How many spare roof tiles to keep? Does your place look like a reclamation yard?

[overlander matt]

We have a couple of roofs with Staffordshire blue tiles. One has been repaired and the other on the barn in the photo (total 7500 tiles) will need re-roofing in the next couple of years (could be longer of course given previous form). As a temporary measure before winter, I replaced a few damaged sections, filled over some existing holes etc in an effort to keep it as watertight as possible. Just this took around 100 tiles but the roof is now more or less as good as it can be. I have the option to buy a lot of reclaimed staffie blues from a neighbour who has finished a barn conversion recently. The question is how many tiles to go for? I already have an area here that looks like a reclamation yard and would prefer not to make it much worse... It makes me wonder how bad other members' spare parts piles are?

I've found the staffie blues are reasonably tough and mostly reusable. I'm wondering how many are going to survive the reroofing process. 90-95%? On the last roof we drilled every 5th row of tiles for nailing which was perhaps overkill and this resulted in a few breakages. Other than that the odd nib got broken off and that was about it.

If there's anyone else around the East Midlands in need of some please let me know.

Thanks.

Matt

 

[Cubist]

.. It makes me wonder how bad other members' spare parts piles are?

Don't go there. Seriously, it's a sore and sometimes hot topic best avoided like the veritable plague round here. I get accused of all sorts of misdemeanours associated with my 'scrap' and many seem to have greater potential consequences than say my casting a roving eye where I shouldn't. particularly in a Rec Yard!

 

[CarolineTheChemist]

I’m rather proud of my personal salvage yard. It’s still growing but I’m sure I’ll get around to using it all at some point…

 

[Craig89]

The top half of my garden is entirely reclamation yard. Sooner have it and not need it than need it and not have it I always say. Always worth keeping matching materials, especially if you know you have an upcoming project where they will be required. Most of mine is being saved for a workshop build in the next couple of years. After that it will be thinned down considerably

 

[paulc]

I have the option to buy a lot of reclaimed staffie blues from a neighbour who has finished a barn conversion recently. The question is how many tiles to go for?

The obvious answer is "all of them".
My pile consists of 200 pavers, a couple of bulk bags of sharp sand, and a handful of soft red bricks. The few roof tiles I do have are not fit for anything other than hardcore, so on the look out for spares.

 

[Feltwell]

I have absolutely no idea what any of you are on about when in comes to having your own personal reclamation yard.....







Luckily for me, the first 2 pictures are a return from my garden across the back of next door's garden to a side lane - so hidden from sight, for both me and the neighbour. The cill is a recent acquisition and whilst I used to lift such things on my own, deference to my increasing years means I'm not lugging that bloody thing down the garden on my own! In fact I will lower it off the trestles using my engine crane, for storage until I get around to sorting out the new sash window it needs to be installed beneath.

My hoarding tendencies came in useful recently. 16 years ago we re-roofed the old scullery, which is a single storey section jutting out of the back of the house, half mine and half next door's. I put "new" reclaimed ridge tiles on as the old ones were mis-matching. 16 years later the neighbours are having an extension added to theirs, unbeknownst to me & them their roofer took 2 of the ridge tiles off to join their new ridge in - and broke one of them.

He was going to stick it back together with Gripfill until I intervened and said I'd got a spare.........

The "return" in the first 2 pictures is my intended site for a brick built outhouse with doors on both ends. This has been in the planning stage for a number of years now...... you know how these things do!

Oh yeah, I forgot - the other side of the garden has a big stack of roofing tiles and quarry tiles as well!

How many roof tiles to keep - well, when we redid the house roof with brand new tiles I kept about 20 plain tiles, plus a few tile and halves and eaves tiles. That was about right, I think I've needed about 3 plain tiles in 16 years since then, to replace broken ones. They look totally different when they go on, but will of course weather in to match.

The old tiles that came off the house, I hoped to salvage enough to do the garage with. A lot more were bad than I thought - they looked OK until disturbed. I ended up buying better reclaims for the garage, but even so with these reclaims I probably change a couple of tiles a year. I suspect Staff blues are a lot tougher.

Nailing every 5th row is normal, that's not overkill.

