Repeating Leaks on Victorian Parapet

[rideforever]

Hello

I have had damp coming through the wall in the bedroom under this parapet for several years.

1 years ago, I paid someone £300 to grind out the cracks and seal over. It helped for a while but pretty bad got worse again.

Over the winter it just went crazy and damp and mould spread all over the wall.

Last month I paid someone £600 to grind out the cracks, take off the top of the parapet, rerender, and reseal.

But after last weeks rain, it seems new dampness is coming in - says the lady in that room.

I am almost freaking out, I just don't know what to do. What am I supposed to do ? I am just throwing money out of the window.

Anyway, I will get that roofer back to have a look.

What should I ask him to do ? Put a whole new roof on ? It seems it is impossible to tell where the water is coming from.

I feel in a real mess - I have no idea what to do.

(this picture is before the last months work)

Untitled

• rideforever
• 4 Jan 2014
• 3

(this picture is what the interior looks like - I am supposed to be renting out this room)

Untitled

• rideforever
• 22 Apr 2014
• 2

I honestly don't know what the hell to do. I started working on this problem in January, its May now. That's 4 months. Roofers down here on the South Coast have 2 months or orders. It takes them 2 weeks perhaps to come for a viewing - then normally they don't even send you the quote unless you hassle them on the phone. It can take weeks.

And then if they do the job - you don't even know if the job is done. You have to wait for the rain.

I am really at a loss off what to do.

In fact on this property there is another section of damage on the other side of the property shared with other neighbours - that also is just a total nightmare. That a £1500 job - and I have no idea if it's going to work. And we would have to wait perhaps several months until it rains before knowing.

Last week a different roofer wanted £300 to take some photos and email them to me (what they call a survey).

Cowboys ? I have no idea if these guys are cowboys. They all seem like cowboys to me. Yes they are on Checkatrade - does it matter?

If you do some work in the summer no-one is going to know if there is a problem until November, and you are long gone by then.

 

[rideforever]

The other problem is that although it looks like it is still damp, I cannot be certain. It seems damp but can't be sure.

Walls seem to take months to dry out, and with the weather changing it's difficult to tell.

I think I shall wait a week with the dry weather coming up, photographing the wall.

And then get a garden hose and hose the roof for a day and see what happens. It's the only way to tell.

 

[ree]

ridforever,

you have been extensively advised about your roof and internal difficulties in Feb and April of this year. On both occasions you disappeared from your own threads and didn't respond to many of the questions that were asked.

Now that you've run into trouble once again, you are back, with roughly speaking, the same complaints.

 

[doitall]

If they're in checkatrade avoid normally

Where abouts are you in sussex, the nearest town will do.

Some better pics would be good.

 

[rideforever]

Untitled

• rideforever
• 12 May 2014
• 2

Untitled

• rideforever
• 12 May 2014
• 2

Untitled

• rideforever
• 4 Jan 2014
• 3

Internal : 4 spots under the gable bottom right of window

Untitled

• rideforever
• 12 May 2014
• 1

Parapet wall very bad

Untitled

• rideforever
• 22 Apr 2014
• 2

Below > This is an old photo of "how it began" about 2 years ago before any work was done :

Untitled

• rideforever
• 12 May 2014
• 1

I am in Portslade, cheers.

 

[rideforever]

ridforever,
you have been extensively advised about your roof and internal difficulties in Feb and April of this year. On both occasions you disappeared from your own threads and didn't respond to many of the questions that were asked.
Now that you've run into trouble once again, you are back, with roughly speaking, the same complaints.

That's not the case. The issues you are talking that were posted back then are on the other side of the property and following the advice here, I have scheduled in a re-render of that entire parapet at £1300. Which is what I was advised here. That hasn't been done yet though, however I took good notice of it.

 

[ree]

It is indeed the case:
April 22 you say that you've had the roof fixed and show the same interior pics as above, yet you now claim that these same pics are showing a different room on the other side of the house?

Anyway, anyone who feels inclined to help you would be best advised to first read, and make sense of, the history of your "roof" postings since Feb 2014.

 

[rideforever]

..

Hi there, the only other thread I put up regarding this work is here //www.diynot.com/forums/decorating/damp-wall-temporary-repairs.400479/#3087705

At that time I was looking for a way to pretty up the wall whilst it was drying. But now it seems the repair has not worked as the recent rain has shown.
I have different concerns now as the rain seems to have come through the wall again.

Just looking again at the photos and dates it is certain that the water is still coming through.

 

[Nige F]

If they're in checkatrade avoid normally
.

East Sussex - the home of dodgy roofers - How much rendering do you get for c.£1300 ? . I know scaffold is expensive , but ....

 

[rideforever]

The home of dodgy everything. Every time I have had someone in the property it has been a disaster. I had some ceiling downlighters put in an old plaster ceiling and the guy angle ground a rectangular trench around the cornice perimeter destabilising the ceiling - one day the whole thing will fall down. Then I had an electrical short and the electrician cut through all the rings - later found it was the washing machine.

I have tried recommendations, tried checkatrade. Makes no difference.

Now I do it all myself unless I can't and the roof is in the second category. I was even looking into roofing courses, but I think I have to give up on that.

If anyone can recommend someone that would be great. I hope.

 

[catlad]

Your roof has too many issues for the likes of check a trade to deal with, I recommend you look for an established roofer/company.

 

[Nige F]

I know a good firm in Polegate - don`t know anyone nearer to brighton . Send me a message ( click on my profile ) I`ll send you details etc.

 

[rideforever]

The roofer came back today and had another look at it. He said he couldn't tell for sure where the leak was.

He said that at the bottom of the valley the tiles do not come all the way down over the lead, and that the bottom most tiles have about 1.5" overlap only and that possibly this is the way the water is getting in. But he wasn't sure.

Another possibility was that the fibreglass channel in the valley and lead interface was not good because the lead was just sitting on it, although there is a W shaped border to the channel.

I agreed to ask several other roofers to look at it and get their view.

And another option is to strip the roof down which would take a number of days.

And the original builder said he would fix it for free if it was quick, if not then we would have to negotiate more money.

Not sure what to do. I paid £600 and nothing has changed basically. I am trying to be practical.

 

[joe-90]

I agreed to ask several other roofers to look at it and get their view.

They'll love that. They've got nothing better to do than drive over to give you free advice. Good man.

 

[rideforever]

You will excuse me if I don't get my violin out. As you can see from my experience I am the one who has lost out every time.

In this case it may well be that we begin the work once again with another contractor in which case it will most likely be one of these estimates.