GB2591440A

GB2591440A - Dry verge unit assembly and method of fitting a dry verge unit assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2591440A
Application number: GB1916896.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholson Stuart
Original assignee: Marley Ltd
Current assignee: Marley Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-20
Filing date: 2019-11-20
Publication date: 2021-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-20
Also published as: GB201916896D0; GB2591440B

Abstract

A dry verge unit assembly 1 having a dry verge piece 2 and a clip 3 with legs 7 for gripping sides of a roofing batten end (preferably sprung steel with barbs), wherein the clip has a clamping portion 10 and the dry verge piece has an engagement portion 9 for receiving the clamping portion 10 of the clip thereagainst, wherein in use, when the clip 3 is fitted to a roofing batten 8, the engagement portion 9 of the dry verge piece 2 is clamped between the clamping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end such that the dry verge piece is secured in place. The engagement portion may have a rectangular aperture through which the clip extends in use, the clip has a flat end plate 13 forming the clamping portion 10 with flanges 14 which are wider than the aperture and cannot pass through and so abut against it to clamp in place. Also claimed is a method of use.

Description

DRY VERGE UNIT ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FITTING A DRY VERGE UNIT

ASSEMBLY

The present invention is concerned with a dry verge unit assembly, a dry verge unit system, a method of fitting a dry verge unit assembiy, a clip for a roofing batten end and a dry verge piece.

Traditionally, the tiles at the verge, or sloping edge of a pitched roof, are sealed against the elements with mortar. However, there are a number of drawbacks associated with the use of mortar, for example, cracking as a result of movement and the action of frost and rainwater. The use of mechanical, as opposed to mortar, fixing and sealing of the verge is therefore an attractive alternative. Mechanical fixing using a "dry" system usually involves fixing plastic verge units to the verge of the roof to cover the exposed side edges of the tiles.

In a typical system, plastic end pieces are provided, e.g. plastic verge lengths and verge caps, or in general verge pieces. They provide specific protection to the end portions of the battens and additional securement of the verge tiles, for example by means of a horizontal flange that overlaps a portion of the tiles to arrest uplift. Verge pieces can also provide decoration with a lot of freedom of design. Such verge pieces also are easily interchangeable in case of damage. In order to secure the verge pieces and avoid their detachment from the batten (e.g. during strong winds or due to changes of volume caused by changes in humidity and temperature), verge pieces are usually attached to the battens via nails or screws, and then optionally covered by additional caps, for example by sliding them on co.mpatibie verge pieces. However, one danger associated with the use of nails and other drive-in fixings (e.g drive screws) is splitting of the ends of the roofing battens which usually comprise fibrous material (e.g. wood).

In order to avoid batten splitting, and to further improve fixation of verge pieces to the batten ends, clips are often added between the verge pieces and the batten ends. These clips have flaps or legs which hold together the end of the batten, keeping the integrity of the battens. Clips for battens typically comprise a face at the end of the batten and a number of legs (e.g. one or two) which sit alongside the sides of the batten end. The clips ensure that the roofing battens do not break or split longitudinally when a verge piece is nailed or screwed into their end. -2 -

In typical systems,the clips are fitted to the batten ends and then the verge pieces are fixed to the batten ends over the top of the clips using nails or drive screws which are driven through the verge piece and the face of the dip into the batten end. Because the verge piece has to be attached over the clip, driving a nail or drive screw precisely through the clip and into the batten end is not easy, primarily because the opening is usually covered by the opaque verge piece when both the verge and clip are installed with the nail or drive screw. This increases the difficulty of installation, which increases the installation time Moreover, the nails/drive screws and/or verge pieces may be damaged during installation.

