The roof over your head is arguably the most important structural component of your home.
Without it, in fact, your home wouldn’t be a home at all! Roofs are vulnerable to wear and tear over time, and consequently it is essential that they’re regularly repaired and maintained. Ideally, this
work should be carried out as soon as reasonably possible – as a neglected roof is only going to deteriorate further over time, and possibly cause other adverse effects in the process.
Common Repairs
Certain kinds of repair work stand out as common.
Replacing Tiles
During high winds, the tiles that make up your roof can become dislodged (especially if they aren’t properly attached in the first place). Even if the movement is just minor, it can allow a gap to form,
via which water can penetrate the underlying structure. In some cases, the tile might be cracked – in which case it’ll need to be repaired. A roofer might reasonably charge around £200 to go up onto the roof and replace the tiles in question. Things get complicated when the tile being replaced is rare or difficult to track down, as might be the case in period properties. You might find yourself paying extra to have everything match perfectly. The cost of other materials, like bitumen sealant, must also be covered.
Flashing
Around chimneys and windows is a bendable strip of lead known as the flashing. It’s this that prevents water from getting in through these weak points. But if it’s come away from the roof, then
water will be able to get in. The solution here is the same – get someone up to fix it. Flashing is another quick repair job, and since flashing is broadly the same thing from house to house, you won’t have to worry about matching it to the surrounding structure.
Sagging Roof
If the entire roof is sagging, then this might point to a more profound structural issue: the supporting beams can’t support the weight of the roof they’re carrying. The cause of the sag will play a large
role in determining the cost of fixing it. If the entire roof has been waterlogged, then it will need to be replaced. This can cost tens of thousands of pounds. If, on the other hand, the roof tiles are
simply too heavy – perhaps because they’ve been replaced – then a few additional beams might be sufficient to remedy the problem. Get a surveyor in to assess the damage.
Flat versus Pitched Roofing
There are significant differences between flat and pitched roofs, when it comes to both the frequency and expense of repairs. A pitched roof tends to be more a more complex structure than a flat one. It’s therefore more expensive to repair when problems do occur. With that said, flat roofs are likelier to develop problems in the first place, especially if they’ve been in place since the 80s. Roofs from this period tended to be made from felt-and-gravel, and they tend to collect water in pools, since they lack an incline. Thus, faults developed in roofs of this kind are usually best remedied by replacing the whole thing. Determine which category your flat roof falls into before you put money down for repairs.