My roof was recently done. Tiles fixed without nails. Just been laid down

[Ameer]

Hi there,

Can I have a bit of advice, my roof was recently re-done. The trade person had just laid the tile down hanging it on the roof wood bars. He add no nails, while previously there were some nails. I can see that the tile itself had an edge to hang over the wooden bar, but I'm concerned that this is not safe enough. When I asked he said nails are not needed to fix the tile. My roof is pitched by almost 50 degrees.
Is it a routine practice to do the tile this way, shall I be worried about safety?

 

[conny]

I'm not a roofer but I would be very worried if they weren't secured along at least every other row.
First decent wind and I can imagine them flying off.

 

[Ameer]

I'm not a roofer but I would be very worried if they weren't secured along at least every other row.
First decent wind and I can imagine them flying off.

That us my concern, thanks for replying

 

[Dereekoo]

Go and look on tile suppliers spec page re fixing and I should imagine it states all tiles to be nailed

 

[johnny2007]

My roof tiles are not nailed and have been there 25 years without moving.
I have the interlocking type, weighting a couple of kg each, so I suppose that makes a difference.
Possibly smooth lighter tiles would need mechanical fixing.

 

[Ameer]

My roof tiles are not nailed and have been there 25 years without moving.
I have the interlocking type, weighting a couple of kg each, so I suppose that makes a difference.
Possibly smooth lighter tiles would need mechanical fixing.

Thanks, Johnny, I got probably the same sort of tile it is reasonably heavy with almost 2 kg each and an interlocking one. That is very assuring thanks a lot mate for your response.

 

[Dereekoo]

My roof tiles are not nailed and have been there 25 years without moving.
I have the interlocking type, weighting a couple of kg each, so I suppose that makes a difference.
Possibly smooth lighter tiles would need mechanical fixing.

Just waiting for that 1in 40 year wind gust, yer pays yer money and takes yer chance. Good Luck

 

[johnny2007]

Just waiting for that 1in 40 year wind gust, yer pays yer money and takes yer chance. Good Luck

We already had powerful storms and my neighbours roofs were damaged.
Mine didn't move.
Luck?
Or is it near impossible for a line of interlocking tiles, weighted down by other tiles on top of them to move?
Then of course if Greta Thunberg gets her way and we start having hurricanes here, we need to rethink the way we build properties, not just roofs.

 

[JohnD]

Then of course if Greta Thunberg gets her way and we start having hurricanes here, we need to rethink the way we build properties, not just roofs.

Surely Greta is opposed to climate change?

Perhaps you are thinking of the fossil fuel industry and their apologists.

Exxon Knew about Climate Change Almost 40 Years Ago

A new investigation shows the oil company understood the science before it became a public issue and spent millions to promote misinformation

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[jj4091]

Not a roofer myself but as Dereekoo says they should always be fitted & fixed according to the manufacturers guidelines. In my experience problems may not show up until years later with the type of tiles you describe when they have not been fitted with the correct lap & every other row being nailed. In the event of storm damage your insurer will use non compliance as a reason not to pay out on a claim. There is also the problem of them rattling in high winds if not fixed properly, this causes the corners & interlocking sections to crack & break off resulting in leaks. Not just the risk of them coming off &. crushing someones skull.

 

[Ameer]

Not a roofer myself but as Dereekoo says they should always be fitted & fixed according to the manufacturers guidelines. In my experience problems may not show up until years later with the type of tiles you describe when they have not been fitted with the correct lap & every other row being nailed. In the event of storm damage your insurer will use non compliance as a reason not to pay out on a claim. There is also the problem of them rattling in high winds if not fixed properly, this causes the corners & interlocking sections to crack & break off resulting in leaks. Not just the risk of them coming off &. crushing someones skull.

Would the roofer be responsible for this then if a storm damaged the roof as it was poorly done? He provided me with a receipt showing 25 years guarantee. Whether this is valid or not, he must be legally responsible for it isn't it? I only knew there are no nails as I asked him about it. If I would not ask, then I would not know. If he did a job that is not according to the regulations he must be responsible for it I believe. I am really tired of all of this no trade person seems to be doing their job as it should be.

 

[johnny2007]

Would the roofer be responsible for this then if a storm damaged the roof as it was poorly done? He provided me with a receipt showing 25 years guarantee. Whether this is valid or not, he must be legally responsible for it isn't it? I only knew there are no nails as I asked him about it. If I would not ask, then I would not know. If he did a job that is not according to the regulations he must be responsible for it I believe. I am really tired of all of this no trade person seems to be doing their job as it should be.

Honestly Ameer, it's too late now and I doubt the roofer would be willing to come back, take all the tiles off and nail every other row.
I don't know where you live but here in west London we had some pretty bad storms.
Walls down, chimneys through roofs, trees uprooted, tiles blown everywhere, even traffic lights pulled down and countless fences destroyed.
But my roof has not moved at all.
I think that the weight of those tiles, the fact they're interlocked and staggered to more or less half a length, prevents any sort of movement.
If one tile has to move, a series of rows will have to move.
Pretty difficult imo.
I wouldn't worry if I were you.

 

[Ameer]

Honestly Ameer, it's too late now and I doubt the roofer would be willing to come back, take all the tiles off and nail every other row.
I don't know where you live but here in west London we had some pretty bad storms.
Walls down, chimneys through roofs, trees uprooted, tiles blown everywhere, even traffic lights pulled down and countless fences destroyed.
But my roof has not moved at all.
I think that the weight of those tiles, the fact they're interlocked and staggered to more or less half a length, prevents any sort of movement.
If one tile has to move, a series of rows will have to move.
Pretty difficult imo.
I wouldn't worry if I were you.

Thanks, Johnny for your time writing this answer. Yea it is exactly like this, and I don't think the roofer would really bother coming back unless I paid him for a new job. Having already paid him a lot a few months ago, this option isn't really a good one for me. Thinking backward, the property was built in 80s and initially, the tile had some nails, but none of these nails were fixed to the battens. The nails were only going through the tile and were used in a way like a hook to stay on the top of the batten. I don't think that was strong enough to stop moving over the last 40 years unless the tile themselves are stable in place. I can only hope for the best. I did not see any of my neighbors had any issues with their roof tiles, the houses all were built by the same contractor back in 80s. So as you said hopefully it will OK

 

[Diver Fred]

Interlocking Tile Fixings AFAIK
Bottom 2. rows
All tiles at edge of roof
Then miss 2 rows*
Up to Top Row

* some people / manufacturers say miss upto 4 rows.

 

[A Trowel]

No one familiar with bs5534 then