AU2008200463A1 - Improved roofing system - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: IMPROVED ROOFING SYSTEM Applicant: Roof Doctors SA Pty Ltd The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 6067 TH 00 O-2- IMPROVED ROOFING SYSTEM This application claims priority from Australian provisional patent application No.

2007900482 filed on 1 February 2007, the contents of which are to be taken as Iincorporated herein by this reference.

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r Field of the Invention 00 The present invention relates to methods and systems for fitting and/or fixing ridge cap tiles to tiled roofs, such as those found on domestic and commercial dwellings.

Backgqround of the Invention Tiled roofs, such as those found on many buildings, including domestic dwellings, are normally constructed with tiles laid in rows on battens that are fixed to the roof frame structure. Each row of tiles is typically referred to as a 'course'. Adjacent courses are overlapped to effectively weatherproof the roof.

Adjoining surfaces of pitched roofs are connected by a transition, typically either in the form of a valley a V-shaped transition) or a ridge a A-shaped transition). In the case of tiled roofs a number of capping tiles known as "ridge cap tiles" are usually fitted over a ridge. The ridge cap tiles curve downwardly and overlap with the top or header course of tiles on either side of the ridge with the sides of the ridge cap tile spaced from the top of the header course of tiles by a few millimeters or centimeters. Adjacent ridge cap tiles are overlapped along the length of the ridge to assist in weatherproofing the roof. Tiled roofs of this type are known for their durability.

Before fitting ridge cap tiles over a ridge, a bed of cement is usually laid on the header course of tiles on either side of the ridge and the ridge cap tiles are bedded into the cement. The cement bed primarily supports the ridge cap tiles and normally only provides minimal adhesion between the ridge cap tiles and the header course tiles. The ridge cap tiles are typically then pointed by filling the space between the sides of the ridge cap tiles and the header course tiles with a pointing material, such as mortar or 00 -3commercially available pointing materials such as Roofbond

TM

RidgebondTM, Acryloc

TM

SFlexi-point T M or Tilepoint T M which are relatively flexible polymer containing mortars. The pointing prevents entry of rain, wind, and vermin into the roof space and also provides an aesthetically pleasing finish.

IDThe bedding of ridge cap tiles on cement is labor intensive. Roof tilers need to prepare a bucket load of cement on the ground and then haul it up onto the roof ready for use.

K To minimize the number of trips down from the roof and back up again, tilers tend to fill 00 0each bucket with as much cement as possible. Of course, the cement is heavy and hauling it up onto the roof is difficult. Furthermore, the laying of cement beds is tedious because care needs to be taken not to inadvertently drop or spread wet cement onto the adjacent areas of tile and it also takes some time for the cement bed to set. The use of cement bedding also results in a significant amount of weight being borne by the header course of roof tiles.

There is a need for methods and systems for fitting and/or fixing ridge cap tiles to roofs that overcomes one or more of the problems associated with known methods and systems.

Before turning to a summary of the present invention, it must be appreciated that the above description of the prior art has been provided merely as background to explain the context of the invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any of the material referred to was published or known, or was a part of the common general knowledge.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a method for capping a ridge line of a tiled roof with one or more ridge cap tiles, said ridge line bound on respective sides by first and second header courses of roof tiles, the method including: positioning first and second flanges on said first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from its respective course of header tiles; and 00 O -4-

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S- fitting one or more ridge cap tiles over said ridge line and between said first and second flanges such that each flange is adjacent a respective side of the ridge cap tiles.

S 5 The method may include fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles to a flange.

The present invention also provides a ridge capping system suitable for capping a ridge line of a tiled roof with one or more ridge cap tiles, said ridge line bound on respective 00

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Ssides by first and second header courses of roof tiles, the system including: first and second flanges positioned on said first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange that extends upwardly from its respective course of header tiles; and one or more ridge cap tiles fitted over said ridge line and between said first and second flanges such that the flange is adjacent a respective side of the ridge cap tiles.

The system may further include means for fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles to a flange.

The first and second flanges may be part of first and second battens respectively. Said first and second battens may be fixed to the first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from each course of header tiles when the batten is fitted thereto.

