The Spring has arrived, and with it our thoughts turn to the outside of the house, in the hope that it can be made to glisten and sparkle after the dreary long winter.
To that end, now is the perfect time to check your roof and guttering for signs of wear and tear and take remedial action before problems like blocked or leaky guttering cause damp and water ingress into your home.
Guttering and any channels where one roof section joins another should be cleared of any leaf or moss debris etc to ensure that rain has a clear channel to the guttering. If debris is allowed to build up, then water trying to drain-away will find another course – possibly one that takes it under felt and into the interior of your home.
Similarly, the exit point of downpipes should also be checked (where possible) for blocked grates etc.
Bargeboards and soffits – the traditionally wooden architrave around your home where the roof meets the walls of your home should also be inspected closely for signs of holes or rotting. Water can find its way into your home via the smallest of holes causing damage to your interior decorating and worse.
A simple hole can cause hundreds, if not thousands of pounds worth of damage to your home both on the inside as well as the outside if it goes unnoticed. My own parents recently had to have both of their back bedrooms re-plastered and decorated around the eaves windows after the leaded guttering channel flashing came away allowing roof rainwater to divert under the tiles.
Before you try inspecting yourself, make sure that any ladder / access equipment you use to inspect or carry our remedial work is securely located and tied down. Before using it, check for any faults etc – it may not have been used since last year. Don’t over-reach and don’t attempt in windy weather.
A 2002 survey by ROSPA showed that there were over 47,000 injuries caused by falling whilst carrying out home maintenance and improvements. 103 of these involved Loft Ladders on the interior of a property!
If you do find a problem, it’s probably best to seek professional advice on solutions. Professionals have seen all the problems before and will know just what to do, and if a DIY solution goes wrong it could cost you far more to sort it out than the original job would have cost.
Roofs can be visually inspected from the ground for signs of ridge tiles that have come loose (or even missing) and slipped or missing tiles and slates. Sometimes, it could just be a matter of loose mortar having slipped from a ridge tile.
Chimneys should also be checked – especially on older properties for signs of loose bricks or cappings and the need for re-pointing.
As we’ve read ladders are dangerous places to be atop of so if you’re in any doubt then why not call in the professionals? We can give you instant online quotes for replacement fascia – soffits and guttering, even cladding. It’s easy, fast and free when you use FasciaQuoter.co.uk
And for your roof, we can get you competitive quotes from approved local companies for your re-roofing requirements. Just head over to RoofQuoter.co.uk for your free estimate.
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