Problems with a Roofer.....
Discussion
Hello all.
I bought a very old Semi last year (bout 100 year old I think) that was pretty tired and needed doing up.
The roof while overall is in ok health has a leak where the apex meets the chimney.
I have boarded out my loft so can now get right upto the chimney face and the roof.
Initially I had a fly by night type roofer give me some pretty good images and feedback that the leading was not running under the tiles, no soakers as I understand it.
Sadly while he was a nice lad he was an absolute disaster to try and get him to come and do the work, the last attempt he came and left as his transit had been broken into and he was driving it around with his mate holding the side door on.
I got a written quote from another local company who said everything seemed fine with the roof bar the pointing ( old ash mortar long past its best) and ridge tiles.
I spoke to him on the phone directly asking about the leadwork and the way the water was leaking down the chimney face inside the loft.
Said it was fine and if not all work is warrantied yada yada yada.
He carried out the work a few weeks ago of repointing and resetting tiles while reinstating the caps and pots on the chimney.
Pointing is messy tbh not that impressive.
fast forward a month and this weekend we had a fair amount of rain and the water was pouring through the roof and down the face of the chimney exactly as previous.
I'm furious.
I am due to meet him tomorrow at the property.
What are my options because as I see it he has carried out works which do not resolve the problem i employed him for and I cannot see him doing the leadwork ( if this is the cause) without more outlay which I feel is unfair.
Where do I stand?
I bought a very old Semi last year (bout 100 year old I think) that was pretty tired and needed doing up.
The roof while overall is in ok health has a leak where the apex meets the chimney.
I have boarded out my loft so can now get right upto the chimney face and the roof.
Initially I had a fly by night type roofer give me some pretty good images and feedback that the leading was not running under the tiles, no soakers as I understand it.
Sadly while he was a nice lad he was an absolute disaster to try and get him to come and do the work, the last attempt he came and left as his transit had been broken into and he was driving it around with his mate holding the side door on.
I got a written quote from another local company who said everything seemed fine with the roof bar the pointing ( old ash mortar long past its best) and ridge tiles.
I spoke to him on the phone directly asking about the leadwork and the way the water was leaking down the chimney face inside the loft.
Said it was fine and if not all work is warrantied yada yada yada.
He carried out the work a few weeks ago of repointing and resetting tiles while reinstating the caps and pots on the chimney.
Pointing is messy tbh not that impressive.
fast forward a month and this weekend we had a fair amount of rain and the water was pouring through the roof and down the face of the chimney exactly as previous.
I'm furious.
I am due to meet him tomorrow at the property.
What are my options because as I see it he has carried out works which do not resolve the problem i employed him for and I cannot see him doing the leadwork ( if this is the cause) without more outlay which I feel is unfair.
Where do I stand?
Had the bloke from the roofing company pop out this morning and it was immediately obvious that this fella wasn't going to be up on the roof himself, big but very pleasant gent.
Turns out all the questions I had originally asked he had asked whoever was on the roof.
Face dropped when he saw these pictures from the previous roofer.
Tiles coming off tomorrow and he said will take it from there. Said maybe get his roofer to take some pictures with no tiles to see exactly what is and is not there.
No more money to pay.
Also agreed pointing was crap and will acid it off the faces.
Will update and thanks for al replies sometimes its nice just to have an opinion confirmed.
Turns out all the questions I had originally asked he had asked whoever was on the roof.
Face dropped when he saw these pictures from the previous roofer.
Tiles coming off tomorrow and he said will take it from there. Said maybe get his roofer to take some pictures with no tiles to see exactly what is and is not there.
No more money to pay.
Also agreed pointing was crap and will acid it off the faces.
Will update and thanks for al replies sometimes its nice just to have an opinion confirmed.
No Soakers
Soakers
That was a faff.
Turns out the roofer that quoted the work was not the roofer that was given the work, so said roofer just did what the quote says.
Turns up today and claimed the soakers are fine. Called the boss and roofer agreed t strip all slates back.
No soakers.
Blows my mind that someone can be in a trade lack any initiative at all to sort a problem!
Brick acid being used to get the mortar off the faces as it raid during pointing apparently.....
Edited by bungz on Friday 21st February 10:54
So
Still leaks and pointing still looks horrific.
There is random bit of old roof and mortar now strewn across the back of my roof for good measure.
Had enough.
Called the chappy and told him it is a disaster awaiting a call back but tbh i don't really want them touching the roof any more as they are obviously incompetent.
I feel now it would cost me more money to correct this than before I started, where should I go from here?
Still leaks and pointing still looks horrific.
There is random bit of old roof and mortar now strewn across the back of my roof for good measure.
Had enough.
Called the chappy and told him it is a disaster awaiting a call back but tbh i don't really want them touching the roof any more as they are obviously incompetent.
I feel now it would cost me more money to correct this than before I started, where should I go from here?
Not much I can do about the neighbours they are unlikely to have the work done, maybe a HA owned property not sure.