A further limitation associated with these conventional systems is poor fixing performance with end-grain nailing or screwing into the roofing battens.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a dry verge unit assembly, the assembly comprising a dry verge piece, and a clip having legs for gripping sides of a roofing batten end, wherein the clip has a clamping portion and the dry verge piece has an engagement portion configured to receive the clamping portion of the clip thereagainst, wherein in use, when the clip is fitted to a roofing batten, the engagement portion of the dry verge piece is clamped between the clamping portion of the dip and the roofing batten end such that the dry verge piece is secured in place.

By clamping the dry verge piece between the clamping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end, the present invention avoids the need to fix the verge pieces to the batten ends over the top of the clips using drive screws or nails, thus avoiding the difficulties associated with this The present invention therefore makes the installation of dry verge unit assemblies easier, reduces the installation time and reduces the risk of damage to the clips, roofing battens and/or verge pieces during installation.

The clip may comprise a plate for at least partially covering the roofing batten end. The plate may cover substantially the entire roofing batten end. The plate may have no holes or perforations provided therein. By having a plate cover the roofing batten end, particularly one with no holes or perforations, the risk of damage to the batten end from the environment is reduced, as is the risk of the batten splitting. The plate may be square or rectangular.

The clamping portion may comprise at least one flange projecting from a side of the plate for clamping the engagement portion of the verge piece. -3..

The legs for gripping the roofing batten end may extend from the plate, such that the clamp is generally T" shaped. The legs may join the plate along the width of the legs and the flange may project sideways beyond the width of the legs. The flange provides a surface area of the clip for clamping of the engagement portion, thus securing it, The damping portion may comprise at least two flanges, each flange projecting at an opposite side of the plate for clamping the engagement portion of the verge piece. BY utilising two flanges, the clamping surface area is further increased. If the plate is square or rectangular, the clamping portion may comprise a flange on opposing sides of the clip. By having flanges on the opposing sides a balanced clamping force may be provided by the clip.

There may be a flange on each side of the clip and so if the plate of the clip is square or rectangular there may be four flanges. In an embodiment there are only two flanges.

The dry verge piece may comprise an opening for receiving the clip. By utilising an opening to receive the clip, the clip can be more easily positioned during fitting, ensuring a more accurate fit.

The opening may be defined on all sides thereof by material of the dry verge piece; such an opening allows the dry verge piece to maintain a greater strength in the portion adjacent the opening, for example in the engagement portion which is clamped.

However, alternatively, the opening may be at an edge of the dry verge piece, i. e. in the form of a cut out or recess at that edge.

The engagement portion may be located at a periphery of the opening. This allows for easy engagement of the clip with the engagement portion when it is inserted into the opening.

Flanges of the clip may extend beyond one or more edges of the opening, limiting exposure of the roofing batten through the dry verge piece.

The engagement portion may be arranged to allow different relative positions of the clip and dry verge piece in a direction perpendicular to the length of the dry verge piece prior to fitting. Since in use, the dry verge piece extends along the verge of the roof, this direction may be normal to the general plane of the roof.

The opening of the dry verge piece may be an elongate rectangle. The elongate rectangle may have a width (in the direction of the length of the dry verge piece) similar to that of the clip so that the clip clamps the engagement portion of -4 -the dry verge piece at the sides of the rectangular opening. By having a similar width, the above described clamping portion and/or flanges can be utilised for clamping engagement portions at the sides (i.e. In the width direction) of the opening.

The rectangular opening may have a length in the direction perpendicular to the length of the dry verge piece greater than the dimension of the clip in this direction. This allows the clip to be located in a range of height positions in the opening of the dry verge piece, thus changing the point at which the dry verge piece is secured to the roofing batten. This allows for the dry verge assembly to be adjusted for various heights, e.g for various thicknesses of tile. A further benefit of extending the length of the rectangular opening is that it helps make the batten end readily visible during fitting so the clip can be readily positioned in the correct location, thus improving the ease of fitting the clip in the correct location.

The dry verge piece may comprise marks or indicators on its exterior surface near the opening that indicate the position a clip should be fixed for a particular pitch of roof. For example, there may be a series of indicators along the length of the elongate rectangular opening described above.

