Roof Problems

Help on property defects

If you need help and advise with regard to structural surveys, building surveys, engineers reports, specific defects reports, such as advising you on dampness, cracks in your property, woodworm, wet rot and dry rot. For a friendly chat call 0800 298 5424.

Modern properties can have problems too

We have just been to look at a property that is less than two years old and has major problems with the roof. The reason for this is the builder has not correctly constructed the parapet walls.

A parapet wall is a small wall built around a flat, or shallow pitched roof. The problem is that they can absorb the rain, due to their exposed location, and bring dampness into the property, which it is in this case, causing mould internally.

The builder doesn't understand the problem, or maybe they do!

The builder has willingly come back twice and is about to come back a third time. However, we believe they are looking for a quick fix and to get out of the two year warranty, which runs out this month. Rather than replace the coping stones with correct sized ones, they have put mastic or sealant over it, similar to what you would use in a bathroom. They also appear to be well aware that the drip on the coping is in the wrong place, due to the coping stones being the wrong size and they have put bathroom mastic along the edge of the coping stone to try and form a drip.

Drip defined

A drip is an indent, usually in a sill or a coping stone, which causes the water to gather and drip at that point, thereby keeping them away from the wall and stopping damage, deterioration and dampness getting in.

What we are most concerned about is the mastic drip being added, as we feel this has been intentionally carried out as a temporary solution, when the builders are well aware that mastic in such an exposed location would come off very quickly and the problem would be back. They have also painted over the mould.

Treating the effect not the cause

Both the adding of the mastic and the painting over internally of the mould with mould retardant paint unfortunately has not resolved the cause of the problem and whilst it looked a great deal better for a few months it came back.

The two years builders Warranty and the ten years NHBC Guarantee

We would refer you to our other articles about the misunderstanding as to what a builder will do and won't do and what the NHBC won't do and won't do! (We haven't made a mistake in what we are saying there). We would refer you to the excellent article in Which! magazine (please search website for name of article), where they advised about the loophole that allows you to pay hundreds and thousands of pounds for a building and have next to no protection.

Is going to court the answer?

Unfortunately, it seems unless you actually threaten or take court action, the service and the work carried out by the builders is very much superficial and, what's more, can take a great deal of your time up and be a worry.

Taking the builder to court, Civil Procedure Rules Part 35

We can provide reports that are standard required by the courts, known as Civil Procedure Rules Part 35. You will also hear the term expert witness. Again, we are more than happy to do this, but most importantly, we feel we can help you make a common sense decision and deal with the problem in the manner that best suits you, i.e. taking into consideration the time that the matter would take up and the cost.

Specialist advice on property

If you truly do want an independent expert opinion from a chartered surveyor with regard to structural surveys, building surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects reports, such as advising you on dampness, cracks in your property, woodworm, wet rot and dry rot. For a friendly chat call 0800 298 5424.

Specialist advice on commercial property

If you have a commercial property, be it leasehold or freehold, then you may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com .

We hope your article has helped your understanding

We hope you found the article of use and if you have any experiences that you feel should be added to this article that would benefit others, or you feel that some of the information that we have put is wrong then please do not hesitate to contact us (we are only human).

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We have produced the following articles on roof issues:

Roof Problems

Common Pitched Roofs

Not So Common Pitched Roofs

Flat Roofs

Asphalt flat Roofs

Leaking Flat Roofs

Leaking Dormer Roofs