Hi,
This is now the third week our next door neighbour has had roofers working on her bungalow. Previous bungalow owners replaced the roof but used the wrong roofing tiles; our roofs have only a 12.5 degree pitch and the tiles used are plain tiles so every time it rains with wind the wind drives the rain under the tiles onto the felt. Roofers have been on the roof a number of times and due to water ingress ceilings become water damaged so plasterers are called in followed by a decorator.
The bungalow owner a retired lady hasn't taken heed of my advice as to what is causing the problem so now up to three roofers at a time are on her roof and they are cowboys; the top guy I wouldn't want on our premises; he arrives some days and if it's sunny and around 20C he spends a couple of hours on the roof before calling it a day returning home because he cannot stand the heat it making him feel dizzy; one day he almost passed out on the roof; he doesn't bring anything to drink or to eat; he says if he eats anything it affects him bending down.
Sometimes he arrives with a single helper other times with two helpers; obviously I speak to them but I can't believe a professional roof would behave the way he does whilst employing total idiots; last Friday I heard and watched the three roofers acting the fool; shouting and swearing whilst trying to make farm animal noises; it was a huge joke. I don't know how many are on the roof at the moment because the van has just arrived. 10:45am.
Our neighbour has decided it's fine to have the roof tiles removed then new felt at around £90 per roll installed then the original wrong tiles reinstalled; it's like a comedy of errors; all this work must be proving very expensive when in fact I feel it would have been much better to replace the roof with correct tiles; the job would have been done in a week to a much higher standard then it could be forgotten for 50 years? Our neighbour says she can't afford to have the roof replaced but she's bought a new car; goes on expensive holidays to America via the Queen Mary 2; sailing down the Rhine; plays golf; has just had her driveway tarmaced; had a £12,000 lift installed from her garage into her bedroom; employs house cleaner; gardener; window cleaner and if a light bulb blows she calls in an electrician but for something as serious as a roof she gets cowboys in thinking she's saving money? You couldn't make it up could you?
Bron and I replaced both the bungalow and two roomed extension roofs in two weeks; we've never worked as hard in our lives; once the job was completed the neighbours who had been making fun of us then asked if we would replace their roofs?
I'm not recommending anyone to follow our lead; working on a roof even a bungalow roof is dangerous and to get it wrong can make the problem a whole lot worse; we lived with buckets and bowls catching water every time it rained and it sure rains here; when it snowed it took our misery up to another level. We paid £40,000 for the bungalow and couldn't borrow another penny for repairs. 18 months of suffering and installing the roofs we had the last laugh; we had the bungalow revalued because we wanted to dump the unhelpful building society we were with; the new valuation was now £90.000 for mortgage purposes but to sell we would expect £125,000. Looking at the roofers next door I'm sure we've done a superior job and the roof has been trouble free for the last 31 years. Bron's just told me the roofers have disappeared again next door?
Just a little story to say if you need roofing repairs don't skimp by employing cowboys because it's the most expensive option long term.
Kind regards, Colin.
One of our ceilings six weeks after moving into our dream bungalow; the roof needed replacing.
I've never replaced a roof but unable to afford to get professionals in and not able to borrow more money having just taken out a maximum mortgage Bron and I worked extremely hard for the next 18 months; we saved every penny we could and all the while I was researching and reading how to do roof work. We visited our local Marley roof tile supplier and they kindly gave us lots of technical literature covering all their tile range. Marley Wessex tiles were the only suitable tiles and of course the most expensive; these came down to 15 degree pitch but with extra head-lap we could use them. As seen in the picture this isn't the standard way to fix roof tiles; we went the extra expense and used counter battens in order to lift the tiles off the felt allowing more ventilation. The felt was the most expensive available but this would be a one off job and saving an enormous amount of money doing the work ourselves so we bought the most expensive materials available. Every tile was clipped and nailed. Some days the temperature was up to 30C in glaring sunshine; it blistered the backs of my legs and in bed at night brought me to tears with pain as Bron applied ointment; we worked from dawn to dusk every day.
I took six tons of tiles onto the roof on a Saturday morning which I thought would end in an heart attack but I survived; I did every bit of the work on the actual roof whilst Bron filled skips; bagged ceiling plaster board and kept everything tidy whilst supplying me with lots of drinks.
The main bungalow roof felted with counter battens added but see the condition of the roof over our two roomed extension; the main roof was just like this.
Working on my own I suffered; it was spring bank holiday and I took a second week off work replacing the entire bungalow and extension roofs in only two weeks.The tiles clearly show the profiles; the ridges at the bottom of the tile prevent rain being blown under the tile and these ridges are missing on the tiles used next door hence ongoing water ingress problems.
To add to my misery my constant companion Blackie my personal cloud gave a few downpours causing more panic.
Now the sun is shining it washed out the colours but the new tiles and new flat roof covering can be seen.
This flat roof covering was expensive but guaranteed 25 years if professionally installed.
Here is our neighbours roof last Friday after two weeks work by up to three roofers working on it and still nowhere near completion; the flat roof just above the patio doors has a split in the roof covering about a foot long but our neighbour is unconcerned saying she'll get it patched up; the roofer was showing me this after I had seen the split from our garden and he said watch this; he stepped on and off and the entire roof bounced up and down. Where is the logic or even common sense in just having felt replaced like this but retaining the wrong tiles? A professional roofer would never accept such a job; I'm not a professional roofer but Bron and I did a top class job in only two weeks without outside help. We trust our own work and never ask for help.
