Start a renovation with a roof check
With the winter season approaching we are receiving increased number of inquiries regarding repairs of leaking roof coming from people from all around Bourgas region, some even further but unfortunately we are not able to cover that wide area (see our area of operation). Rain is rare in the summer months –July, August, even September – and the leaks in the roof remind about themselves with the first rains in September and October. These rains are more heavy and prolonging than the short and rare summer rains and make even the smaller leaks cause major damage on ceilings, walls and flooring.
Bearing in mind that there is a felt (or similar) under the tiles, and the pitch of most roofs, it is almost impossible to tell exactly where it is leaking from. The water can get through a broken tile and run down the the roof until it is seen running down the far wall in the living room or from around the chimney. This makes leak diagnosis on a roof a very difficult job. There are several reasons for the roof s to leak and here we will try to describe them and the respective roof repair method.
Construction of a roof
Poor installation of the roof
A roof can leak for a number of reasons, but the most common is substandard installation of the roof. Sadly this includes the poor quality of the new built houses and apartment buildings in Bulgaria. We have visited two to three years old apartment buildings where the roof is already leaking. According to the Bulgarian law the roof is owned by all owners of the apartments in the building, and every one of the owners in that building should pay for the roof repair. This sounds good on paper but in practice it is difficult to make the owner of an apartment on the second floor to pay for the roof repair in a six story building. That is why in many of the cases the top floor property owners (if more than one) will have to take care for the roof above their apartments by themselves. It is getting even worse if for example there are several apartment on the top floor, but the roof is leaking only in one of the apartments and there is no problem in the other three apartments. It is very unlikely that a partial repair of the roof above that apartment will solve the problem. In our practice we have seen many cases where the water is penetrating the roof in a total different place than the moisture on the ceiling above.
Storms
Over half of all roof leaks in typical residences are the result of improper flashing around roof vents, chimneys and in the valley where the roof lines meet. Storms are the second-leading cause of roof leaks, since strong winds can rip tiles from the roof and force water underneath. Roof leaks can have devastating effects on the interior or structure of a house. If the leak goes undetected, it will grow in size as the surrounding materials rot and sag. If a leak travels in an interior wall and the roof is not repaired on time, the growth of unhealthy mold will reach the stage where total replacement of the wall plaster is required.
In the storm case simple measures will be enough to repair the roof –replacing cracked tiles, proper plastering of the ridge tiles, replacing the sheet metal flashing around the chimney and fixing damaged sections of the guttering.
Age of the roof
People who have purchased an old rural property in Bulgaria will confirm that the roof had to be repaired as at the time of purchase it was leaking or collapsing. Many of the houses in the Bulgarian villages have been built in the 70’s and the 80’s which means that the average age of the properties is over 20-30 years. These houses were built mostly with simple and cheap materials from regular people on a DIY basis – using what they had on site or just bought on small budget. These roofs are already at the end of their life expectancy and need to be repaired.
We always advise our clients to start the repair of their house in Bulgaria from the roof. Even if the property was not purchased with the intent of immediate renovation the roof check is a must. Effective roofing will protect the interior of your property.
Depending on the condition of the roof – a more complex repair will be required. This will include completely stripping the roof, removing rotten timber beams and wooden boards and re-tiling the roof. New roof tiles are recommended as the old tiles would not guarantee a proper sealing.
The roof is one of the areas where cutting corners is not advisable. Just imagine you have to repair the roof after you have just finished the internal renovation of your house and you have to expose to stripped roof to the open sky risking rain to fall and damage the interior. You don’t like the picture, do you?
You can have your roof checked by our company. This is a standard procedure for us and we will do it quickly and professionally. Remember a roof check on time might save you a lot of money and trouble.
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