The present invention also provides a batten for use in a ridge capping system of the present invention.

The present invention also provides a roof structure formed by the method of the present invention.

The present invention further provides a roof structure containing a ridge capping system of the present invention.

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Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will now be described in relation to embodiments thereof. In this respect, it is to be appreciated that the following description does not limit in any way the Igenerality of the above description.

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K In the drawings: 00 Figure 1 is a schematic part cross sectional view of a ridge line section of a tiled roof showing a prior art method of fixing ridge cap tiles; Figure 2 is schematic part cross sectional view of a ridge line section of a tiled roof that is similar to the view of Figure 1 but showing a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is an isometric view of a batten suitable for use in a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is an isometric view of a batten suitable for use in a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a partial isometric view of part of a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention fitted to one side of a ridge line of a tiled roof; Figure 6 is an end view of a course of roof tiles with a batten suitable for use in a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention fixed thereto; and Figure 7 is a partial isometric view of part of a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention fitted along a gable ridge line of a tiled roof.

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O-6- Detailed Description of the Drawinqs Illustrated in Figure 1 is a prior art tiled roofing arrangement in which one or more ridge cap tiles 20 are bedded into a cement bed 22 and pointed with pointing material 24. The N roofing arrangement comprises a standard roofing frame structure 26 which includes O rafters 28 which are fastened to a ridge beam 30. A number of rows of battens 32 (only ctwo are shown in cross section in Figure 1) are fixed across the rafters 28. The battens 032 support rows of roof tiles 34. The roof tiles 34 are laid in courses across the roof with adjacent tiles in each course and adjacent courses overlapping. The particular roof structure shown in Figure 1 is a ridge line 36 which is bound on respective sides by first 38 and second 40 header courses of roof tiles 34. The ridge cap tiles 20 are positioned over and cover the ridge line 36. The ridge cap tiles 20 curve downwardly and overlap with the header courses 38 and 40 on either side of the ridge. The sides 42 of the ridge cap tiles 20 are spaced from the top of the header courses 38 and 40 by a few millimeters or centimeters (depending on the thickness of the cement bed) and the space between the sides 42 and the header courses 38 and 40 are filled with the pointing material 24. The ridge cap tiles 20 that are shown in Figure 1 have a curved profile, but ridge cap tiles having other profiles, such as an inverted V-shape, are also commonly used. Roof constructions of the type illustrated in Figure 1 are commonly used throughout Australia and other countries.

Illustrated in Figure 2 is a tiled roofing arrangement that is similar in some aspects to the roof structure that is illustrated in Figure 1, except that Figure 2 shows a ridge capping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The ridge capping system is suitable for capping a ridge line 36 of a tiled roof with one or more ridge cap tiles 20. As before, the ridge line 36 is bound on respective sides by first 38 and second header courses of roof tiles. In the present invention, the cement bed 22 of the prior art construction illustrated in Figure 1 is replaced with first 44 and second 46 flanges that extend upwardly from said first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles respectively.

When considering the function of the flanges 44 and 46 (as described in more detail below) it will be evident that they need not extend upwardly at right angles to the first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles but they could extend upwardly at any suitable angle. One or more ridge cap tiles 20 are fitted over the ridge line 36 and between the 00 -7flanges 44 and 46 such that a flange is adjacent a respective side 42 of the ridge cap tiles The ridge line 36 may be a horizontal ridge line, such as the one shown in Figure 5, or it may be an angled or "gable" ridge line 36, such as the one shown in Figure 7. As seen ID in comparing Figures 5 and 7, in the horizontal ridge line the header course 38 of roof tiles 34 is aligned parallel to the ridge beam 30 whilst in the gable ridge line the tile 34 on ri the header courses 38 and 40 are angled with respect to the ridge beam 30. It will be 00

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Sappreciated in the latter case that the ridge line 36 is still bound on respective sides by first 38 and second 40 header courses of roof tiles.

The roof tiles and/or the ridge cap tiles may be cement, terracotta, plastic, foam or metal tiles. The invention may be suitable for roof tiles having a shaped cross section (such as a wave, corrugated, barrel, etc. profile), or flat roof tiles.