The clip may comprise a lug projecting towards the dry verge piece in the clamping direction. The clamping direction is the direction in which the clip applies a clamping force to the dry verge piece when in use, i.e. towards the batten end. It is also the direction in which a force may be applied to the clip (e.g. to the plate of the clip) to fit it to a batten end.

The clip may comprise two lugs projecting from opposing sides of the clamping portion. By having lugs on the opposing sides a balanced clamping force may be provided. The lug(s) may taper to a point. The lugs enhance the clamping effect of the clip.

The lug(s) and/or flange(s) may elastically deform in a direction opposite the clamping direction when fitted to a roofing batten to secure a dry verge piece due the contact with the dry verge piece and resultant clamping force. This elastic deformation may generate an additional force in the damping direction, thus increasing the clamping effect.

The engagement portion may be formed of plastic. The engagement portion may be arranged to be plastically deformed by the lug of the clip when the clip and the dry verge piece are fitted to a roofing batten. When the clip is fitted to a roofing batten to secure a dry verge piece, the lugs and/or clamping portion may therefore -5 -bite into the engagement portion of the dry verge piece, thus securing it further and preventing translational movement of the dry verge piece perpendicular to the clamping direction.

The clip, flange(s) and/oriug(s) may be formed from metal (e.g. spring steel). Examples of such suitable steel alloys are carbon steel, such as CS67, optionally being phosphate coated carbon steel, stainless steel, such as e.g. F3S304, or spring steel, such as medium-carbon steel or high-carbon steel with a high yield strength, e.g. CS67.

The clip, flange(s) and/or lug(s) may be formed of a material harder than the material of the engagement portion. lithe clip and/or lugs are formed of a material harder than the material of the engagement portion (e.g. steel, whilst the engagement portion is formed of a softer plastic) the engagement portion may be plastically deformed by the clamping portion and/or the lugs of the clip when the clip and verge piece are fitted to a roofing batten.

The engagement portion may be recessed in the clamping direction (i.e. towards the roofing batten in use). The clip may sit flush with, or alternatively sit deeper than, the exterior surface of the dry verge piece when fitted.

The engagement portion may comprise a reinforced rim. A reinforced rim enhances the strength of the verge piece at the engagement portion, allowing for greater clamping forces without damaging the verge piece. It also aids in supporting any plastic deformation caused by the lugs and/or clamping portion.

The reinforced rim may be located on the inside of the verge piece, i.e. adjacent to the roofing batten in use It may protrude inwardly relative to a body of the verge piece adjacent to the reinforced rim, e.g. being thicker than it would be if it did not protrude.

The reinforced rim may be at a periphery of the above described opening on one or more sides, for example two opposed sides or all sides.

The reinforced rim may be formed by additive manufacturing for ease of manufacture and adaptation of existing verge pieces.

The clip may comprise two legs, one at each opposing side of a clamping plate of the clip This may provide a balanced grip on the roofing batten. The clip may comprise two legs at each of the opposing sides of the clamping plate, which may provide an increased grip to the batten.

The angle between the legs at least one side of the clamping plate and the clamping plate may be an angle of less than 900. More preferably, the angle may range from 75° to 90° or between 80° and 89°, e.g. 87°. Such angles result in the the leas tapering towards the batten along their length: this ensures that the legs grip the roofing batten end when fitted. The legs may elastically deform outwardly when fitted to the roofing batten, away from the batten slightly, thus creating an inward elastic gripping force in each leg towards the sides of the roofing batten. This enhances the grip of the legs on the roofing batten.

The legs may comprise barbs, improving the gripping of the clip to the batten end.

The grip of the legs on the roofing batten and the clamping of the dry verge piece may be strong enough to avoid the need for any other fixings of the clip or dry verge piece to the roofing batten. As such, the dry verge unit assembly may be fitted to a batten by the application of a force to the clip in the clamping direction. This may be carried out tool-free, or by using only a hammer, for example.

