DH Roofing is a roofing company in Norwich, and every autumn we get the same question: what should I be doing before the weather turns? Good winter roof preparation is mostly small, cheap jobs done in time. Left alone, those same small jobs turn into wet ceilings in January.
Norfolk winters bring a lot of wind off the North Sea and long spells of driving rain. We don't always get heavy snow, but we do get gales that lift tiles and rain that finds every gap. A roof that coped fine in August can start letting water in by December.
Why winter roof preparation matters here
Water is patient. A slipped tile or a cracked piece of mortar lets a little rain in, the timber underneath gets damp, and the damp spreads. By the time a brown patch shows on your ceiling, water has usually been getting in for weeks.
Cold weather makes it worse. Water sits in a hairline crack, freezes, expands and widens the crack. Repeat that over a few frosty nights and a small fault becomes a real one. That's why we'd rather look at a roof in October than wait for the phone call in February.
There's also the practical side. Working on a roof in a gale isn't safe, and emergency call-outs happen when the weather is at its worst. Sorting problems early means the work gets done in reasonable conditions.
What to check before the weather turns
You can do a lot of this yourself from the ground. A pair of binoculars is honestly the most useful tool for checking a roof. Never go up a ladder in wet or windy weather, and if you're not confident, don't.
Tiles and slates
Look along the roof from the garden and from the street. You're looking for gaps, tiles sitting at an odd angle, or slates that have slipped down the slope. Dark patches where the colour doesn't match often mean a tile has moved or gone altogether.
Also check the ridge along the top. If the mortar between the ridge tiles is cracked or crumbling, wind can get under them. Ridge tiles coming loose in a gale is one of the more common problems we deal with in Norwich.
Gutters and downpipes
Blocked gutters cause more damage than people expect. When water can't run away, it spills over the back of the gutter and runs down the wall, or sits against the fascia board and rots it. In a cold snap, standing water in a gutter freezes and the weight can pull the whole run away from the house.
Clear out leaves, moss and grit in autumn after the trees have dropped. Then run a hose or a bucket of water through and watch where it goes. If water pours out of a joint or over the edge, that joint needs attention.
Flashing and joints
Flashing is the lead or metal strip where the roof meets something else: a chimney, a wall, a dormer. These joints are where a lot of leaks start. Look for lead that's lifted, split or come away from the wall, and for cracked mortar in the chimney stack.
Flat roofs
If you've got a flat roof over an extension, garage or porch, check for standing water, splits, blisters or lifted edges. Clear the outlet so rain can actually drain. Flat roofs take a beating in winter and small splits spread fast once water gets underneath.
In the loft
Go up on a bright day and turn the light off. If you can see daylight through the roof, there's a gap. Look for damp patches on the timbers, water stains on the felt, and wet or flattened insulation. A quick look in the loft after heavy rain tells you a lot.
Jobs worth doing before December
If your checks turn something up, deal with it now rather than hoping it holds. Replacing a few slipped tiles is a short job. Re-bedding loose ridge tiles stops a much bigger problem. Repointing a chimney, patching flashing, re-sealing a flat roof seam, clearing and refixing gutters: these are all straightforward in dry autumn weather and awkward in winter.
It's also worth cutting back any tree branches overhanging the roof. In a gale they scrape tiles and snap off into gutters.
If your roof is older and you're seeing several problems at once, that's usually a sign the roof is nearing the end of its life rather than having one isolated fault. It's better to know that in October than to find out after three storms.
When to call someone in
Call us if you can see missing or slipped tiles, if there's a damp patch on a ceiling, if water is running down an outside wall, or if you've spotted daylight in the loft. Also call if something has come loose after a storm, because a tile that's moved once will usually move again.
You don't need to wait for a leak. If you're not sure what you're looking at, we can come out and tell you straight whether it needs work now, can wait until spring, or is fine as it is.
If you'd like your roof checked over before winter sets in, call DH Roofing on 07464932323 and we'll come and take a look.