Roofing in Thorney Hill

Re-fixing and the perimeter zone. The job this hamlet needs most. Wind does not lift a roof in the middle, it gets under the edges and the corners, and the most exposed elevation here faces south west. The code of practice, BS 5534, was tightened in 2014 so that a site like this now needs mechanical fixing well in from the verge and the eaves rather than a clip here and there. Where a roof predates that, we clip out the whole perimeter zone properly, for a fraction of what losing a slope costs. Mortar bedding on an exposed roof cracks, lets go and takes the tile with it, so off it comes and a dry ridge and dry verge go back screwed down on a ventilated roll, which is both stronger in wind and vents the ridge line as it goes.

Storm damage and repairs. Slipped, cracked and missing tiles after a blow, a ridge tile gone, a verge stripped back along its length, and the leak that follows. Most houses here date from the 1970s and early 1980s, so it is concrete tile, nearly all of it interlocking, and the covering is generally in better condition than whatever is holding it down. Older cottages on the green carry plain tile, clay tile and a little natural slate on battens with no sarking under them. Thatch is a different trade and we say so before you ask: we tile and flash up to it. When the nails have gone, the batten ends are soft and the underlay has torn away at the eaves, the covering comes off, wet rafter feet come out, and it goes back on breathable membrane and treated battens with a matched tile, fixed to the current schedule rather than the old one.

Garages, rear extensions, porches and dormers go in felt, GRP fibreglass or EPDM rubber, and the deck sets the life of all three, so it comes first, then the falls, the upstands and the outlet. On an exposed roof the flashings matter twice over: chimney soakers, back gutters, valleys and abutments go back in code rated lead, cut and clipped at the free edge so wind cannot get a grip on it. Oak and holly leaf off the forest side fills gutters and valleys every autumn, and on ground that shrinks and swells, where that water ends up beside a foundation is a structural question rather than only a damp one. While a covering is off, insulation and eaves ventilation cost a fraction of what they cost later, and Approved Document L sets the standard a renovated roof should reach.

No rate per square metre. Plots up here are generous and there is normally room for a scaffold to stand and a lorry to unload. The wind is the problem. An exposed platform needs more ties and often debris netting, and it stands longer because a strip cannot be opened up on a bad forecast, so here it is priced by the days it is booked as much as by its size, and work at height rules are why it is a priced line at all. Ask any quote what grade of lead goes on the chimney and who pays for the skip.

About nine miles from us and inside the patch we are in every week, covering Thorney Hill, Bransgore, Burley and the BH23 addresses on that side, with the New Forest National Park Authority for planning and New Forest District Council for building control.

Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719, which you can look up in a minute. Thomas Hannen's business, and he is the one who comes out to price the job, not a salesman. A verified customer's 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade. The visit and the written quote are both free.