Roof Inspections in Newcastle upon Tyne

It is impossible to expect to be safe, secure, and comfortable in a house without a reliable roof covering your family and its possessions. The roof of your house is exposed to the elements as much or more than any other part of the building. It is continually bombarded by the sun, wind, rain, and snow, day after day. Roof inspections become even more critical in harsh conditions due to heavier snow loads, added ice damage from freeze-thaw cycles, and harrowing wind-driven rains. Time and weather will take a toll on your home’s roof over time, wearing away at the condition of even a well-maintained roof.

When it comes to purchasing a house, the roof can significantly change the appraisal value of a house. A damaged roof often causes a price drop. Even damaged, a roof is all too often not acknowledged or recognised by property sellers, creating the potential for further costly damage in the future from something more than a minor roof repair. It is common practice to provide a roof certification in the sale of homes. To protect against financial responsibility spanning minor roof defects or hidden pre-existing damage, a complete roof inspection might be in your best interest.

Importance of Regular Roof Inspections

The idea of a roof inspection is probably more daunting than the average thing you might have ever thought about, but the specialists of our team understand how important it is, which is why we will try to give some explanations on why regular roof inspections are mandatory. Whether you like it or not, a timely roof inspection can save you hundreds or thousands of pounds.

A roof inspection is important for multiple reasons. When it comes to damages, you don’t have to be a professional to understand that the small initial problem you may notice is always a warning sign for a bigger problem. Time is the worst enemy of a property, time for a certain type of condition problems to develop on the structure of your roof and, to be clear, there is no way you can notice these problems without a good roof inspection. Even if you don’t find something wrong with your roof, you should inspect it at least once in two or three years because as time passes by, the materials of your shingles may become weaker, may expand, contract, and separate, and that will have a bad consequence.

Types of Roofs Commonly Found in Newcastle

There are many different styles of roofs fitted to properties in Newcastle and the North of England in general. Some of the most popular types of roofs include:

Flat Roofs Flat roofs often get a bad reputation but in truth have been popular over time due to their efficiency and cost. Modern building innovation has added complexity to these designs, such as solar panels that can provide hot water for houses or businesses. Modern products can also give flat roofs a much longer lifespan. Done correctly, flat roofs can last over twenty years before requiring replacement.

Mansard Roofs The Mansard style is near enough the same pitch as the flat roof, so it gives almost the same extra space benefit that is available from the conversion part of a roof. The greater pitch can help as it means that more light gets into the roof, making any new room a much more relaxing space to be in. Its steeper angle means that it's also easier to add an extra bedroom or bathroom while still maintaining high ceilings. The Mansard is tilted to allow surplus rain to be removed effectively, so problems associated with standing water are minimized. Privacy and storage of items such as old Christmas decorations can be disproportionately large in relation to the overall cost of the raise in respect to the house.

Slate Roofs

The tiles used for our homes in Newcastle are usually black or grey slate tiles. This type of tile has been used across the North East for over 200 years and is very weather resistant. These tiles are usually fixed with a steel nail and are smaller than the man-made tiles used in Sunderland and South Shields. Because of the size of the tile used and their age, these roofs can be very high maintenance for a householder. Furthermore, older slate roofs can have a high resale value because many roofers refuse to lay new roofs with these old tiles.

From experience, the common problem with these roof tiles is quite simple: fixings are lifted by frost action and the roof becomes leaky. Keeping the roof well pointed and complying with insurance should provide the owner with a dry house. Periodic inspections are necessary to check for broken or slipped tiles on all slate roofs. This is a simple process that can be undertaken by the experienced homeowner. Regular internal checks can help you identify this problem a lot earlier; soft or dark staining in the attic is a strong indicator of a leak. Don't forget to check the condition of the lead valley while you are inspecting the roof; this is often the location where you will find problems with this type of tile.

