Roof leak problems.

[Lyceum]

Any 'honourable' person would assess the situation from every angle.
That would include getting up on the roof and checking those 'capping tiles' close up......removing an odd one if necessary for a peek beneath.
He would then get into the loft space, and look for water ingress (there's always a trace), feel for wet insulation etc and see how far the water had progressed.
He would then check in the room below the problem area for blown plaster and so on.
Its unfortunate that there is no access next door.
Now - no one is blessed with X-ray eyes so a 100% proposal can't be guaranteed, but it sure would be closer than what you've experienced so far.
So far as I see, checkatrade and rated people are a waste of time and I wouldn't even waste my time there.
John

I thought the same about checkatrade etc. there's zero negative feedback and everyone seems to score over an 8 which is completely unrealistic because you can't please every customer. No matter how good you are.

I've asked friends and they can't recommend everyone so I'm left with little option but to pick random names out of the yellow pages.

 

[ree]

I've gone back and had a closer look at the pics:

Perhaps the guttering concealed behind the fascia board is a lead gutter?

Whatever it is, how does the gutter enter a down pipe to drain away? This gutter might be the possible cause of leaking at the outside wall near to the window. But thats only a guess on my part.

I also noticed some kind of irregularities in the tiles behind the soil pipe.

The left hand fascia board is deeper and fixed lower than the right hand fascia (which has the grey gutter attached.)

 

[Lyceum]

I've gone back and had a closer look at the pics:

Perhaps the guttering concealed behind the fascia board is a lead gutter?

Whatever it is, how does the gutter enter a down pipe to drain away? This gutter might be the possible cause of leaking at the outside wall near to the window. But thats only a guess on my part.

I also noticed some kind of irregularities in the tiles behind the soil pipe.

The left hand fascia board is deeper and fixed lower than the right hand fascia (which has the grey gutter attached.)

I'm sorry. I honestly don't know.

The leak appeared inside the back bedroom on th celing about half a foot up from where the celing meets the wall. The celing isn't completely flat though. It tapers down towards the wall like an arch would.

I'll call around tomorrow and find some roofers who do free estimates. Although by the time I save up enough to have it fixed I'm pretty sure the water will have done god knows how much worth of damage. But there's not much I can do.

But at least I have a better idea of what to look for. If the roofer comes around to give an estimate and doesn't even ask to look in the loft should I assume its best to write them off?

 

[ree]

No, as i said above it depends. I would look in the loft for obvious signs but i also know that water might travel before it shows in the loft.

Perhaps one of the charities could advise you or the Consumer Assn?
"Which" magazine used to publish lists of recommended building trades people but i dont know if you could contact the recommenders directly?

I understand your predicament, and as a contractor, i've had similar difficulties when hiring people - everything checks out and seems fine but in days you realise you have a drug fiend who goes in peoples fridges for food and steals from customers & work mates, or in one case took a bath in the clients bathroom.

 

[Lyceum]

No, as i said above it depends. I would look in the loft for obvious signs but i also know that water might travel before it shows in the loft.

Perhaps one of the charities could advise you or the Consumer Assn?
"Which" magazine used to publish lists of recommended building trades people but i dont know if you could contact the recommenders directly?

I understand your predicament, and as a contractor, i've had similar difficulties when hiring people - everything checks out and seems fine but in days you realise you have a drug fiend who goes in peoples fridges for food and steals from customers & work mates, or in one case took a bath in the clients bathroom.

Google shows a which recommended traders. That lists 1 recommended roofer in Liverpool. The list says 4 but only the first one is actually local. So that's a starting point.

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply. It's appreciated.

 

[Lyceum]

Just to update this.

Had a roofer come around this morning. He seemed to know what he was talking about.

He took two tiles off and the felt under has rotted away leaving a hole. Followed the water ingress and found a tile further up has collapsed so water was getting in there. Running down the felt into the hole and showing in the ceiling. Quoted £420 to fix.

