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Harvey Tiles – a worthy investment for any homeowner.

Harvey Tile and Thatch Roofing Expert 21 October 2021 No Comments

Thatch roofs look great on all types of homes in any area and with Harvey Tiles it is easy and affordable to maintain. Here at Bundu Dakke we specialise in cladding thatch roofs with Harvey Tiles.

Thatch roofing was one of the first roofing methods ever used. Due to their efficiency, long lifespan and stunning appearance, thatch roofs have remained popular throughout the ages. As time progressed, methods were developed to ensure that thatch roofs were waterproof and protected from damage caused by small animals such as mice or birds and other natural elements including wind and hail. Some major concerns associated with thatch roofs were their vulnerability to catching fire due to lightning or wildfires. With Harvey Tiles you can have a thatch roof without having to be worried about any of the above mentioned risks.

Thatching

Modern Harvey Tile Thatching by Bundu Dakke

Harvey Tiles are made of lightweight steel that is sure to stand the test of time. There are a number of factors to consider when roofing your home. The most important feature of a roof is that it provides protection from outside elements, namely wind, rain and bugs to mention a few. Then, of course, a roof should complement a home – colour and texture definitely influence your choice of roof tiles. Harvey Thatch Tiles perfectly match the colour if your thatch roof, while Harvey Elite Tiles are available in a variety of colours such as dark blue, green or burgundy. Harvey Tiles are often used to clad thatch roofs, but has also been attached to other roof structures.

Harvey Thatch Rooftiles are the best of both worlds. It looks modern, yet also has the shape of your original thatch roof. It doesn’t take long to install as it fits to all roof structures, weighs less than traditional tiles and offers more flexibility. These tiles are also fantastic insulators, which means that your home stays cooler during summer and warmer during winter. This is just some of mthe any great attributes of Harvey Tiles and why they are great for any South African home. Roof repairs due to leaks and broken tiles will be a thing of the past when you replace your existing roof with Harvey Tiles. Metal roofs are fireproof, making it a safety smart roofing choice. Lightning is a common threat to homes with thatch roofs, but Harvey Tiles decrease the risk of a roof catching fire. You will not have to be concerned about the possible damage that birds and vermin cause to roofs any longer, as they won’t be able to access thatch through the new rooftiles. Fungi and algae won’t trouble you again either, seeing that Harvey Tiles are made of metal which kills algae. Roof leakages won’t cause you headaches during rainy seasons and the tiles also prevent criminals from gaining access to your home through your roof. This tile is the solution to every thatch roofing problem you might be faced with.

Harveytile Products

There are currently three ranges of Harvey Rooftiles on the market. Bundu Dakke uses the following products for our roofing projects throughout South Africa.

Harvey Elite Tile

For a stylish, modern roof – choose Harvey Elite Tiles

Description:

Each tile has a mass of 3.9 kg with an overall length of 1675 mm and an overall width of 397 mm.

Harvey Thatch/Shake Tile

The Harvey Thatch Tile looks like regular thatch, but it is safer, more affordable and everlasting.

Description:

These tiles have a mass of 4.2 kg each, are 1675 mm long and measure 395 mm in width.

Harvey Tuff Tile

Harvey Tuff Tiles are of excellent quality and it looks fantastic too.

Description:

Every Tufftile has a mass of 3.9 kg, a length of 1675 mm and is 397 mm wide.

Harvey Elite Rooftiles are available in the following standard colours:

  • Dark Blue
  • Black
  • Terracotta
  • Green
  • Burgundy

Harvey tiles

 

Tips and Tricks for Thatch Roofs

It’s important to take precautionary steps to protect your thatch roof. Thatch roofs can be set alight quite easily in comparison with other roofs, especially in areas where lighting is a common occurrence. Installing lightning rods on your thatch roof it the most efficient way of diverting lightning from your home. Lightning rods are great conductors of electricity and thus provide little resistance to the current in a lightning bolt. This means that the lightning is more likely to strike the rod than your roof.

The Bundu Dakke team would strongly recommend our clients to install a roof sprinkler or water drencher system if you have a thatch roof. Wet thatch is less likely to catch fire. If you know that a fire is approaching, take precautionary steps and activate the sprinkler system on your roof at least an hour in advance. This will also prevent damage caused by the heat of fires in the surrounding area. Should a fire approach and there is no sprinkler system – take the water hose and wet your roof and nearby trees. This is a quick solution to a threat that could have rather devastating effects.