The first and second flanges 44 and 46 are positioned on the first 38 and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from its respective course of header tiles. One or more ridge cap tiles 20 are fitted over the ridge line 36 and between the first and second flanges 44 and 46 such that each flange is adjacent a respective side 42 of the ridge cap tiles. The steps of positioning the flanges 44 and 46 on the first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles and fitting the ridge cap tile(s) 20 between the first and second flanges may be carried out separately or in one operation. In the former instance, the flanges 44 and 46 may be positioned on the first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles by fitting the flanges thereto or the flanges 44 and 46 may be integral with the roof tiles used in the header courses 38 and 40. In the latter case, the flanges 44 and 46 may be attached to respective sides 42 of the ridge cap tiles 20 or the flanges may be formed integrally with the ridge cap tiles As seen in Figure 2, the ridge cap tiles 20 span between the flanges 44 and 46 with the flanges holding the ridge cap tiles 20 in place. As such the flanges 44 and 46 together form a channel into which the ridge cap tiles 20 are fitted. The flanges 44 and 46 therefore help to position or locate the ridge cap tiles 20 over the ridge line 36. The flanges 44 and 46 extend about half way up the sides 42 of each ridge cap tile 00 -8- Typically, a number of ridge cap tiles 20 will be laid along the length of the ridge line 36, Swith adjacent ridge cap tiles 20 overlapping one another, as is known in the art.

It will be evident from a comparison of Figures 1 and 2 that a benefit of the present invention is that it eliminates any need to use a bed of cement 22 to locate the ridge cap Stiles SWhen the ridge cap tiles 20 are laid in a channel formed by the flanges 44 and 46 they 00 0are not fixed to the roof structure. Therefore in an embodiment of the invention the system further includes means 52 for fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles 20 to a flange 44 and/or 46. It will be appreciated that it may not be necessary to fix all of the ridge cap tiles 20 in a course of ridge cap tiles to a flange 44 or 46 as the overlap between adjacent tiles may be sufficient to hold all of the tiles 20 down. Thus, it may only be necessary to fix every second or third ridge cap tile 20 to a flange 44 or 46. It will also be appreciated that it may not be necessary to fix the ridge cap tiles 20 to both of the flanges 44 or 46 because once a ridge cap tile 20 is fixed to one flange it is effectively also fixed to the roof structure via the corresponding header course of tiles.

The means 52 for fixing the ridge cap tiles 20 to a flange 44 or 46 may be a fastener, such as a rivet, screw, nail etc that may pass through the flange into a side 42 of a ridge cap tile 20. Alternatively, the means 52 for fixing the ridge cap tiles 20 to a flange 44 or 46 may be a suitable adhesive, such as construction adhesive, which is run onto an underside or side of the ridge cap tiles 20 and adheres to the flanges 44 or 46. In another alternative the ridge cap tiles 20 may have engagement means configured to engage with a respective flange 44 or 46 when the ridge cap tile 20 is fitted between the flanges 44 and 46. The engagement means may be a protrusion or tab section that extends from one or more of the sides and/or bottom surface of the ridge cap tiles The latter embodiment may be particularly suitable for use with metal ridge cap tiles.

In the embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figure 2 the means 52 for fixing the ridge cap tiles 20 to a flange 44 or 46 is pointing material 54. The pointing material is coated over each flange 44 or 46 and side 42 of the ridge cap tiles 20. Commonly used pointing materials, such as Shieldcoat

T

Roofbond T M RidgebondTM, AcrylocTM, Flexi-point T M or Tilepoint T M tend to provide excellent adhesion between the ridge cap tile 00 -9- Smaterial (typically cement or terracotta) and the flange 44 or 46. An advantage of the Sroofing system of the present invention is that it enables the construction of roofs having a C3 wind rating. To achieve a C3 wind rating, it may be necessary for the pointing material 54 to be Shieldcoat

T

m or Ridgetraxx Flexible Pointing T M or equivalent material.