Once the clip is fitted to a roofing batten it may not be removable during normal use According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a dry verge unit system, comprising a plurality of any of the dry verge unit assemblies as described above in relation to the first aspect, wherein the clip and the engagement portion of each dry verge unit assembly are covered by an adjacent dry verge piece of the plurality of dry verge unit assemblies when an adjacent dry verge piece is secured to a roofing batten end. By covering the clip and the engagement portion of each dry verge unit assembly by an adjacent dry verge piece, an additional layer of protection is provided for the roofing batten. Furthermore, the clip cannot be easily accessed or tampered with.

Adjacent dry verge pieces may fit together via a sliding arrangement. The sliding arrangement may comprise one or more guide(s) on one dry verge piece that slide into guide channel(s) on a like, adjacent dry verge piece. The guide(s) may be on the outer face of one dry verge piece and the guide channels may be on the inside face of a like, adjacent dry verge piece.

It will be appreciated that the above mentioned features of having a recessed engagement portion and/or the reinforced rim being located on the inside of the verge piece prevent interference of the clip and batten with the sliding arrangement, particularly when the clip sits flush with, or deeper than, an exterior surface of the dry verge piece. -7 -

The dry verge system may be fitted to a series of roofing battens without using any screws or nails to secure the dry verge pieces.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of fitting a dry verge unit assembly to a roofing batten end, the dry verge unit assembly comprising a clip having a clamping portion and a dry verge piece having an engagement portion, the method comprising applying a force to the clip such that the dry verge piece is clamped in place between the clamping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.

Leas of the clip may grip sides of the roofing batten end. The method may be performed without using any screws or nails to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.

The method may comprise providing the dry verge piece, clip and/or roofing batten.

The method may comprise applying a force to the clip in the clamping direction to secure the clip to the roofing batten end. The force may be applied to the plate of the clip.

The method may comprise positioning the clip in an opening for receiving the clip. Such an opening may be an opening as described above in relation to the first aspect.

The method may comprise positioning the dry verge piece and/or clip in the correct position adjacent the roofing batten.

The method may comprise determining the correct position of the dry verge piece and/or clip, and such a determination may be based at least in part on the pitch of the roof.

The method according to the third aspect may be performed using any of the dry verge unit assemblies as described in relation the first aspect.

The method according to the third aspect may be used to form any of the dry verge unit systems as described above in relation to the second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a clip for a roofing batten end, the clip comprising legs for gripping sides of a roofing batten end, and a clamping portion for engaging a dry verge piece so that the dry verge piece is clamped between the clamping portion and the roofing batten end. The clip may comprise a lug projecting from the clamping portion in the same direction as the legs, the lug being configured to contact the dry verge piece -8 -when it is clamped between the damping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end The clip may comprise any of the features described above in relation to the clip of the first, second or third aspect.

The clip may be used as part of the first, second or third aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a dry verge piece, the dry verge piece comprising an opening for receiving a clip for securing the dry verge piece to a roofing batten end and an engagement portion at the periphery of the opening for engagement by the clip to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.

The dry verge piece clip may comprise any of the features described above in relation to the dry verge piece of the first, second or third aspect.

The dry verge piece may be used as part of the first, second or third aspect. The dry verge piece may be used in conjunction with any clip according to the fourth aspect as part of a dry verge unit assembly.

It will be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are particularly useful for, but not limited to, roofing systems that require a greater security of the verge unit system to roofing battens Certain example embodiments will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front, or outside, isometric view of a dry verge unit assembly in conjunction with a roofing batten and verge tile prior to fitting; Figure 2 shows a rear, or inside, isometric view of a dry verge unit assembly in conjunction with a roofing batten and verge tile after fitting; Figure 3 shows a front and rear isometric view of a fixing a clip for a roofing batten end used in the dry verge unit assembly of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows a front isometric view of a dry verge piece used in the dry verge unit assembly of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 5 shows a front elevation view of the dry verge unit assembly of Figures 1 and 2 when fit to a roofing batten, along with a cross-section through line A-A.

