Roof repair advice

Discussion in 'Other Trades Talk' started by mloughrey, Mar 6, 2013.

  1. mloughrey

    mloughrey New Member

    I have recently moved into a 100yo house. The felted slate tile roof seems in very good nick and the survey at time of purchase found no problems. Recently we developed dampness in a bathroom and a roofer had a look and did some repairs to pointing around a chimney at a corner of the house and adjusted the lead in some way. There was exceptionally heavy rain for days before the damp appeared in the bathroom and he said he thought rain was getting in under the tiles at the edges when it was very windy. He said he was 95% sure this would solve the problem which was obviously chronic as there was some damage (rot) to some of the wooden beams in the roofspace, just at the corner of the house, but 'nothing serious'. The latter has alarmed me somewhat and I went up to roofspace for a closer look. The main beams seem fine and are obviously treated, but there is some rotten wood right at the corner, underneath where bricks from an unused chimney begin and also behind an adjacent gutter. I suspect the fascia board is rotten and can see the white gutter through a small hole in it, again confined to this corner of the roof. One foot away from this area, the wood seems sound.
    Apologies firstly for my somehwat vague and ill-informed description of the problem. I have no expertise or experience in this field (or diy in general!) and hence am looking for some advice and hopefully reassurance. Does this sound like a major problem which I need someone else to look at for a second opinion, or does a little rotten wood under an otherwise very stable-seeming chimney require no intervention at this stage other than to fix the leaking roof causing it? I am awaiting rain to see if the latter has been successful but regardless have concerns about the wood damage. Roofer seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy but I have no idea about these things.
    Any advice would be much appreciated.
    Thanks
     
  2. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    iwill have a closer read of this tonight, very difficult to see whats wrong with a leaking roof when you are looking at it, even more difficult to say from here. is it natural slate, is it wet lay (probably not if its felted) ??later.
     
  3. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    wet lay means does it look as though there is render (concrete) between all the slates on the roof?  my advice would be to fix the leek before bothering with any wood treatment, thats as long as the wood is just wet. if the wood looks rotten, then the slates would need to come off around that area to be able to replace the wood. is the wood solid if you press it? or soft? if soft then slates need lifting, if solid but wet then it will dry out when leak detected and fixed. personally i would fall shy of saying im 95 percent about fixing a leak in an old slate roof, i have a few customers right now with similar problems and ive done a few repairs which have undoubtedly stopped leaks but its a minefield up there.
     
  4. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    also, wood would need to be treated when it dries out. good fortune to you:)
     
  5. Id cut out any damp/rotten timbers and replace/splice in some new stuff.

    Make sure the leaks sorted out first.

    Surfermick, we call it Torching ie lime mortar mix with added horse hair and back point the slates/tiles, however the op has stated its a felted/tiled roof.
     
  6. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    yep, we call it wet lay down here in sunny Cornwall.I was trying to piece together what sort of job he has going on on that roof, he says 100 years old, slate/tile roof with felt. it could be slate or he could have asbestos tiles or the new cement fibre replacement type.  I wondered if he had actually seen felt or just imagined that it is felted because a modern roof usually is. as you say Cotswold its a lime mix but I wasn't going to baffle him with the details as he says he knows nothing about roofing. i totally agree with all you've said .    anyway, he seems to have fixed it himself
     
  7. mloughrey

    mloughrey New Member

    Thank you both, but problem far from resolved! Had first rain last few days (sure you had too!) since the 'fix' and bricks in roofspace wet again this morning. Very disappointing. Not sure whether to give first chap a second chance - he did say he had a 5% chance of failing, and you (mick) seem to sympathise with trying to fix this problem. Must be some element of guesswork I presume and perhaps he tried the 'easy' (and cheapest) fixes first. Def a felted roof with slate tiles. I have attached some pics, taken with a friends 'campole' (I wouldn't and couldn't get up on the roof!) to show the problem area. Looks in good nick to me (amateur eye) but the wet bricks are immediately below the chimney area shown. I guess we cant' see the 'gully' round the back of the chimney, which would have most rain pouring onto it. The rotten (soft) wood is limited to the outer corner of the house, behind the white gutter (shown) and below the chimney. My wife wants to take the whole chimney away and get the problem solved 'properly' this time! I just don't know how aggressively to proceed. Help!!
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    If the chimney selves no purpose other than visual she is absolutely correct - materials interfaces in elderly building are often problematical

    from the pictures it would appear that the flashing has been curtailed and an attempt made using mortar to form a waterproof bond - that just will not work. The flashing should rise up the brick face and be embedded within a course.

    be prepared for exposing more materials that will need attention when the chimney comes off
     
  9. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    would it ruin the aesthetics of the building if the chimney was removed? is there another chimney on the property? as Sean says, if it really is surplus to requirements then there is little point throwing £100's at searching for leaks around it, just remove it and slate it over.  i cant make out from the photos if that is some sort of metal flashing that has been placed over the lead, in the last picture it does seem to have an edge to it. one or two of the bricks seem to have failed, they will take on water, its likely that others have failed too, thats not good either. if you can do without it, removed it.
     