 

[88v8]

I have the option to buy a lot of reclaimed staffie blues from a neighbour who has finished a barn conversion recently. The question is how many tiles to go for?

You'll kick yourself if you end up short... perhaps 1,000?

Ivor

 

[LadyArowana]

I have absolutely no idea what any of you are on about when in comes to having your own personal reclamation yard.....

Me neither, I have maybe 20 slates, a piece of old mahogany handrail with ugly metal fixings, a couple of large plastic tubs with spare indoor things like finger plates and two coffee pots of sundries. Apart from the coffee pots they live in the under pavement vaults, no room in a courtyard garden for even a tiny reclamation yard.

 

[a twig]

How many people have moved their personal reclamation yards between houses? I have some bath stone that is currently in its third residence under my ownership

 

[overlander matt]

View attachment 10254

The top half of my garden is entirely reclamation yard. Sooner have it and not need it than need it and not have it I always say. Always worth keeping matching materials, especially if you know you have an upcoming project where they will be required. Most of mine is being saved for a workshop build in the next couple of years. After that it will be thinned down considerably

That's a good collection of pallets too Craig!

 

[overlander matt]

The obvious answer is "all of them".
My pile consists of 200 pavers, a couple of bulk bags of sharp sand, and a handful of soft red bricks. The few roof tiles I do have are not fit for anything other than hardcore, so on the look out for spares.

I tend to agree but I am not keen on having them kicking around for the number of years it takes to get planning permission and finances to reroof a barn. There are a mix of old handmades and newer available so I probably won't take the 2 crates that are available... If anyone wants some then please let me know.

 

[overlander matt]

You'll kick yourself if you end up short... perhaps 1,000?

Ivor

I always kick myself Ivor - it's wishful thinking that it won't be as bad as I think it will!

 

[Gothichome]

I too have a small stack of most valuable old home parts. Mostly soft bricks from a chimney tear down, several bundles of unused shingles, glad I have those, they don’t make them any more. Lots of original floor boards etc. old home people, were just a lot of pack rats, as mentioned better to have than not when needed.

 

[Kearn]

I need to build a new outbuilding to house our stock so that we can reclaim our garden, driveway and patios…

 

[malcolm]

I've been tidying my stuff as I got fed up with the builder's yard look. My wood store is now 20m long but I'm keeping the actual wood only at the far end. The bricks won't go very far but there ought to be enough good ones to use in a plinth wall for a new wooden garage. Bulk bags of sand are now under cover too but that's probably going to make the builders sand clump together and make it a pain to mix.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Hi all. The previous owner of my house has left red brick everywhere in the garden. They look in okay condition but they’ve been out and in all the elements for probably a few years. I was planning on keeping them to help line my future flower beds, but are they of any use in any other way? I was thinking they might make a nice brick border when I redo our driveway (the inner part will be slabs).

 

[Gothichome]

Lizzie, sort out the good bricks and put aside, the weather will not hurt them as long as they get air flow around them. I use mine (good bricks) for replacements should I develop a spalled brick, I usually get one spall every year.

 

[Flyfisher]

We all know not to get rid of any potentially useful building materials; the challenge is usually where to store them. We're fortunate to have a lot of space so I have many pallets hidden in the undergrowth and one of the best attachments I've ever bought for my tractor is a set of pallet forks. Over the years my 'reclamation yard' has been a veritable boon. The only downside to storing pallets in the undergrowth is that they only lasy 4-5 years before rotting and then falling apart when attempting to move the contents with my tractor. I'm now eyeing Malcolm's storage arrangement with great envy and am already mentally planning some future building works!

 

[Gothichome]

Yes, Malcolm’s set up is great, it’s so organized even my wife would approve.

 

[a twig]

I've been tidying my stuff as I got fed up with the builder's yard look. My wood store is now 20m long but I'm keeping the actual wood only at the far end. The bricks won't go very far but there ought to be enough good ones to use in a plinth wall for a new wooden garage. Bulk bags of sand are now under cover too but that's probably going to make the builders sand clump together and make it a pain to mix.

View attachment 16174

Crikey that has extended since I last saw it! Looks awesome!