The dry verge unit assembly 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a dry verge piece 2 and a fixing clip 3 for a roofing batten end.

Figure 1 shows the various components before the dry verge assembly 1 has been fitted to a roofing batten. The roofing batten end 4 of a rooting batten 8 -9 -can also be seen in Figure 1, beneath a verge tile 5. The verge the is secured to the roofing batten 8 using conventional means.

The dry verge piece 2 is formed from plastic. The dry verge piece 2 has a lead end portion 21 and a tail end portion 22, and tapers in height from the lead end portion 21 to the tail end portion 22 such that the tail end portion 22 has a width smaller than that of the lead end portion 21. A rectangular elongate opening 6 is provided in the tail end portion 22 of the dry verge piece 2 so as to open between the outside and inside of a fascia 23 of the dry verge piece 2. The opening 6 is located in the tail end portion 22, more particularly in this embodiment in a rear quarter of the length of the dry verge piece 2. In use, the tail end portion 22 is overlapped by the lead end portion 21 of an adjacent dry verge piece. A top lip 11 of the dry verge piece projects reantvardly (or inwardly) from an upper portion of the fascia 23 of the dry verge piece.

The clip 3 has a plate 13 at least partially covering the roofing batten end 8 and a pair of opposed legs 7 projecting from the plate in cantilever fashion, for gripping the top and bottom sides 18, 19 of the roofing batten 8; this means of attachment will be described in more detail later, in relation to Figure 3.

When the dry verge assembly 1 is fitted to a roof, the top lip 11 of the dry verge piece 2 is seated on the verge tile 5 so that its weight is supported by the verge tile 5. When fitting to a roof, the dry verge piece 2 is positioned so that a portion of the roofing batten end 4 is located inwardly of, or behind, the rectangular elongate opening 6 in the dry verge piece 2. The clip 3 is then attached to the roofing batten end 4 through the opening 6.

The opening 6 of the dry verge piece 2 has engagement portions 9 at its periphery. The clip has clamping portions 10 in the form of two flanges 14 each of which projects at a respective opposite side of the plate 13. In this embodiment the flanges 14 are continuations of the plate 13 at its sides.

When the clip 3 is fitted to the roofing batten 8 through the elongate opening 6, the engagement portions 9 of the dry verge piece 2 are clamped between the clamping portions, i.e. the flanges 14, of the clip 3 and the roofing batten end 4 such that the dry verge piece 2 is secured in place; these features will be described in more detail in relation to Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 2 shows the various components of the dry verge assembly 1 once it has been fitted to the roofing batten 8. In this inside or rear view, the roofing batten 8 can be seen more clearly. As shown, the fixing clip 3 is attached to the roofing -10 -batten 8 via the legs 7 that grip the top and bottom sides 18, 19 of the roofing batten 8. The tile 5 has been omitted in this figure but would be located just underneath the top lip 11 of the dry verge piece 2, supporting it in the vertical direction V. Features of the clip 3 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 3.

The clip 3 is formed from spring steel, As discussed above, the clip 3 comprises a plate 13 and two legs 7. Each leg 7 extends in the clamping direction F for gripping the top and bottom sides 18, 19 of the roofing batten end 4 respectively. Each leg 7 comprises a number of barbs 12 arranged to increase the grip on the sides of the roofing batten 8. The angle between each of the legs 7 and the plate 13 is less than 900 so that the legs taper towards one another; this ensures that the legs and barbs grip the roofing batten 8 when fitted as the legs 7 are forced to elastically deform outward, away from one another slightly, thus creating an inward elastic gripping force in each leg 7 towards the sides of the roofing batten 6. This enhances the grip of the steel legs and barbs on the softer wooden roofing batten 8.