With plastic or wire mesh you can prevent birds and vermin from gaining access to the roof. Thatch pests climb up trees to get onto your roof. Trimming trees in your yard will make it harder for small animals to venture into your roof in search of a warm spot in between the thatch.

Although there are many ways to protect, maintain and restore a thatch roof, the number one solution recommended by Bundu Dakke, is to clad it with Harvey Thatch Tiles.

 

Every Harveytile is carefully manufactured to ensure that only top quality products get approved. After a tile has been inspected and it can be said for certain that it complies with the quality standards, the tile is marked with a Harvey Quality Stamp.

The Bundu Dakke team consists of ambitious, well-trained professionals. We deliver nothing less than excellent services and know just what you need to keep any thatch roof in tip-top condition. For enquiries and quotes on Harvey Tiles, contact Bundu Dakke today.

Understand roofing when cladding with Harvey Tiles

Harvey Tile and Thatch Roofing Expert 21 October 2021 No Comments

The simplicity of having a roof under your head is unmatched. But the art of having quality roofing is best sourced from professionals. Bundu Dakke strives for excellence when it comes to quality roofing.

Bundu Dakke is a roofing company that specializes in cladding old and weathered thatch roofs in Harvey tiles, thereby turning thatch roofing into a more versatile, cost effective, low maintenance solution.

Over the years, all thatching has a lifespan regardless of how well it is maintained. Well that’s normal logic! All thatch roofs eventually get to a point of no return and will clamor to be re-thatched in order to keep their appealing nature.

thatch 4

Thatch Roof Abode

In today’s economy that is frequently being less inspired by the constantly falling Rand, re-thatching a roof can be very costly and something that will have to be repeated every few years if you want to keep your thatch roof looking good.

thatch 2

Putting on a Thatch roof on a house

With Harvey tiles roofing you can still enjoy the entire ambiance that comes with a thatch roof, but without the hassle and disadvantages.

For starters, roofing material is the outermost layer on the roof of a building, sometimes self-supporting, but generally supported by an underlying structure. A building’s roofing material provides shelter from the natural elements such as the sun, rain, cold etc. The outer layer of a roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material, and the nature of the supporting structure.

Those types of roofing material which are commercially available range from natural products such as thatch and slate to commercially produced products such as tiles and polycarbonate sheeting. Roofing materials may be placed on top of a secondary water-resistant material called underlayment.

Roofing is one of South Africa’s most robust industries where Bundu Dakke constantly maintains its presence as one of the leading thatch roof specialists in the country. However, this Industry is a high risk industry due to the injuries that you can sustain in this job environment. Roofing primarily focuses on the upper layer of a house or building. Roofing on a house is considered residential and building are commercial. Roofing on a government building you get paid pavilion wage.

Traditional thatch roofing is arguably the most beautiful and natural looking roofing material available in this current epoch. This is mostly because of its mesmerising appearance that best suits the eye. Lodges, game parks, residential parks and even seasoned hotels have upped up their game by incorporating thatched roofs on their premises.

Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates.

For thousands of years, people have been using thatch to create durable roofs for their home, which would protect them from the elements we spoke about earlier.

It is interesting to note that thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost, local vegetation. By contrast in some developed countries it is now the choice of affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home, would like a more ecologically friendly roof, or who have purchased an originally thatched abode.

Thatch is the best insulated roofing available to man. Most other roofs need to be insulated after they have been installed, while thatch roofs automatically offer excellent insulating properties, making it ideal for our hot local climate to keep the interiors of our homes cool in summer and warm in winter.

If thatch is well laid, it will be virtually maintenance free. Thatch is very vulnerable to being stripped by birds, especially weavers that can really destroy a roof within a year. If you need to protect your thatch, it is wise to cover it with a plastic mesh that will keep the birds away. Wire mesh can also be used, however, in time it will rust.

Whether you have a weathered thatch roof that is in need of an upgrade or if you are planning to build a new thatched roof, Harvey Thatch is the most economical alternative in the industry.

This versatile cladding turns ordinary thatch roofing into more attractive, more durable and more sustainable roofing. Not only is Harvey Thatch cost-effective, but it has far more advantages than the traditional thatch roofing. The tiles are of natural colour and match original thatch perfectly. Not only is Harvey Thatch beautiful to look at, but also very practical and if well installed and maintained, it can be one of the most durable and attractive roofs on the market.

Sabie

Home cladded with Harvey Roof tiles

LeBlanc Construction Photos 2012

Cladding with Harvey Roof Tiles

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Home cladded with Harvey Roof tiles

The team at Bundu Dakke consists of dedicated professionals that strive for perfection. Clients are timely supplied with high-quality products that are delivered through a service of excellence. Bundu Dakke’s rates are competitive as the company is highly committed in providing only the best.