SThe flanges 44 or 46 may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, the roof tiles that are used in the header courses 38 and 40 could incorporate a flange 44 or 46 into C the actual tile structure. For example, an upper surface of the roof tiles used in the 00 header courses may have a flange integrally formed on it, such that when the header course 38 or 40 is assembled the flanges on individual roof tiles align to form a flange 44 or 46 that extends along the length of the header course 38 or Alternatively, the ridge cap tiles 20 may have a flange 44 or 46 integrally formed with, or otherwise fitted to, a side 42 of the tile such that when the ridge cap tiles 20 are positioned over a ridge line 36 the flanges 44 and 46 contact the header courses of tile 38 and In the illustrated embodiments of the invention the first 44 and second 46 flanges are part of first 50 and second 51 battens respectively. The first 44 and second 46 flanges may be attached to, or integrally formed with, first 50 and second 51 battens respectively. In turn, the first 50 and second 51 battens are fixed to the first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange 44 or 46 extends upwardly from each course of header tiles when the batten 50 or 51 is fitted thereto.

In addition to the flange 44 or 46, each batten 50 or 51 also includes a fixing surface 56 suitable for fixing the batten 50 or 51 to the header course 38 or 40 of roof tiles. As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the fixing surface 56 is substantially perpendicular to, and extends to one side, of the flange 44 (or 46). More specifically, each batten 50 and 51 is L-shaped in cross section.

The fixing surface 56 may be a web of material, such as a mesh material or a perforated material. The use of mesh or perforated materials may be advantageous because they are light weight and the perforations or spaces in the mesh or perforated material also make it easy to insert fasteners such as rivets through the battens in order to fix the 00 C

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Sbattens to the roof tiles. Furthermore, the perforations or spaces in the mesh material allow pointing material to adhere efficiently to the battens. The battens 50 and 51 may be formed from any relatively rigid material. We have found that battens formed from a metal, such as aluminum, are suitable. A benefit of battens formed from aluminum is that they are light weight, relatively inexpensive, are easily cut, and can be bent into Idifferent configurations to suit particular needs.

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N In constructing a roof using the systems and/or methods of the present invention, the

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00 Sfirst 50 and second 51 battens are fixed on the first 38 and second 40 courses of header tiles respectively. The battens are elongate and are fitted along the length of each course of header tiles. The battens 50 and 51 do not need to extend along the full length of each header course. However, when the roof cap tiles are pointed with a pointing material it may be beneficial for the battens to extend along the length of each header course as the flange 44 or 46 of each batten 50 or 51 provides a surface onto which the pointing material is applied which makes application of the pointing material easier and quicker.

The fixing surface 56 of each batten 50 or 51 is in a face to face arrangement with the tiles in a respective header course 38 or 40. The fixing surface 56 may be fixed to the surface of the header course tiles 38 and 40 using any suitable fastener or adhesive.

For example, construction adhesive, pointing material, mortar or cement could be used between the fixing surface 56 and the tile surface to fix each batten 50 or 51 to a respective header course 38 or 40. However, the use of fasteners, such as screws, rivets, bolts, nails etc, is beneficial because they provide for a relatively quick method of fixing the battens 50 and 51 to the header course of tiles 38 and 40. In the illustrations, the battens 50 and 51 are fixed to the respective header course 38 and 40 using rivets which are driven through the top of the fixing surface 56 into the body of the roof tile 34. The battens 50 and 51 may be riveted at a number of places spaced out along the length of each batten.

Thus, when a tiler is ready to fit ridge cap tiles 20 to a ridge line 36 of a roof under construction, he/she lifts lengths of batten 50 or 51 onto the roof and lays them out along the header course 38 and 40 on either side of the ridge line 36. Rivets 60 are then inserted at selected positions along the length of each batten 50 and 51. It may only be 00 00 -11- Snecessary to rivet one batten in place at this stage. Ridge cap tiles 20 are then inserted Sbetween the battens 50 and 51 and are overlapped with one another in the usual manner. Figure 5 shows a batten 50 fixed to a first header course 38 of tiles in this way.

