Haverhill Roofers carries out roof repairs for homeowners in Fulbourn, working through every stage of the job methodically so you know exactly what is happening and why.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
If you have never had roofing work done before, it is not always clear what to expect. This page walks through what a professional roof repair involves, in order, so you can follow what is happening and know whether the job is being done properly.
Before any materials are ordered or scaffolding erected, a roofer needs to see the roof properly. That means getting up to it - not just looking from ground level or out of a velux window. A visual inspection from ground level is a useful starting point for spotting obvious slipped tiles or missing ridge sections, but the detail work - checking flashing joints, pressing mortar, looking at the condition of the felt underlay through any gaps - requires being on or immediately adjacent to the roof surface.
On a typical inspection we are looking at the tiles or slates for slippage, cracking and broken nibs; the ridge and hip mortar for cracks, gaps and loose sections; the flashings at chimneys, dormers and abutments for failed pointing and lifted edges; the valleys for cracks or gaps in the lead or mortar; and the verges (the edges of the roof at the gable ends) for loose or detached mortar fillet. We also note the condition of the gutters at this point, because a blocked or sagging gutter causes water to back up under the eaves course of tiles and accelerate deterioration there.
On a flat roof section the inspection involves pressing the surface for soft spots (indicating wet or rotten deck boards beneath), checking the condition of the felt for splits, blisters and open laps, and checking the upstand detail where the flat roof meets any adjoining wall.
This is the most important step and the one most likely to be skipped by anyone doing a quick patch job. Water enters a roof at one point and travels before it appears on a ceiling below. A stain above a bedroom window may have come in through a chimney flashing several metres away. A damp patch on a top-floor wall may trace back to a failed valley rather than the tiles beside it.
Tracing the entry point properly sometimes takes time, particularly on an older roof where there may be more than one place where water can get in. The inspection should follow the water's likely path back from where it shows inside to where it could have entered outside, cross-checking with what is visible on the roof surface above.
Most roof repair work on a two-storey house requires either scaffolding or a tower, depending on the extent of the work and where it is located. A simple tile replacement on a lower slope might be managed safely from a ladder with a roof hook and crawl boards, but any significant work on a ridge, chimney or valley on a full two-storey property generally warrants a proper working platform. This adds cost but it also means the job can be done properly rather than rushed from an awkward position on a ladder.
Crawl boards are used to distribute weight across the roof surface when working on it, preventing further tile damage and protecting against falls. A roofer who walks across tiles without protection risks breaking them, which creates additional repairs on top of the original problem.
The sequence of the repair itself depends on what has been found in the inspection, but for a typical job involving several elements it generally follows this order:
Once the visible repairs are done, a second check of the surrounding area is worthwhile. Lifting tiles to replace one can reveal that adjacent tiles have corroded fixings too; re-pointing a flashing may reveal that the mortar behind it has softened. Spotting these issues during the original visit, while access is already in place, saves the homeowner from needing a second round of work shortly after.
On a flat roof repair, the finished surface should be checked for correct lap direction (laps must run away from the direction water flows, not against it), for any lifted edges at the perimeter upstand, and for adequate drainage fall. Water should not be sitting on a flat roof surface more than 24 hours after rain.
Old mortar, broken tile fragments, spent lead off-cuts and any other debris should be removed from the roof and from around the property at the end of the job. Gutters disturbed by debris during the work should be checked and cleared. Any tile or slate removed from the roof that is still serviceable is worth keeping - one sound spare tile stored in a garage is useful when a future repair needs an exact match.
At the end of the job, the roofer should be able to tell you clearly what was done, where the entry point was, what material was used, and what to watch for in future. If something was found during access that has not yet been repaired, you should be told about it and given an idea of how urgently it needs attention.
A well-done roof repair is largely invisible. Ridge mortar that matches the surrounding colour, lead flashing dressed neatly against brickwork, replacement tiles that sit flush with the course - none of these should stand out as obviously new. The test of the job is that the roof stops leaking and stays watertight through subsequent wet weather.
We carry out roof repairs for homeowners in Fulbourn and across the wider area, including Haverhill, Sawston, Cambridge and villages including Steeple Bumpstead, Kedington, Castle Camps, Clare and Great Sampford. If you want to understand exactly what a repair to your roof would involve before you commit to anything, call us to arrange an inspection.
If you are seeing signs of a leak or have noticed damaged tiles, ridge mortar or flashings on your property in Fulbourn, call Haverhill Roofers to arrange a proper inspection. We will walk you through what we find and what needs doing before any work is agreed.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
