Corner of roof leaking - have taken photos...

[WhydidIstart]

Hi,

The only thing I know about my roof is that it is leaking! Not flooding in, but enough to make the corner of my upstairs bedroom all mouldy and damp.

I think I will have to get someone to have a look at it, but would greatly appreciate your help and advice as I don’t want to get ripped off and would like to know what to expect and what questions to ask. If it’s simple I would like to do it myself as the money was destined for a much needed boiler rather than roof repairs!

The house is a 1960s end terrace in "laing easi form" construction which means it’s made from poured in situ concrete. It has cavity walls.

The roof looks to be in good condition and a recent survey found no problems with the roof. Looking in the loft when it rains, the bitumen looks ok, albeit old and probably the original 60s stuff and there are no visible drips. Only the very corner wall looks slightly damp.

In the pictures I have taken, on the outside you can see the ‘lovely’ pebble dash in the affected corner of the house goes a different colour to the rest of the wall when it rains and I assume is somehow getting damp whereas the rest is not?

So seeing the damp inside I went up a ladder and had a closer look. No cracked tiles that I could see and gutters not blocked. Where the edge of the tiles overhang the side wall slightly cracking is apparent in the cement like stuff on the edge of the tiles. So I assumed this was the problem and covered most of the side of the roof with bitumen backed tape as a temporary repair. I was careful to overlap the roof tile, going over the edge and wrap it under the ridge and slightly down the wall. I covered a greater area than seemed to be getting damp, in case the water was running down from elsewhere (see photos). This was just to see if it was the problem…

To my disappointment, this didn’t work and the water still came in, so I removed the bitumen tape as it didn’t look that good.

Any advice on what it might be and how to fix it would be really appreciated. If it involves using any materials the type to use (preferably available from Wikes / BnQ, etc) would be great too. I know they’re not the best, but there’s a massive BnQ just a few mins up the road and it’s open till 9pm…

Photos:

http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof1.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof2.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof3.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof4.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof5.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof6.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof7.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof8.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof9.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof_10.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof_11.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/roof_12.jpg

Finally I noticed this pic that shows some kind of nice edging on side of the roof tiles – can anyone tell me what this is and should I have it / would it fix or help my leak?

http://www.geocities.com/rover825uk/otherroof.jpg

Thanks for taking the time to read all that!

 

[drewroof]

hi there, the new roof has got dry verge i think its called, think you get them from roofing merchants

 

[datarebal]

How about a day time pic?

 

[WhydidIstart]

OK, I'll try and get a better pic, but the weather isn't great at the moment!

 

[Slimkid]

Hard to judge with those photos. The '50 yards away in the dark' one was LOL.

This is by no means definitive but

...that kind of damp is often caused by one or two cracked tiles and then water pooling. Sometimes felt can sag between the outside skin and the rafter if it hasn't been laid right and battened tight or just through aging. Add a cracked tile and you can get standing water which causes more sag through the extra weight. Add old perished felt and there's your interior leak.

Whatever the cause, it'll need exploratory work. The mortar clearly needs raking out and repointing as it's wet through. If it's the kind of problem I think it 'might' be, it's not too bad. It won't be a new roof. From the pictures, the timbers look dry and clean. 'If' it's the case, some tiles will be be removed, the damaged/perished felt replaced and the edge tiles repointed. There's always a chance of a rotten batten end but that's no biggie either.

I'd get onto it though because it's your roof at the end of the day. They can cost a bomb. Spring and summer are the best times to get to it. I wouldn't advise anyone to even even think about doing this themselves unless they've got a LOT of experience. Not many survivors at that height. Look at Rod Hull. Everyone knows that emus are flightless birds!

 

[WhydidIstart]

Hi, thanks for the info and yes I agree Rod Hull and his TV aerial are a good example of why not to do it yourself... but it would be great to know what to ask for, or at least understand what options I may be given if I do get someone round.

I don't think there are any cracked tiles, but I’m only looking with binoculars from the ground so a closer inspection may reveal something.

Thanks for the dry verge info - could I fit some of this stuff directly over the old mortar?

There is this "Fast Fix Dry Verge, Home DIY Kit" but perhaps it's not up to much as often the old ways are the best ways and despite claims of maintenance free for 100's of years (well almost!) it doesn't help if the stuff has blown off due to a slight draught!

http://www.rooflineuk.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=5

 

[Slimkid]

Hiya,
Some new builds use that system but it doesn't really deal with your problem. You'll still need to find out where the water is getting in. That mortar will still need repointing and, once done, you won't really need the dry verge.

I bet you're cringing at this fine weather we have planned for the week!

Ask around mates and colleagues for a reputable roofer and call him out. A couple of guys with a good reputation will often be less cost and do work to a high standard. It might be as straightforward as sliding a couple of tiles back and patching a leak.

If your roof is fine, there's a good chance that the render has cracked and is letting water in behind. Either way someone needs to have a look. If you're really cautious, borrow some ladders. Make sure someone foots your ladder and then check the render. Don't even think of going Rod Hull on the roof.

Good luck anyway