Tile Roofs

Most houses in the UK are covered with clay or concrete roof tiles, often in hipped form. Weather damage, such as frost action and UV rays, as well as movement of the structure or thermal dilation, may result in dislodgments, cracks, or fractures. Mechanical damage includes breakage or fractures, whole or half tiles rotated around the long axis of the tile, displaced overlapping tiles, and inadequate positioning or absence of ceramic ridge, hip, and valley tiles. Some common findings of inadequately mounted and/or secured tile roofs are missing dry verge units, missing concrete screws for fixing the ridge and hip tiles, vibrations of the ridge tiles under gusts of wind, and the susceptibility of these roofing units to uplift by wind suction. All tile roofs may break or dislodge under the impact of a falling tree branch or under the action of a fast airplane passing close to the ground of the building and causing drag loads onto the roofs. The accompanying figures illustrate some tile roofs with defects, fractures, and inadequate mounting, as well as the vibration of the clay ridge tiles under the elastic deformation caused by an eccentric load.

Concrete tiles are also damaged by corrosion of the reinforcement, which exhibits signs of spalling and fracturing of the decorative coating. The scope of the tile damage should be assessed in order to distinguish losses within the area damaged by the tile from losses due to the inadequate fixing or positioning of that tile. Furthermore, the presence of organic and inorganic residues on tile surfaces could either cause or result from decomposition of the roof membrane, especially when moist conditions and high temperatures occur, or from soiling, which is becoming a significant problem for photovoltaic and solar roof panels, but is still understudied for other sites, such as absorptive insulants and porous ceramic tiles.

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs on residential buildings can come in various shapes and types. Metal roofs can be of standing seam or batten seam type, or there can be panels of metal of different dimensions, typically called R-panels. Materials can be galvanized steel, aluminium, copper, zinc, painted steel or aluminium. The coating can be either metallic or organic, and the substrate is typically aluminium or zinc. Different metal roofs can be of various shapes and may be attached differently. Metal roofs are associated with many problems, among which ageing, weathering deterioration, and rusting are the most common. The life expectancy of a metal roof is 40–60 years, depending on the material, manufacturer, maintenance availability, and roof exposure.

Undersized gutters, rusting, poor surface treatment, and bent sheets are significant failure factors for this metal roof—the lack of an expansion joint results in a damaged metal sheet. The termination of rainwater discharges must be higher than the wall to prevent damage, and they must be missing or not adequately covered. A bamboo joint is expected when the number of fixings to the structural steel purlins is low and the required distance between fixings is not met. Ageing and damage to this metal roof are mainly visible at the termination of the wall structures and gutter support, but dents and corrosion can be detected.

Common Roof Issues in Newcastle

Roofs in Newcastle upon Tyne have to withstand a higher level of environmental exposure than in most parts of the UK, and as a result, various issues can develop over the years. In general, Newcastle roofs are often subject to these issues: damaged flat roof, blocked guttering, rusted cladding, broken slates, damaged or missing flashing, leaking vents, and sweat stains on the ceiling. The typical temperatures and wind speeds in Newcastle can lead to expansion and contraction of the roof's membrane, which, with our seasonally frequent rainfall, can cause split seams or failing flashings. Further problems can arise through guttering, as well as damage to the ridge or hip, which is usually one of the early signs of a leaking roof. This makes it necessary that the completed roofing system is inspected and maintained annually to ensure that it is still watertight. Regular inspections can help you determine the condition of your roofing material, the exposed roof membrane, flashings, rooftop equipment, chimneys, pipes, and other rooftop accessories. This will help you be aware of the state of your roof and decide whether roofing replacement is needed. Knowing the current condition will also help you anticipate and prepare for a future project and budget accordingly. With today's technologies and engineering, the life of your roofing system can be extended, and costs can be saved by regular inspections. A roof inspection generally involves checking the condition of the roof and can help to identify any areas that require repair. The inspector will look for visible signs of damage such as hail or wind damage, sagging, missing or cracked bracing, broken or cracked flashing, or damaged drip edges.

If need a Roof Inspection contact us.