Roof Problems and Roof Repairs in Uppermill

Older roofs in Uppermill need the material identifying properly

Before anybody talks about replacing slates, I would want to know what is actually on the roof. Around Saddleworth you can come across natural slate, heavier traditional stone pieces and later concrete tiles. They do not sit, lap or fix in the same way.

A roof laid with heavier stone pieces can have thick courses and a very different load on the timbers below. You cannot sensibly repair one of those roofs by treating it like a modern tiled slope. On a natural-slate roof, the slate itself may still be sound when the old nail has corroded away.

Why chimneys deserve more attention here

Older stone houses often have fairly substantial chimney stacks, and the leak is not always where you first expect it. The front lead apron is the bit everyone can see. The side soakers and the rear gutter are the parts I would want photographed.

The masonry higher up matters as well. Open mortar joints or cracked flaunching around a pot can let rain into the stack. Replacing the lead at roof level will not cure water that is entering through the chimney above it.

If the leak only appears in driving rain

That is useful information. A weak chimney side, verge or roof junction can stay dry in a normal shower and leak when rain is being blown across the roof. Tell the roofer which side of the house takes the weather and whether the problem only appears with a particular wind direction.

Watch the roof edge if fascia boards are going soft

Rotten fascia in an older house often makes people think the gutter is leaking. Sometimes it is. But water can also be running down old felt behind the roof covering and dropping onto the back of the fascia.

The useful check is under the lowest course. If the felt has sagged, torn or stopped short of the gutter, that water path needs correcting before new fascia boards go on.

What I would ask a roofer to show me

For a chimney leak: the rear gutter, both side details and the mortar higher up the stack. For slipped slate: whether the slate broke or the fixing failed. For rotten fascia: the felt and timber behind the bottom course before anything is covered.

If the job needs scaffold, get that written into the quotation. One cracked slate beside a high chimney can take minutes to replace once somebody is standing safely next to it. Getting somebody safely next to it can be the expensive bit.

Roofing contractors around Uppermill

These businesses have addresses in Uppermill or nearby Saddleworth. Check recent reviews, insurance and what each quotation actually includes.

Business details come from current public listings and can change. Inclusion is not a recommendation or guarantee of workmanship.