This is now the third week our next door neighbour has had roofers working on her bungalow. Previous bungalow owners replaced the roof but used the wrong roofing tiles; our roofs have only a 12.5 degree pitch and the tiles used are plain tiles so every time it rains with wind the wind drives the rain under the tiles onto the felt. Roofers have been on the roof a number of times and due to water ingress ceilings become water damaged so plasterers are called in followed by a decorator.
The bungalow owner a retired lady hasn't taken heed of my advice as to what is causing the problem so now up to three roofers at a time are on her roof and they are cowboys; the top guy I wouldn't want on our premises; he arrives some days and if it's sunny and around 20C he spends a couple of hours on the roof before calling it a day returning home because he cannot stand the heat it making him feel dizzy; one day he almost passed out on the roof; he doesn't bring anything to drink or to eat; he says if he eats anything it affects him bending down.
Sometimes he arrives with a single helper other times with two helpers; obviously I speak to them but I can't believe a professional roof would behave the way he does whilst employing total idiots; last Friday I heard and watched the three roofers acting the fool; shouting and swearing whilst trying to make farm animal noises; it was a huge joke. I don't know how many are on the roof at the moment because the van has just arrived. 10:45am.
Our neighbour has decided it's fine to have the roof tiles removed then new felt at around £90 per roll installed then the original wrong tiles reinstalled; it's like a comedy of errors; all this work must be proving very expensive when in fact I feel it would have been much better to replace the roof with correct tiles; the job would have been done in a week to a much higher standard then it could be forgotten for 50 years? Our neighbour says she can't afford to have the roof replaced but she's bought a new car; goes on expensive holidays to America via the Queen Mary 2; sailing down the Rhine; plays golf; has just had her driveway tarmaced; had a £12,000 lift installed from her garage into her bedroom; employs house cleaner; gardener; window cleaner and if a light bulb blows she calls in an electrician but for something as serious as a roof she gets cowboys in thinking she's saving money? You couldn't make it up could you?
Bron and I replaced both the bungalow and two roomed extension roofs in two weeks; we've never worked as hard in our lives; once the job was completed the neighbours who had been making fun of us then asked if we would replace their roofs?
I'm not recommending anyone to follow our lead; working on a roof even a bungalow roof is dangerous and to get it wrong can make the problem a whole lot worse; we lived with buckets and bowls catching water every time it rained and it sure rains here; when it snowed it took our misery up to another level. We paid £40,000 for the bungalow and couldn't borrow another penny for repairs. 18 months of suffering and installing the roofs we had the last laugh; we had the bungalow revalued because we wanted to dump the unhelpful building society we were with; the new valuation was now £90.000 for mortgage purposes but to sell we would expect £125,000. Looking at the roofers next door I'm sure we've done a superior job and the roof has been trouble free for the last 31 years. Bron's just told me the roofers have disappeared again next door?
Just a little story to say if you need roofing repairs don't skimp by employing cowboys because it's the most expensive option long term.
Kind regards, Colin.
One of our ceilings six weeks after moving into our dream bungalow; the roof needed replacing.
I've never replaced a roof but unable to afford to get professionals in and not able to borrow more money having just taken out a maximum mortgage Bron and I worked extremely hard for the next 18 months; we saved every penny we could and all the while I was researching and reading how to do roof work. We visited our local Marley roof tile supplier and they kindly gave us lots of technical literature covering all their tile range. Marley Wessex tiles were the only suitable tiles and of course the most expensive; these came down to 15 degree pitch but with extra head-lap we could use them. As seen in the picture this isn't the standard way to fix roof tiles; we went the extra expense and used counter battens in order to lift the tiles off the felt allowing more ventilation. The felt was the most expensive available but this would be a one off job and saving an enormous amount of money doing the work ourselves so we bought the most expensive materials available. Every tile was clipped and nailed. Some days the temperature was up to 30C in glaring sunshine; it blistered the backs of my legs and in bed at night brought me to tears with pain as Bron applied ointment; we worked from dawn to dusk every day.
I took six tons of tiles onto the roof on a Saturday morning which I thought would end in an heart attack but I survived; I did every bit of the work on the actual roof whilst Bron filled skips; bagged ceiling plaster board and kept everything tidy whilst supplying me with lots of drinks.
The main bungalow roof felted with counter battens added but see the condition of the roof over our two roomed extension; the main roof was just like this.
Working on my own I suffered; it was spring bank holiday and I took a second week off work replacing the entire bungalow and extension roofs in only two weeks.The tiles clearly show the profiles; the ridges at the bottom of the tile prevent rain being blown under the tile and these ridges are missing on the tiles used next door hence ongoing water ingress problems.
To add to my misery my constant companion Blackie my personal cloud gave a few downpours causing more panic.
Now the sun is shining it washed out the colours but the new tiles and new flat roof covering can be seen.
This flat roof covering was expensive but guaranteed 25 years if professionally installed.
Here is our neighbours roof last Friday after two weeks work by up to three roofers working on it and still nowhere near completion; the flat roof just above the patio doors has a split in the roof covering about a foot long but our neighbour is unconcerned saying she'll get it patched up; the roofer was showing me this after I had seen the split from our garden and he said watch this; he stepped on and off and the entire roof bounced up and down. Where is the logic or even common sense in just having felt replaced like this but retaining the wrong tiles? A professional roofer would never accept such a job; I'm not a professional roofer but Bron and I did a top class job in only two weeks without outside help. We trust our own work and never ask for help.