M 5 Pointing material is then applied to the sides 42 of the ridge cap tiles 20 in the normal IDway. Suitable pointing materials that can be used include Shieldcoat T M Roofbond T M Ridgebond T M Acryloc T M Flexi-pointl, Tilepoint Ridgetraxx Flexible Pointing T M and equivalent material. These materials are mortar based materials that contain a polymer 00 0component. These materials adhere very well to the sides 42 of the ridge cap tiles and also to the flange 44 or 46 (particularly when the flange is formed from a mesh or perforated material). By using pointing materials having such good adhesion, the ridge cap tiles 20 end up being firmly adhered to the flanges 44 or 46 which are, in turn, fixed to the roof tiles in the header course 38 or 40. This is in contrast to the prior art cement bedded ridge cap systems, such as the one shown in Figure 1, which rely on adhesion between the cement 22, the ridge cap tile 20 and the roof tile 34 to hold the ridge cap tile in place. Once the ridge capping has been pointed, the flanges 44 and 46 will no longer be visible. An advantage of this system is that it may be possible to use less pointing material than is typically used with cement bedded systems because the flange 44 or 46 provides a relatively solid surface onto which the pointing material is applied.

Advantageously, a groove may be ground or otherwise cut into one or more of the tiles in the header course 38 or 40. The groove may be adjacent the flange 44 or 46. When the ridge cap tiles are pointed with pointing material some of the material extends into the groove in the roof tiles, thereby increasing the amount of adhesion between the ridge cap tiles and the roof tiles. At some points along the length of the ridge cap it may be beneficial to extend the groove through the entire thickness of the roof tile (without cutting the roof tile) so that the pointing material is squeezed through the groove and bellows out on the underside of the roof tile.

Generally pointing material is also applied to the exposed end of each ridge cap tile so as to form a pointed surface between the end of the ridge cap tile and an upper surface of the adjacent ridge cap tile 20. We have found that it is advantageous to fit a mesh material to the exposed ends of the ridge cap tiles 20 to provide a surface onto which the pointing material can be applied. The mesh material may be fixed to the 00 C -12-

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Sbattens 50 and 51 using a suitable bracket. In this way, the pointing material adheres to the end of the ridge cap tile 20 and to the mesh material and as the latter is connected to the battens 50 and/or 51, the ends of the ridge cap tiles 20 are effectively adhered to the roof tiles 34 via the battens 50 and/or 51.

IFor the sake of simplicity, Figure 5 shows the roof tiles as flat tiles. However, it will be O appreciated that concrete and terracotta roof tiles have many profiles, many of which c have a series of ridges and valleys. An example profile is shown in Figure 6. In these 0cases the battens 50 and 51 will be fixed to an uppermost surface of each tile 34 and there is a gap 62 between the batten 50 and the surface of the roof tile 34 in the valley section of the tile. This gap 62 may simply be filled with pointing material when the ridge cap tiles are pointed. Alternatively, the gap 62 may be filled with a suitable filler, such as expandable polystyrene foam. Thus, a tiler may simply move along a length of batten and squirt commercially available self-expanding polystyrene foam into each of the gaps 62 along the length of the batten 50. Typically, the expanding foam will expand out from the gaps as it sets so that it protrudes from the sides of each batten 50 and 51.

However, the excess foam can then be cut off with a knife in the usual fashion to leave a relatively porous surface onto which pointing material can be applied when the ridge capping is pointed. In another alternative, an appropriately shaped insert of mesh or perforated material may be inserted into the gap 62 such that pointing material can be applied over the insert. Alternatively, the flange 44 or 46 and/or batten 50 or 51 may be configured so that it conforms to the shape of the top surface of the profiled roof tiles.

When this is done, there is no gap 62 that needs to be filled.

As shown in Figure 7, the battens 50 do not necessarily need to be laid so that they are parallel an edge of the roof tiles 34 in either of the header courses 38 and 40 of tiles.

When the ridge beam 30 is not horizontal, the roof tiles 34 in each of the header courses 38 and 40 will be angled with respect to the ridge beam 30. However, the battens 50 are still laid generally parallel to the ridge beam 30 and therefore, they intersect the roof tiles 34 in each header course 38 and 40 at an angle.

We have found that use of the system and methods of the present invention leads to less cracking in the pointing material between the roof cap tiles 20 and the roof tiles 34.