The grip of the legs 7 on the sides of the roofing batten 8 is strong enough to avoid the need for any other fixings of the clip 3 to the roofing batten 8. As such, the clip can be fitted to the batten by the application of a force F to the plate 13 in the clamping direction; this could be carried out using only a hammer, for example. Once the clip 3 has been fitted to the roofing batten 8, the plate 13 of the clip covers substantially the entire end 4 of the roofing batten that is visible through the opening 6. This prevents environmental damage to the roofing batten 8 over time and, in conjunction with the legs 7 and the avoidance of any fixings such as nails driven into the end of the roofing batten 8, reduces the risk of the batten splitting.

As discussed, the clamping portion 10 of the clip comprises two flanges 14, each projecting from an opposing side of the plate 13. When the clip is fitted to the roofing batten 8 to secure a verge piece 2, the engagement portions 9 of the verge piece 2 are clamped between the flanges 14 and the roofing batten end 4, thus securing it in place The clip 3 also comprises two lugs 15, one extending from each of the flanges 14 in the clamping direction F. The lugs 15 each taper to a point in the clamping direction F and when the clip 3 is fitted to a roofing batten 8 to secure a dry verge piece 2, the lugs 14 bite into the engagement portions 9 of the dry verge piece 2 in order to Secure it and prevent translational movement of the dry verge piece perpendicular to the damping direction. Because the clip 3 and lugs 15 are formed of steel, whilst the dry verge piece 2 and its engagement portion 9 are formed of a softer plastic, the engagement portion 9 is plastically deformed by the lugs 14 of the clip when the dip 3 and verge piece 2 are secured to a roofing batten 8.

Features of the dry verge piece will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 4.

The dry verge piece has a length L2 in a length direction thereof, which in use is along the verge of a roof. The opening 6 of the dry verge piece is an elongate rectangle with a width W in the length direction of the verge piece This width allows insertion of the legs 7 of the clip 3 so that the flanges 14 of the clip 3 clamp the engagement portions 9 of the dry verge piece. The elongate rectangle opening 6 has a length L1 in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the verge piece, i.e. normal to the general plane of the roof. This length L1 is greater than the dimension of the clip 3 in the same direction as the length LI. This allows the clip 3 to be located in a range of height positions in the opening 6 of the dry verge piece 2, thus changing the point and height at which the dry verge piece 2 is secured to the roofing batten 8. This allows for the dry verge assembly 1 to be adjusted for various heights, e.g. for various thicknesses of tiles. The clip 3 can be easily slid up and down the opening 6 by a user prior to fitting to a roofing batten 8, thus improving the ease of fitting the clip 3 in the correct location The engagement portions 9 of the dry verge piece 2 are realwardly or inwardly recessed, i.e. towards the roofing batten 8, The recessing of the engagement portions 9 is such that when the clip 3 is fitted to a roofing batten 8 to secure the dry verge piece 2, the clip 3, in particular the plate 13 of the clip 3, sits flush with an outside surface of the tail end portion 22 of the dry verge piece 2. The tail end portion 22 of the dry verge piece 2 is covered by an adjacent, like dry verge piece in a dry verge unit system when a plurality of dry verge units is filled to a roof.

The dry verge units are connected to one another via a sliding engagement using guides 16 on the face of a dry verge piece that slide into guide channels 17 on the rear of an adjacent, like dry verge piece (see the rear of the dry verge piece 2 in Figure 2). Having the clip 3 sit flush with the outside surface of the tail end portion 22 of the dry verge piece 2 prevents the clip 3 from interfering with this sUding engagement.

The engagement portions 9 of the dry verge piece comprise a reinforced rim 20 on the rear or inside of the verge piece 2 (as seen in Figure 2). The reinforced rim protrudes inwardly relative to the inner surface of the tail end portion 22 of the dry verge piece 2. It extends around the entire periphery of the opening 6.