I don't mind a slightly "damp" chimney as the loft is only boarded for storage but I have a stream of water along the joining face, even with my limited understanding of tiles and lead work it doesn't seem a huge task to me to resolve that.
Last attempt is boss is putting up scaffolding and doing it himself, all coming off and being done from fresh. I will be there. Will get up myself if possible.
Apparently the roofer has walked that did the work
I don't mind a slightly "damp" chimney as the loft is only boarded for storage but I have a stream of water along the joining face, even with my limited understanding of tiles and lead work it doesn't seem a huge task to me to resolve that.
Last attempt is boss is putting up scaffolding and doing it himself, all coming off and being done from fresh. I will be there. Will get up myself if possible.
Apparently the roofer has walked that did the work
wolfracesonic said:
What’s the damp look like OP? Does it originate from a single point and propagate from there, or is like curtain of damp all the way across? The former usually indicates a cracked slate or missing/damaged lead work, the latter, as Lotobear said is the brickwork getting saturated and water just seeping down, the opposite of rising damp if you will. I’m surprised the fitting of soakers hasn’t improved things though.
It comes through in isolated places, I don't think the leak is to do with water through the bricks its just not water tight at the junction of the bricks to tiles.Will be watching like a hawk tomorrow so will update.
This was redone and largely has been successful, as far as the new soakers go. The loft is now dry and water does not come through. Great.
However water was still coming through the kitchen flue, which was odd as my side of the chimney has now been concreted over ( as has this flue).
Stuck a iphone on a stick into the flue and recorded the water coming through the flue wall, the dividing wall between the two houses.
It also when raining heavy still comes through the lounge.
Water works in odd ways but it is somehow getting through the chimney, down the dividing wall and coming out onto the old plaster ceiling ( now ruined and cracked prob from having this happen for years).
Went next door, explained and they were happy for me to get onto the HA in order to sort it. Had had problems in the past.
Local HA responsible were great to start with and to cut a long story short it is now 7 weeks on and it has been passed through two surveyors, they acknowledge work needs to be done but nothing signed off as yet and no repairs done.
The current surveyor is on AL till near end of August and he is the only one for the area.
I need to get my ceilings repaired, does anyone know where I stand legally over this? Getting slightly animated over the phone has got me nowhere?
Am sick of living in a building site.
However water was still coming through the kitchen flue, which was odd as my side of the chimney has now been concreted over ( as has this flue).
Stuck a iphone on a stick into the flue and recorded the water coming through the flue wall, the dividing wall between the two houses.
It also when raining heavy still comes through the lounge.
Water works in odd ways but it is somehow getting through the chimney, down the dividing wall and coming out onto the old plaster ceiling ( now ruined and cracked prob from having this happen for years).
Went next door, explained and they were happy for me to get onto the HA in order to sort it. Had had problems in the past.
Local HA responsible were great to start with and to cut a long story short it is now 7 weeks on and it has been passed through two surveyors, they acknowledge work needs to be done but nothing signed off as yet and no repairs done.
The current surveyor is on AL till near end of August and he is the only one for the area.
I need to get my ceilings repaired, does anyone know where I stand legally over this? Getting slightly animated over the phone has got me nowhere?
Am sick of living in a building site.
This is still on going and I could do with a bit of advice.
Firstly the soakers still leak, during a storm they leak like crazy which then leaks onto the upstairs ceilings and stains them. Have now rigged up a bucket for that so shouldnt happen again.
Got in touch with the roofer who of course during covid has folded his company.
Never trust a obese roofer Wouldn't trust him to park trolleys at a supermarket.
Have a roofer of known quantity looking at that so should get it sorted as is a famiy friend of my mrs, just doesn't live local.
However the HA are still leaving me hanging after 4 months of chasing. Last news was told would be done last week but obviously hasn't happened dude to weather. There is no new date.
The lack of information passed through from their planning is terrible to the point of contempt. A roofer has obviously bodged something as I no longer get leaks downstairs but they wont tell me what! Totally unfair.
I have had enough now what would be my next step with this? Never had to take anything further than repeated phone calls?
Have just had a new ceiling boarded over downstairs do not want it ruining...
Firstly the soakers still leak, during a storm they leak like crazy which then leaks onto the upstairs ceilings and stains them. Have now rigged up a bucket for that so shouldnt happen again.
Got in touch with the roofer who of course during covid has folded his company.
Never trust a obese roofer
Wouldn't trust him to park trolleys at a supermarket.Have a roofer of known quantity looking at that so should get it sorted as is a famiy friend of my mrs, just doesn't live local.
However the HA are still leaving me hanging after 4 months of chasing. Last news was told would be done last week but obviously hasn't happened dude to weather. There is no new date.
The lack of information passed through from their planning is terrible to the point of contempt. A roofer has obviously bodged something as I no longer get leaks downstairs but they wont tell me what! Totally unfair.
I have had enough now what would be my next step with this? Never had to take anything further than repeated phone calls?
Have just had a new ceiling boarded over downstairs do not want it ruining...
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