Panels

Supplemental Products

Panels

Spandrel Panels

What is a Spandrel Panel?

Spandrel panels are pre-manufactured timber frames which are then clad with fire-proof boarding.

The panels provide a fire barrier between dwellings when they are physically attached, such as semi-detached properties or terrace houses. The panel can also help prevent the passage of sound between the attached homes. It also creates a physical barrier to stop access between each dwelling within the roof space.

Our designers provide a bespoke design for your building and match the contours of your roof. Using specialised 15mm, fire rated Fermacell gypsum boarding, we clad both faces of the panel in our workshop. The Fermacell board ensures the panel conforms to 60-minute fire rating requirements. The board also offers performance as a sound barrier. The panel has been tested for acoustic performance to comply with part E, sound insulation performance requirements.

How do Spandrel Panels work?

The panel works by effectively ‘sitting’ on and being secured to the masonry party wall. The industry trade body – The Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) – has published a spandrel panel guide which gives a brief, generic overview of how spandrel panels work and how the panels are installed on-site.

Traditional building methods would see these barriers built using blockwork. This method of construction requires bricklayers to halt works while the roof is installed and return at a later date to build the barriers. This can leave you with delays or unnecessary project management headaches. Also, the traditional method requires extra scaffolding and extended periods of time where tradespeople are working at height, creating more risk factors.

What are the Advantages of Spandrel Panels?

There are a number of advantages from specifying spandrel panels, but the following are most notable:

• The panels are made to measure and pre-manufactured off-site, ensuring faster installation.
• Lower labour and material costs. No need for extra scaffolding, blockwork, or labour.
• Site safety is improved by removing additional time working at height.
• They conform to fire and passage of sound regulations.
• No site waste from pre-manufactured panels.

All of these advantages make this a product you cannot ignore.

How do I Enquire about Spandrel Panels?

If this is of interest, please let us know when sending in your roof enquiry. We will provide a separate price for your spandrel panels so that you can differentiate between your main roof price and your spandrel panel price.

If you wish to enquire about spandrel panels, please contact our team on 01952 771170, e-mail us at sales@etstrusses.co.uk or use the request a quote page.

Gable Panels

What is a Gable Panel?

Gable panels are pre-manufactured timber frame panels that are clad with 9mm ply to the external face. These panels are designed as an alternative for traditional gable end masonry walls. As opposed to spandrel panels that sit within a roof structure, these gable panels form an exposed face of the building. Therefore, there are many design considerations that we will need to be considered for you to ensure the panel is fit for purpose.

How do Gable Panels Work?

The gable panel works by a specialised system of restraint down to the masonry wall below. One of our trade partners, Simpson Strong Tie, has undergone extensive research and development, alongside the TRA to develop a new clip which restrains the panel back to the blockwork below. The panel is then installed on top of the wall and tied back to the trusses with a variety of timber and straps as indicated by our gable panel installation guide.

The gable panel must resist wind loads to the face of the panel, hence the need for adequate restraint to the walls below and the roof structure adjacent to it. All of these factors are designed into your project by one of our highly skilled designers.

Once the panel is safely installed, the outer leaf of brickwork can be built. This is then tied back into the panel using brick ties fixed into the ply-cladded face of the gable panel.

What are the advantages of Gable Panels?

There are a variety of advantages available from specifying gable panels, but the following are most notable:

• The panels are made to measure and pre-manufactured off-site, ensuring faster installation.
• Lower labour and material costs. No need for extra blockwork or labour.
• Site safety is improved by removing additional time working at height.
• They allow the building to be watertight quicker so internal works can commence. The outer leaf of brickwork can be built up at a later date as desired.
• No site waste from pre-manufactured panels.

All of these advantages make this a product worth considering.

How do I Enquire about Gable Panels?

If you wish to enquire about gable panels, please contact our team on 01952 771170, e-mail us at sales@etstrusses.co.uk or use the request a quote page.