The reinforced rim 20 improves the strength of the verge piece around the opening 6 to reduce the risk of damage to the engagement portions 9 during the clamping or during the lifetime of the dry verge piece once fitted. It also aids in supporting the plastic deformation caused by the lugs 14. By having the reinforced rim on the rear of the verge piece, this prevents the reinforced rim from interfering with the sliding engagement between dry verge pieces described above.

Figure 5 shows a front elevation view of the dry verge unit assembly 1 of Figures 1 and 2 when fit to a roofing batten 8, along with a cross--section through line A-A.

In the elevation view it can be seen that the clip 3 is in the highest position of the elongate rectangular opening 6. Such a position would be used for a roof that requires a low height of the verge unit 2, e.g. a roof that has thin tiles.

The cross-section shows how the clip 3 sits flush with an outside surface of the dry verge piece 2 so as not to interfere with the sliding engagement with an adjacent dry verge piece, as previously discussed. -3

Claims

CLAIMS1, A dry verge unit assembly, the assembly comprising a dry verge piece, and a clip having legs for gripping sides of a roofing batten end, wherein the clip has a clamping portion and the dry verge piece has an engagement portion configure to receive the clamping portion of the clip thereagainst, wherein in use, when the clip is fitted to a roofing batten, the engagement portion of the dry verge piece is clamped between the clamping portion of the clip arid the roofing batten end such that the dry verge piece is secured in place.
2 A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clip comprises a plate for at least partially covering the roofing batten end and the clamping portion comprises at least one flange projecting at a side of the plate for clamping the engagement portion of the verge piece.
3. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the dry verge piece comprises an opening for receiving the clip.
4. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the clip comprises a lug projecting towards the dry verge piece in the clamping direction
5. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the lug tapers to a point.
6. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the clip comprises two lugs projecting from opposing sides of the clamping portion,
7 A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the engagement portion is formed of plastic and is arranged to be plastically deformed by the or each lug of the clip when the clip and the dry verge piece are fitted to a roofing batten.
8. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the engagement portion comprises a reinforced rim.-14 -
9. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reinforced rim is located on the inside of the verge piece, adjacent to the roof batten in use.
10. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the engagement portion is arranged to allow different relative positions of the clip and dry verge piece in a direction perpendicular to the length of the dry verge piece prior to fitting
11. A dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the clip sits flush with, or is inwardly recessed from, an outside surface of the verge piece when the clip and verge piece are secured to a roofing batten end.
12. A dry verge unit system, comprising a plurality of dry verge unit assemblies as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the clip and the engagement portion of each dry verge unit assembly are covered by an adjacent dry verge piece of the plurality of dry verge unit assemblies when an adjacent dry verge piece is secured to a roofing batten end
13. A method of fitting a dry verge unit assembly to a roofing batten end, the dry verge unit assembly comprising a clip having a clamping portion and a dry verge piece having an engagement portion, the method comprising applying a force to the clip such that the dry verge piece is clamped in place between the clamping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.
14, A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein legs of the clip grip sides of the roofing batten end and the method is performed without using any screws or nails to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.
15.A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the method is performed using a dry verge unit assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12
16. A clip for a roofing batten end, the clip comprising legs for gripping sides of a roofing batten end, and a clamping portion for engaging a dry verge piece -15 -so that the dry verge piece is clamped between the clamping portion and the roofing batten end.
17. A clip as claimed in claim 16, comprising a lug projecting from the clamping portion in the same direction as the legs, the lug being configured to contact the dry verge piece when it is clamped between the clamping portion of the clip and the roofing batten end.
18. A dry verge piece, the dry verge piece comprising an opening for receiving a clip for securing the dry verge piece to a roofing batten end and an engagement portion at the periphery of the opening for engagement by the clip to secure the dry verge piece to the roofing batten end.