He took pictures as he went to show me the issues etc. then emailed me the pictures along with a list of the work that needs doing to repair it and an estimate.

How the two supposed roofers before him missed it is genuinely mind
boggling. But neither of those took any tiles of etc.

Thanks for the advice given. It has been really helpful.

 

[catlad]

If they did not even bother removing a few tiles then they were not roofers.

 

[Lyceum]

If they did not even bother removing a few tiles then they were not roofers.

Yes. I didn't know that at the time. I had no idea how these things work or what they should or shouldn't have done.

Obviously thanks to advice given here and google research I knew more what to look for this time.

 

[Burnerman]

I think we all have our fingers well crossed for you!
Damaged slates or tiles are pretty easy to spot, as is faulty ridge pointing and so on.
Now, underfelt is really a secondary waterproofing system and there are many older houses without felt at all. They still remain watertight if the slates are sound, so please dont be brainwashed here!
Be lucky
John

 

[ree]

I dont buy what you are telling us - or what the roofer has told you:

which two tiles were lifted? they were selected to be lifted on what basis? Whats meant by a collapsing concrete tile? I see no signs in the pics of a "collapsed" tile. I do see some very rough tile laying.

why should the felt perish unless its at the eaves - and there's no mention of supplying plastic eave protectors?

We've yet to see a pic of the gutter?

The flaps of felt over the roof join will not last, neither will the patched stack flashing arrangement - thats if they are not leaking at the moment?

Why not post the new pics and list of the work on here (personal details removed)?

 

[Lyceum]

I think we all have our fingers well crossed for you!
Damaged slates or tiles are pretty easy to spot, as is faulty ridge pointing and so on.
Now, underfelt is really a secondary waterproofing system and there are many older houses without felt at all. They still remain watertight if the slates are sound, so please dont be brainwashed here!
Be lucky
John

Thanks.

He took pictures as he went and has emailed me them. Here is the felt under the first two tiles.

He also traced the water ingress back to the collapsed tile further up.

 

[Lyceum]

I dont buy what you are telling us - or what the roofer has told you:

which two tiles were lifted? they were selected to be lifted on what basis? Whats meant by a collapsing concrete tile? I see no signs in the pics of a "collapsed" tile. I do see some very rough tile laying.

why should the felt perish unless its at the eaves - and there's no mention of supplying plastic eave protectors?

We've yet to see a pic of the gutter?

The flaps of felt over the roof join will not last, neither will the patched stack flashing arrangement - thats if they are not leaking at the moment?

Why not post the new pics and list of the work on here (personal details removed)?

You don't by what I'm telling you? For what reason? Do you mean you think I'm lying? Why would I be doing this?

Sorry. I do to know what eaves are and I can't take a picture of the guttering because I can't get up there to take it.

He lifted the tiles over where the leak is showing in the back bedroom.

The tile he said is letting the water in is the one covered in lead in the pictures I first linked too.

This is the list if proposed work.

 

[Burnerman]

Damaged felt I can live with, damaged tiles I cant......what I see here isn't too unusual. He needs to make good the join on the left of the pic, against that upstand or whatever it is.
I also see a quality roof tile there - from memory it looks like a Marley tile, which needs a good overlap.
Do we know how many tiles are actually broken? His work proposal is sound if its fully carried out.
As before, fingers crossed!
John

 

[Lyceum]

Damaged felt I can live with, damaged tiles I cant......what I see here isn't too unusual. He needs to make good the join on the left of the pic, against that upstand or whatever it is.
I also see a quality roof tile there - from memory it looks like a Marley tile, which needs a good overlap.
Do we know how many tiles are actually broken? His work proposal is sound if its fully carried out.
As before, fingers crossed!
John

To be honest I'm not sure.

He spoke like it was just the broken tile but the proposed work sounds like it is more than one.

The quote is £360 plus 20% vat so £432 in total. Does that sound about right for the work listed?

 

[Burnerman]

If he does what he says, and the leak is sorted - and it should be so far as I can tell - its a fair price, but that's only in my opinion!
John