  10. You have a perfectly sound chimney there, if you took it down, ( which I wouldnt  advise ) in the future if you were to re-instate it, you would need planning.

    It would also spoil the character of the building, although you have made good attempts to get the photos its still not as good as a roofer actually getting on the roof.

    The problems I can see are,
    Cracked slate causing a straight joint, not weathered.
    I cant see the back edge of gutter, is it cast iron, has the back corroded.
    Brickwork, stepped flashings, and soakers seem in order.
    I would suspect you need a new lead back apron made up, make sure roofer is confident in lead work.
    The apron plus the cracked slate are both weak points, water can enter there and run down the nearest exit.

    I wouldnt expect a good roofer plus a labourer would charge more than £350 to renew the apron, replace all cracked defective slates and generally check all suspect areas.
    It would certainly cost a lot more to demolish the stack, make good plus skip charges, plus the Wife might want a wood burner fitted this year.
     
  11. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    I don't think that's cracked slate, looks more like a couple of water runs

    something has been cut - shown to the right of the camera shadow in the third image, look like it's lead and it's just creating a runoff towards the cut material

    you might cure this by spending a few more £100 having a functional flashing fitted, but then you might not

    having the chimney off would allow a proper cure, and as it's the wife's idea to have the entire thing down she's probably not minded to have a wood burner fitted - even if she did want a burner a proper, built for the task, flue flashing would be an easy fit in the future
     
  12. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    there are a few options but he hasnt said whether there is another chimney anyway. i agree, it does look like water run off rather than a crack. i still say i would never give a 95 percent assurance of fixing a leak on a slate roof, i have a customer in the village with a similar problem on an unused chimney, ive done one repair and am set to go back and try something else, its a constant game.
     
  13. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    Looks to me like that flashing won't work. It seems the lower part(the part that goes under the tiles) is ON TOP of the stepped part - no good.

    Also, it should go all the way(cut in) along the bottom front of the chimney and turned into the guttering.

    The guttering won't work. It has been cut away(or rusted away) at the chimney, it should have a full back edge and the lead flashing into it. That chimney passes straight down and is constantly in water where the gutter has no back edge(there is probably an equally useless seal of silicone between chimney and gutter).

    That'll be where the main rot is probably around, as that area is always wet. That part of the guttering is useless.

    Mr. HandyAndy - Really
     
  14. mloughrey

    mloughrey New Member

    Thank you all. Huge diversity of opinion here but I feel a lot better informed. The roofer who did the work to date is coming back out for a look and I'll see what he says, but I am leaning towards having the chimney removed given the doubt about best fix as I can only envisage recurring problems for years to come any other way. Hope to be in this property for several decades! And it does have three other chimneys with this one being right at a corner and blocked up below, so far from essential aesthetically or practically. Besides, if it ever toppled over it would go striaght through a sun room below, undoubtedly whilst I was reading the Sunday newspapers! Will post again with an update when I have an outcome wither way.
    Thnx again
     
  15. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    by the way, tell your neighbours the dog wants to come in;)
     
  16. royalsmith

    royalsmith New Member

    It is really serious problem of roof leaking .I Think you shold hire plumbing services to reapair roof.Emergency services 24 Inc has expert staff and techniques with excellent services *

    Message was edited by: Screwfix Peter
     
  17. david perkins

    david perkins New Member

    Maintaining your roof is the most crucial of home repairs. If your roof is about 20 years old and most of the shingles are damaged or worn, its time to replace your roof. If your roof is in good condition then you can repair it anytime by yourselves. Always make roof repairs on a warm day because shingles will be less likely to crack.
     
  18. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    20 years is a very short life for a tiled roof, you should be able to get 50+ years for a re-roof, agree it may require re-pointing in certain areas, or at worst the ridge tiles need rebedding. It is best to fill gaps associated with lead work using lead sealant as this adheres much better to thee lead and doesn't suffer the effects of thawing.

    Tiles can also crack if it they are really hot, especially concrete tiles, as I have found out.
     
  19. jacksmith

    jacksmith New Member

    After going through your concern i would suggest you to have a full inspection of your home to avoid any misfortune later.
     

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