Roof Repair

picture of roof rotting

How to treat Rotting Roof Structures

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While the best roofs are designed to last for a long time, they are still prone to be damaged. One of the commonest problems is rot, which will affect certain sections of the roof. It may be the fascia, gutter, truss, or any other places. As you probably know, the rot will weaken the roof and making it prone to sagging or even caving in. Sadly, many people seem to overlook the rot and it’s only after a catastrophe that they seek the necessary repair. This should never be the case since you are putting your life and that of others at risk.

Steps to Dealing with Rotting Roof Structures

1. Examination

The first step to treating a rotting roof structure is assessing the damage. How bad is it? Which areas have been affected? What sections are the most badly hit? These are some of the questions that should guide you in the examination. The damage usually isn’t uniform since some areas are more exposed. For instance, the areas that are near a water source or are in the path of water such as the downspouts or gutters are more affected.

The assessment also helps to estimate for how long this has been happening. Poor checking may fail to unearth some hidden zones, which in future will become worse. You don’t want this to happen after a repair.

2. Root Cause Analysis

Generally, for the rot to take place, three things are necessary: warmth, moisture, and a suitable material such as wood. Poor ventilation is also a contributor. Wood is the most prone to rot in comparison to other materials like tiles. Fascias or zones near the downspout or beams next to a water storage tanks are more exposed.

While symptoms such as flaking paint, discoloration, warping and split wood or soft timber help in the assessment, it’s more critical to know the source of the problem. Is it a leaking water tank, gaps and cracks in the roofing that are letting in rainwater, or water splashing from the gutter to the fascias? This will help to not only deal with the problem but also prevent it from occurring in the near future.

worn out rotting tiles

3. Corrective Measures

The next step is coming up with the best plan of action. How you deal with a rotting fascia or soffit may not necessarily be the same as fixing a rot in the roof truss. In the former case, it’s much easier to remove parts of the fascia or soffit. You probably will not need to remove the roofing cover. In the latter case, however, it may mean removing the tiles, slates, or iron sheets to have a better understanding.

If the rot affects a small section, then you may need to only replace the area. This means removing a few planks, boards, or tiles. However, if a large section of the roof is damaged, it makes it likely that the entire roof can collapse due to the weakened structure. In such a situation, you are probably looking at overhauling the entire roof.

4. Preventing Future Rot

After dealing with both the symptoms and root causes, you now need to prevent the rot from happening again. To do this, you need to fully eradicate the causes and then come up with preventive measures. For instance, if the fascias or soffit was rotting because of rainwater splashing from the gutter, you may need to overhaul the gutter system. If the leak was occurring because of leaking water pipes or tank inside the roof, you need to fix this and put a waterproof insulation in the surrounding area.

For an attic or loft that has rotting beams, improving the air circulation helps to easily dissipate the humidity. Installing waterproof or moisture absorbent materials is also a worthy move.

NB: It is helpful to have the roof inspected at least once a year by a professional roofer. This should happen whether there is rot or not. By arresting the problem early, you will be able it stop it from spreading and will keep the cost of repair low.

Conclusion

You shouldn’t take roof rot lightly. It doesn’t matter if it only affects a small section. While repairing the roof may seem an economic approach, there are high chances of making a mistake or even getting injured in the process. You may step on a rotten section and fall through; inhale toxic fumes that come from the rot, or are infected by the bacteria or mold.

The best approach is talking to a reputable roofer like Birmingham Roofers. Such a company will first evaluate the situation to ascertain the extent of the damage. Thereafter they will draft the best solution to the problem. To learn more about how to treat rotting roof structures and other roofing services visit https://bmroofers.co.uk or call via 01214 050961. Talking to a reputable roofer will help you deal with any rot on the roof.

garden shed

How To felt Your Shed Roof – A Simple Step By Step Guide

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We all like to have an area of our garden to store all our garden tools. Having everything inside, even when you own a garage is not a convenient way of storing tools like lawn mowers, rakes and garden spades.The problem with garden sheds is that they are not ever lasting, so at some point the roof is likely to start leaking. These felt roofs are quite straight forward to fix.

Follow the simple instructions below and get that roof repaired!

It’s all down to your measurements and how accurately you do them.

So take your time and make sure you get them right and you shouldn’t go wrong. (ha-ha big disclaimer right here!)

