How To Assess What Needs Doing On Your Roof

Roof maintenance is important. The roof and upper parts of a building such as chimneys and parapet walls must be kept in good condition so that they remain waterproof. A regular roof inspection will identify any faults and prevent them from becoming major problems causing serious damage.

Roofs of older houses should be inspected annually. Quite a lot of roof inspection work can be done from the ground, and you can easily do this yourself rather than hire somebody for the job. Start by taking a general look at your roof from all sides accessible.

A sagging roof, pointing to failure in the roof structure, is often visible from street level. You will also be able to spot any slipped or disjointed tiles fairly easily. For slate roofs, the colour of any unweathered slate indicates a fault. You may also notice moss or lichen formation and excessive growth may have to be removed to protect the roof. Don't forget to look at the ridge against the sky and check for any misalignments of ridge tiles and gaps in the mortar jointing.

Having finished the roof maintenance check from the ground, continue to inspect your roof by climbing up. You can hire a roofing company to do this or, if you feel happy, do it yourself. If you do so, use a roof ladder or crawl boards to work safely.

Start at the top of each chimney stack and check the chimney pots and the flaunching; i.e. the mortar layer holding them in place, are intact. Then inspect the brickwork and the pointing, looking for any frost damaged bricks or missing mortar. Also make sure the upper edges of the flashings ( the strips of lead or aluminium that waterproof the join between the chimney stack and the roof surface) are held securely in the mortar between the bricks and that their lower edges lie flat on the roof. If they don't, rain can get in and you may get a leak.

Check that the tiles in the ridge are all secure and mark any loose ones. If your house has valleys (internal angles where two roof slopes meet) inspect them too, checking for slits and tears. Keep valleys clear of debris. If your roof has a verge at the gable, check the mortar forming the verge is intact. If it is missing or cracked, high winds could lift or dislodge tiles.

It is also advisable to check the roof structure if you can. Timber can decay because of poor weather proofing, condensation or insect attack. Check the roof covering for any leaks. Rot of roof timbers is a serious problem and should be dealt with promptly. Also check the timbers for insect infestations. Seriously infected timbers may have to be replaced and the whole structure professionally treated. The roof structure can also suffer from overloading. A sagging roof may not require bracing as long as the structure is sound, stable and weatherproof.

Having identified any faults in your roof through a roof maintenance check, you can then consider if you want to do the work yourself or hire a roofing company.


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M.Ruthe has created an online roofing resource to support people in their roofing projects. For detailed advice on roofing matters and roofing contractors visit http://www.milton-keynes-roofing.com