What Are the Most Common Roofing Problems in Easton?

Easton's Victorian terraces share a short list of roofing problems. Most are at junctions and edges rather than the main slope, which is where we look first.

Walk along a row of Victorian terraces and the same roof faults keep turning up. Age is part of it, and so are the additions: bay windows, rear lean-tos and small flat roofs that were added to the original house. The trouble tends to gather where one part of the roof meets another.

Slipped and cracked tiles or slates

Old fixings corrode and coverings shift with frost, wind and heavy rain. A few displaced pieces are a simple repair, but they are also the way water first gets under the covering. We replace what is broken and check the felt beneath, because the visible damage is often only part of what the roof has suffered. Photographs of the damage help you see exactly what has gone wrong.

Worn flashings and valleys

Lead flashings seal the roof where it meets a chimney, a party wall or a taller building. Valleys carry large volumes of water between two slopes. Both are common leak sources on terraces because of how many junctions there are, and both need to be checked from close up, not from the street. A dark streak on a wall near a chimney often points to a flashing failure.

• Lead pulling away from the wall or chimney
• Cracked or tired valley linings
• Mortar fillets that have fallen out
• Joins at the party wall that have opened up

Rear lean-tos, bay tops and small flat roofs

Extensions added over time have their own problems. Flat sections pond, split and blister, and upstands where they meet the main wall let water behind. Bay windows have small roofs with lead or flat coverings that are rarely looked at until a ceiling stains. These small areas cause a disproportionate number of leaks. If the flat part is the leaking part, repair or replacement depends on the deck beneath.

Ridge and hip bedding

Mortar along the ridge and hips cracks and falls away with time, loosening the capping tiles. It is easy to miss from the street. When it goes, rain and wind get under the roof's highest point. Re-bedding and re-pointing, or a dry-fixed alternative, is a straightforward job done well before the damage spreads. The mortar can be replaced, or a dry-fixed ridge system used where it suits the roof.

Gutters, fascias and the roof edge

Blocked gutters overflow, leaking joints wet the fascia and rotten boards stop holding the gutter. Water then gets into the eaves. It is the most common slow problem we see, and it often goes unnoticed until paint peels or a downpipe comes away. Checks from the ground often show the first signs. If you see a gutter dripping at a joint, note where, because it helps us find the cause.

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