  1. When measuring the felt we are looking for 50mm overhang on the eaves and a 75 mm overhang on the gable ends. We use this overhang to wrap round and tuck in all the edges, leaving a neat and tidy finish
  2. Identify how wide your roofing felt rolls are, then decide how many strips you will need to cut out. Most shed roofs will require three. One for each side and one to go over the ridge in the middle.
  3. Using a pencil and a long straight edge, like a piece of timber, mark across the shed roof where about each strip of felt is going to be placed
  4. Using your tape measure and allowing for your overhang measure out your length (strips) of felt. I recommend measuring it twice – then you will only cut once! Without error. A high grade Stanley knife should do the trick.
  5. Then lay the felt over the roof in position making sure the overhang is even on both ends. Then nail it on using some 150mm galvanised clout nails. These nails are for house roofs normally so depending on the shed and thickness of wood you are nailing into you may need slightly shorter.
  6. Because each piece of felt needs to overlap by at least 180mm you will now need to mark onto the felt already in place exactly where you want to put the second sheet. This overlap ensures water run off goes over the top of the next felt sheet and not under it. Again using your timber edge and a thick marker pen draw a line to show where the next sheet will be nailed into.
  7. You can use some adhesive to stick the felt sheets together before nailing down but is not absolutely vital as long as you nailing is good! We usually allow 100mm gaps between each nail to give it a strong secure hold
  8. Now to sort out the overhang. Simply cut in the centre at the ridge of the overhanging felt using your Stanley knife. Put some adhesive onto the woodwork you are attaching the felt to. Then fold over the felt and stick into place. Using your clout nails, again with a 100mm gap between each one – nail down the felt to the wood
  9. You are now ready to put the fascia board over the top, this can be nailed into place using 40mm wood nails. There can still be some felt sticking out underneath your fascia board. If this is the case simply cut off the excess to give a nice neat finish.
  10. Around the sides the same process needs to be applied fixing the overhanging felt to your shed using your adhesive/nail combination. Some shed models will have a wood piece to go over the top acting as a kind of soffit boarding – again use the same process as above with the fascia’s

Once all this has been completed on both gable ends and sides you now have a brand new watertight roof felting. This could extend the life of your wooden shede for a good few more years and keep all your garden tools nice and dry.

Tools AND Material Required

STEP LADDER

BLACK MARKER

TAPE MEASURE

CRAFT (STANLEY) KNIFE

HAMMER

100-150MM CLOUT NAILS

40MM WOOD NAILS

ADHESIVE

This article was brought ot you by Birmingham Roofers : They are the number one roofing contractor in the city and have extensive knowledge of how to perform all aspects of roofing. Please call for advice by visiting their homepage for all details.

A shed roof can be a simple process for a DIY enthusiast – However if the job is too big for you, its not too small for them – so give them a call

06di1231-0088

5 Way Process of Handling Water and Storm Damage.

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So imagine the situation.

While you were on holiday for your 3 week skiing trip to the Alps (Yes, this is an imaginary story!) The weather in the UK whipped up a storm and blew off a nearby tree branch which deposited itself through your roof.

The damage was bad enough to let in the next weeks’ worth of rain which caused your whole internal property to be completely devastated. You arrive back to an absolute catastrophe and have to deal with the aftermath and the slow journey back to normalcy.

roof damge

So where do you begin?

Here is a simple guide to take you through the necessary steps needed when dealing with a horror natural disaster on your home such as this.

  1. Make sure all damage has been recorded.

This seems obvious but in a crisis situation the natural reaction is to start the clearance project right away. But, hopefully you are insured and if you are the insurers are going to need details of exactly what has been damaged.

Try to take as many photographs as you can making sure you cover everything that has been involved. Starting with the tree branch, its point of entry from the outside, then onto the internal shots which need to show every room affected. You will need to prove that this is an external leak and not a mistake by yourselves overflowing a bath or similar.

  1. Use a Professional Roofer to conduct Roof Survey

The contractor will be part of your evidence to what’s happened. Make sure in their report they describe not only the exact damage but also how they think it had been caused. They will need to provide a written estimate on the work that will be required to put the roof back to its original state. At this stage do not be tempted to include work that needed doing, but wasn’t caused by the storm. Insurance companies are very experienced at spotting false claims and this could come back to bite you.

  1. Call The Insurance Agent

Before you make the all-important call its well worth reading through your policy details and finding out exactly what you are covered for and check whether there are any discrepancies in the small print. If you know what these are you may be able to reword your report so that it fits in line with the wording of your policy. This helps to get the maximum pay out and stops the insurance company from pulling the wool over your eyes with jargon and minutia.

  1. Making the Claim application

Your company representative should help with this procedure. It can be quite a lengthy process and seem a bit of a drag, especially when you just want to get on with instructing the contractors to get going with fixing your roof. Do a bit of research and ask what the most common filing mistakes are so you avoid having to redo any of it and the form being sent back to you.