Bundu Dakke is the specialists in Roof Cladding with Harvey Tiles

Harvey Tile and Thatch Roofing Expert 12 April 2016 No Comments

Bundu Dakke strives for excellence when it comes to quality roofing. The company specialises in cladding old and weathered thatch roofs with Harvey Tiles, thereby turning thatch roofing into a more versatile, cost effective and low maintenance solution.

A well known nursery hymn phrases a wolf as having huffed and puffed and blown the three little pigs’ roof away simply because it was not strong enough. A lesson learnt from this hymn best summarises the importance of having a durable roof that will keep away unwanted elements from entering the home.

The roof over our heads is something that most of us don’t think much about. Most people are happy with their roofs and never make an effort in maintaining them as long as do not leak or corrode. But this ignorance soon catches up with home owners when the time of replacing it forces its way into our pockets.

Globally, there is urgency for a building to act environmentally responsible, so when making a decision on what roofing material to use, items such as durability, price, thermal attributes, and colour are often considered.

The importance of roofing is to protect natural elements such as the sun, rainfall, creatures etc from entering the home. All known roof types get to a certain point were attention is required in order to sustain the test of time.

Harvey tiles

Roof Cladding with Harvey tiles

The roof is one of the largest exterior parts of the home which makes choosing the right colour and style relevant to its owner.
Roof cladding is the application of one material over another in order to provide skin or layer required to control the infiltration of weather elements.

In developed nations, roof cladding is often used in order to give the roof a weatherproof component and to stop water and other elements from entering the house. A waterproof layer is important because rainfall is usually forecast to ascend many months per year.

In addition to protecting the house, roof cladding is also used to provide a decorative element. This is because roof cladding is also primarily used for other structures such as gazebos, patios, pergolas, sheds and other such structures.

There are several types of roof cladding that include metal cladding, which is one of the most commonly used types in South Africa. The variants of metal cladding include corrugated, Trimdek, Spandek and mini orb. Metal is often preferred because of its flexibility, allowing it to be used in all kinds of architectural designs that include curved roofs.

The Thatch tile is designed to give the impression of thatch and it is one of the most sought after products on the market. It is usually fitted directly over existing thatch roofs to retain the thatch interior or cladded. It has two layers of stone coating.

Harvey Tiles are another type of roof cladding and they are available in a huge range of materials. Tiles work well with any style of roofing and will always be very fashionable. Besides Harvey Tiles, other materials used in tiles cladding include terracotta, concrete, clay and slate.

ROOF CLADDING 1

BunduDakke specializes in roof cladding with Harvey Tiles

But the most preferred solution comes in the form of Harvey Tiles which are a long lasting steel based tile. They have been in production for more than 30 years and they are exported all over the world giving the brand name more mileage because of its charming products.

The coating is baked onto the tile in a furnace to ensure that the colour does not fade away from prolonged sunshine’s or rough rainfall. They have a stone based coating which ensures that it is resistant to harsh weather conditions including hail and heavy rain.

Their interlocking system ensures they do not leak even in very windy conditions.

 

Harvey Roofing products have a nationwide network of trained independent contractors who guarantee their own workmanship. Bundu Dakke is one of them and for years its team of hard working professionals have mastered the art of perfection.

Roof tiles are particularly suited to the South African climate, which generally does not have high winds or snow loads. These elements are most likely to reduce the life of roof tiles. Roof tiles can generally be used on roofs of greater pitch.

Not only are Harvey Tiles beautiful to look at, but also very practical and when well installed and maintained by Bundu Dakke, they subsequently become one of the most durable and attractive roofs on the market.

THATCH ROOF

Bundudakke specialises in cladding thatch roofs

Whether you have an old weathered thatch roof that is in dire need of a quick but classy upgrade or if you are planning to build a new thatched roof, Harvey Thatch is the most economical and decorative alternative in the roofing world.

The versatile cladding turns ordinary thatch roofing into more attractive, highly durable, and perfectly sustainable roofing. The finer things in life hatch out from simplicity and Harvey tiles give you the same cosy atmosphere as thatch roofing built requires much less maintenance as compared to the later.

This is why you should consider thatched roofing

Harvey Tile and Thatch Roofing Expert 2 February 2016 No Comments

Your roof is your peace of mind. It shelters you and your loved ones night after night, keeping the rain, the wind and the cold at bay. Deciding what type of roofing your home needs, thatching, corrugated iron or tiles, is not something that you will be considering every day. So getting it right the first time is of the utmost importance. You wouldn’t be the first person to want their house to have thatched roofing, but have you considered all of the pros and cons?