In the prior art system in which the roof cap tiles 20 are bedded in cement 22, there is 00 0 -13- Slittle adhesion between the roof cap tiles 20 and the cement 22 and this eventually leads cnto the roof cap tiles 20 lifting or moving away from the cement 22 over time. This eventually leads to cracking in the pointing material 24 which tends to be unsightly.

However, we have found that there is very good adhesion between the pointing material, the sides 42 of the roof cap tiles 20, and the flange 44 and 46 and this leads to a IND reduction in the amount of visible cracking over time. Furthermore, cracking in the prior art cement bedded systems results when uneven loads are placed on the header Scourses of roof tiles. An advantage of the present invention is that the battens 50 and 51 00 0are fixed along each row of header tiles and they act to distribute any load along the header course, rather than it being localized. In turn, this may lead to a reduction in the amount of cracking in the pointing material.

It may also be advantageous to tie the flanges 44 and 46 together at points along the length of the ridge line 36 before fitting the ridge cap tiles 20. The flanges 44 and 46 can be tied together with suitable material (such as wire, tape, etc.) so that the flanges 44 and 46 and the header course of tiles 38 and 40 are unable to separate from each other.

This may also prevent cracking of the mortar in the ridge caps.

The present invention also provides a batten 50 or 51 for use in a ridge capping system as described herein.

Using the methods and systems of the present invention it is possible to construct a roof that achieves a C3 wind classification according to Australian Standard AS2050.

In conclusion, it must be appreciated that there may be other various and modifications to the configurations described herein which are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (22)

1. A method for capping a ridge line of a tiled roof with one or more ridge cap tiles, said ridge line bound on respective sides by first and second header courses of roof tiles, the method including: O positioning first and second flanges on said first and second courses of c header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from its CO 0respective course of header tiles; and fitting one or more ridge cap tiles over said ridge line and between said first and second flanges such that each flange is adjacent a respective side of the ridge cap tiles.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the first and second flanges are part of first and second battens respectively, and said first and second battens are fixed to the first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from each course of header tiles when the batten is fitted thereto.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein each batten includes a fixing surface suitable for fixing the batten to the header course of roof tiles.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the fixing surface is a web of material. A method as in claim 4, wherein the web of material extends substantially perpendicularly to the flange.

6. A method as in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein each batten is L-shaped in cross section.

7. A method as in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each batten is formed from a mesh material.

8. A method as in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each batten is formed from a perforated material. 00 C O

9. A method as in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method further includes fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles to a flange. A method as in claim 9, wherein the fixing of one or more of the ridge cap tiles to Ma flange includes coating each flange and ridge cap tile side with a coating material.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the coating material is a pointing material. (O 00

12. A method as in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each flange extends about half way up the side of each roof cap tile.

13. A ridge capping system suitable for capping a ridge line of a tiled roof with one or more ridge cap tiles, said ridge line bound on respective sides by first and second header courses of roof tiles, the system including: first and second flanges suitable for positioning on said first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from its respective course of header tiles; and one or more ridge cap tiles fitted over said ridge line and between said first and second flanges such that the flange is adjacent a respective side of the ridge cap tiles.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein the first and second flanges are part of first and second battens respectively, and said first and second battens are fixed to the first and second courses of header tiles respectively such that each flange extends upwardly from each course of header tiles when the batten is fitted thereto. A system as in claim 14, wherein each batten includes a fixing surface suitable for fixing the batten to the header course of roof tiles.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein the fixing surface is a web of material.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein the web of material extends substantially perpendicularly to the flange. 00 -16-

18. A system as in any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein each batten is L-shaped in Scross section.

19. A system as in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein each batten is formed from a Mmesh material. \O A system as in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein each batten is formed from a r perforated material. 00

21. A system as in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the system further includes means for fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles to a flange.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein the means for fixing one or more of the ridge cap tiles to a flange is a coating of pointing material over at least a part of each flange and at least a part of each ridge cap tile side.

23. A system as in any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein each flange extends about half way up the side of each roof cap tile.

24. A batten for use in a ridge capping system of any one of claims 13 to 23. A roof structure formed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A roof structure incorporating a ridge capping system of any one of claims 13 to 23.

27. A ridge capping system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 7.