This happens more often than not.

  1. Instruct Your Roofer and Other Property Maintenance Contractors

First of all you are going to have to wait for the claim files and reports to go to the underwriters so that the amount for the claim can be agreed. This is the annoying part because you have now done everything you can do, its in the hands of the people who are going to pay for your house to be put right so you have to be patient. Most companies will be fairly quick but don’t be alarmed if you have to wait a week or more for final confirmation.

Don’t be tempted to start instructing contractors before this has been finished, you could end up with work being done that won’t be covered by your claim.

So when the OK comes through…. Get going and press on with fixing your home!

Most decent property maintenance companies will be able to deal with all the internal refurbishments but you have to check that they will be approved by your insurance companies. Some policies require that you use specialist water damage companies, especially when there is a high risk of future mould being caused by heavy dampness.

With large extensive damage to the roof we really would recommend using a well-known specialist roofing contractor to make sure that this roof is going to be like new again. A lot of property contractors will claim to be able to do roofing work but this is a skilled trade that takes years to master — get the experts in.

 

This article was written and provided by Harry Maguire of Birmingham roofers.

Harry has worked in the roofing industry since his teen age years taking on holiday work within his father’s contracting business.

Harry has seen great changes with the way insurance claims deal with natural disasters and storm damage. His extensive knowledge working alongside property maintenance projects means his company have the know-how and the logistical support to take a homeowner from start to finish through this process.

If you have a claim to make in Birmingham that involves a roof leak or roof damage then this company should be your first point of call. They are set up to deliver first class service and a hand to hold while the stress of insurance claims takes grip. Using a reputable service provider with this level of experience means that you will be confident in getting the right price from your claim and getting all the work done efficiently and on time by industry experts.

Peace of mind, you cannot put a price on that.

For all your roofing need contact Birmingham Roofers on bmroofers.co.uk

 

What Are Gutters, Fascias and Soffitts?

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Do you know the important parts of a roof?

You may have a vague idea, you might know nothing!

picture of roof soffitts

But one certain this is that without a proper roof, your property (home, office, warehouse, workshop…) would be inhabitable. It would allow water and rain to leak through, it may allow the heat to escape during cold weather, or have bad air circulation in the hot weather. A bad roof also undermines the value of your property and may also be a health hazard since the parts may fail and it may cave in and injure the occupants. It’s therefore important to make certain you invest in the best roof and also maintain it on a regular basis. The following are some of the key parts of roofing.

Gutters

The gutter collects the water draining from the roof and channels it to the downspouts. It is attached to long planks of wood or plastic known as fascias. The accessory comes with a half-round flat-bottom design and may be continuous (seamless) or comes in sections. It’s made of materials like plastic, galvanized steel, copper, zinc, vinyl and more. Due to age, accumulation of dirt and debris( grass clippings, dust, animal droppings, nests, leaves, twigs, mud, pebbles…)poor use, or accidents, it may start sagging, rust, corrode or get misaligned and this may lead to leakage, some water splashing top the fascia or wall, or faded tiles. When this happens, it’s necessary to have the accessory repaired or replaced.

Fascia

Fascia is the long wooden plank that runs horizontally on the edge of the roof. It is nailed to rafters/beams that support the roofing materials (tiles, iron sheets) and supports the gutter. Without it, it would be hard to attach the gutter. Additionally, it improves the appearance of the roof since you won’t see the rafters when viewing it from an angle. Wood is the common material of construction in the UK, although plastic is becoming popular. Over time or because of an accident, it may crack, break, start rotting, warp, or the paint may start flaking. These problems are corrected by replacing the bad section or gutter or repainting it after solving the problem.

Soffits

a picture of a corner of roof section

The region between the fascia and the wall is known as the soffit. It is both functional and aesthetical. It is nailed/ attached to the rafters and hides the rafters, underlayment, battens, sheathing, and other roof sections. Soffits also improve the aesthetic appeal of the property as well as the value. Signs of failing or worn out soffit include flaking pint, sags, rot, mold, moss, leaking, and crookedness. A competent roofer in Birmingham is able to assess the extent of the damage and also offer the correct solution.

If you would like to have your gutters, fascias, soffits and other parts of your roof to be inspected, repairs, or replaced, then you need to talk to a qualified and competent firm. As Birmingham Roofers, we take provide on being a leading roofing expert in the region and beyond. We can handle any type of roofing needs whether new installation, evaluation, replacement, repairs and more. To learn more about our services, visit our website, send an email, or give us a call. And if you are within the Birmingham area, you can also drop by our offices. And did you know we give a free quote on all our service?