Pitched Roof

Problems? What problems?

Out of sight out of mind is the usual approach to many homeowners roofs, most owners give little or no thought to a roof or it’s maintenance until something goes wrong, and this is usually water getting inside or lumps of roof on the floor outside. Often the first signs of a problem are a leak or a damp patch appearing in the ceiling. These patches may appear when it’s raining or more likely some time after the water has worked it’s way through your roof and ceiling. Finding some broken slates, tiles or cement work on the floor outside after high winds is also a call to action for home owners.

Like any other area in your house you roof will face problems and considering the wear and tear it receives it is likely that at some stage your roof will need maintenance.

A renovation of an 19th Century grade 2 listed house in Cambridgeshire. After some discussions with the local Conservation Officer we agreed an approach for repair and materials used, in this case where the slates were sourced and the particular mix for the hydraulic lime.

A renovation of an 19th Century grade 2 listed house in Cambridgeshire. After some discussions with the local Conservation Officer we agreed an approach for repair and materials used, in this case where the slates were sourced and the particular mix for the hydraulic lime.

Locating and identifying problems

Finding materials on the ground that should be on the roof and it’s fairly obvious where they have come from, and their problems are easily resolved, finding a leak inside the house and it’s a little harder. There are some simple procedures we use to identify where the leak has manifested itself and the experience of the assessor will usually speed up diagnosing leaks.

The main areas we find leak are, broken tiles, joins on the roof ie ridges, hips, valleys etc, areas where the roof ends ie chimneys, parapet walls, gable ends. Most problem can be easily fixed if identified and addressed quickly, leave a problem for some time and the problem will simply get worse.