What is thatched roofing?

When a house is said to have thatched roofing, the roofing will consist of natural, dry vegetation such as reeds, grass or straw. The vegetation is layered in such a way that it protects the inside of the home from being flooded with rain water. Thatched roofing is rather popular in all types of companies regardless of the climates and as it is a more cost effective version of roofing. For this reason, it is rather popular.

Thatched roofing looks great on almost all types of homes

Thatched roofing looks great on almost all types of homes

Having thatched roofing will give a home or building a rustic look and feel and the roofing itself is very much environmentally friendly. The art of thatching has been passed down from generation to generation and it has been used throughout Europe’s earliest times. Examples of thatching can also be found in Hawaii, Fiji and Kenya and there is even evidence of thatching being used during the earliest times of the Aztecs. In South Africa, having this type of roofing is something that many people desire. A thatched roof makes us feel as though we are away from the city and spending time in the bush, out in nature.

The performance of the thatch depends a lot on the climate in which the thatch will be placed and it depends greatly on the quality of the thatch being used as well as on the skill of the person doing the thatching.

The advantages of installing thatched roof

  1. A thatched roof will offer you better insulation. In fact having thatched roofing means you have insulation that will be better than any other type of roofing on the market, at least, where insulating is concerned. Thatch keeps a home warm in winter and cool in summer, perfect for the South African climate.
  2. Thatching requires minimum maintenance. You will no longer have to worry about painting your roof or sanding off those rust patches. You will also not have to worry about tiles breaking. If you use an expert thatcher you will be given the best treatment and you won’t have to worry about birds stealing your thatching. An expert thatcher will make sure your roofing is protected.
  3. The ridge of the roof is the most vulnerable part of the roof. A great thatcher will make sure that this part of your roof is protected in some way or another. The apex of your roof is also a sensitive part that needs to be protected and kept watertight. This means you thatching is able to better protect your home from rain water.
  4. Thatched roofs have a long lifespan and if quality thatching is used the thatching might never have to be replaced. You will need to make sure that your thatching gets proper care and proper maintenance in order for it to enjoy a longer lifespan. But if you take care of your thatching you will never have too many sleepless nights about the roof over your head.
  5. When this type of roofing is used together with special tiles, such as Harvey tiles, the thatching is guaranteed to have a much longer lifespan.
Various types of vegetation can be used for thatching

Various types of vegetation can be used for thatching

Now for a few disadvantages

  1. Weaver birds love thatching, and not in a good way. Weaver birds have been known to strip the thatch and used the straw to make their nests. This can very quickly lead to terrible damage to your thatching if you do not take the right steps to protect the thatch. Usually, a mesh made out of metal or plastic will be used to cover the thatch and keep the birds at bay.
  2. The ridge needs to be checked on occasionally as it is the weakest part of the roof.

The little things you can do to take care of your thatching

The great thing about thatching is that if it is done properly, by a professional, you will quite probably never have to worry about having to do maintenance on your thatching again. But there are a few quick things that you can do to make sure that your thatching stays in a good condition.

There are a few things that you can do to keep an eye on your thatching

There are a few things that you can do to keep an eye on your thatching

  • Give your thatch a quick inspection

First walk around and give your thatch a proper inspection. This will give you the initial idea about the condition your thatch is in and it will allow you to set up a schedule to make your inspections easier. If the thatching is slipping out don’t panic, this doesn’t mean that your thatching is going to need immediate replacement. Keep in mind, if the thatching looks a bit thin it doesn’t mean that the thatching is bad.

Check the underside of the roof along with the rafters. Occasionally smaller rafters have been known to break but they are easy to fix without disrupting the thatch itself. Also, be sure to check the ridging and to make sure that the ridge covering is still in a good condition.

  • Look for small animals and birds

You can’t blame little critters and birds looking for a home in your thatch or stealing thatch for their own home. But they can damage your thatching. Bring in a professional thatcher to cover your thatching. Sometimes small birds can make holes in or near the apex if you see this then be sure to call in the professionals.

  • Get a quote

Usually, it is advisable that only the professionals make the necessary changes and repairs to the thatching, so once you have determined the damage done and what needs to be repaired, call in the experts and get a quote.

Your dreams of a thatched roof home are not so far away. If you are considering changing your roofing to thatch, fixing your thatching or building a home and want it to be thatched, contact Bundu Dakke for the most professional, expert services.