboratories, Certification Bodies, Inspection Bodies, Proficiency Testing Scheme Providers and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) test facilities are competent to carry out specific tasks. SANAS certificates and their accompanying schedules are a formal recognition that an organisation is competent to perform specific tasks. South African Technical Auditing Services (PTY) LTD (SATAS) is accredited by The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) as a Product Certification Body for the manufacturers of different products as listed in the scope of accreditation. The South African National Standard [for Monoplaner Prefabricated Timber Roof Trusses (nail plated)] – SANS 1900 governs the manufacture of Roof Trusses in South Africa. Both SABS and SATAS Comply with ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996 for Product Certification under SANS 1900. LCP Roofing (Pty)Ltd operates under the SANS 1900 scheme and is therefore granted permission to apply the SATAS logo to wood and wood products EAC 6 DD, manufactured and in compliance with SANS 1900.
  2. Does that mean that a Truss Plant / Fabricator that operates under SANS 1900 is either SATAS or SABS quality approved?
    • Yes, a Truss Fabricator will be permitted to apply either the SATAS or the SABS logo to its manufactured product.
  3. Can a Truss Fabricator apply BOTH marks?
    • Yes, technically this would be possible but as both marks operate according to and comply with SANS 1900, ie: identical requirements, practically this is not necessary.
  4. So, do ALL Truss plants operate under, and are permitted to apply the product certification body’s marks?
    • No, they do NOT. As of January 2012 there are only 4 Fabricators in South Africa that are SATAS certified and 2 Fabricators that are SABS certified.
  5. My quote has a SABS logo on it, does this mean I’m buying with confidence?
    • Not necessarily, look again carefully.
      South African Fabricators use one of four design “SYSTEMS” – These “systems” are permitted to apply the SABS mark in respect of the DESIGN software and the nail plates used to fabricate the trusses. This mark APPLIES to the SYSTEM and NOT THE FABRICATOR.There is NO GUARANTEE that the fabricator is indeed deemed competent enough or GRADED to design & manufacture your trusses to the required quality standards.LCP Roofing is a SATAS Quality approved Fabricator and operates under licence from International Truss Systems (ITS). International Truss Systems is an ISO 9001 certified Organisation.
  6. How often is your Truss Plant inspected or audited?
    • As mentioned before, there are only Six Fabricators in SA who currently operate under SANS 1900 and who receive regular inspections and audits. These audits and inspections vary but are a minimum of 6 unannounced audits and 2 FULL Planned audits per year.ALL Other fabricators in SA (as of January 2012 there are 226) are subjected to audits by the Institute for Timber Construction (ITC-SA). Unfortunately, due to a manpower shortage these audits are conducted only once a year and in some instances plants were last audited 2 years ago. The ITC-SA is currently undergoing a major “makeover” and plans are afoot to increase the audit frequency. Our advice to you – the consumer, is: Only employ a Fabricator who can guarantee you of the quality you require and who is independently audited.
  7. Grading is mentioned above, what does it mean in this context?
    • The Institute for Timber Construction (ITC-SA) has a grading system for Truss Fabricators and Erectors. LCP Roofing is both an “A” Graded FABRICATOR and an “A” Graded ERECTOR.These gradings determine, inter-alia, the competence of the estimators and the designers, record keeping, administration systems and fabrication quality control.
  8. How does the Grading system work?
    • Below is an extract from the ITC-SA website. There is also a list on their website of the Fabricator gradings.
      A B C D
      (Complex roofs, including): (Complex Domestic and Simple Industrial and Commercial Roofs, including up to 10 meter span): (Simple roofs up to and including 8.5 meter span with standard loadings and including the following): (Simple Roofs up to and including 6.6 meter spans with standard loadings and including the following):
      1. Scissors Trusses > 5 meters span
      2. Site Splicing
      3. Attics and Dormers
      4. Large spans &gt 10 meters
      5. Piggy back trusses
      6. Cantilevers &gt 2 meters span
      7. Complex Industrial
      8. Complex Commercial
      9. Laminated Timber Roof Structures
      10. Public Schools and Buildings
      1. Hips and Valleys up to 10 meter span
      2. Non-standard Loads
      3. Scissor Trusses up to 5 meters
      1. Valleys
      2. Girders with hangers and/or metal cleats
      3. Stub ends
      4. Cantilevers up to 2 meters span
      5. Simple Hips up to 8.5 meters span
      6. Minimum pitch of 5 degrees
      1. Small valleys up to 3 meters span
      2. No Hips