poor building repair advice

jcr

jcr

jcr

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29 May 2011
Posts
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Location
southampton
last summer a roofer was hired to repair our chimney, which would leak water down through the roof when it rained heavily, and cause the wall around the loft hatch to get damp.
the roofer replaced the lead flashing and the mortar on the chimney i believe.
around late October, when we started to get heavy rain again, we noticed that the leak was still there. its just as bad as before the repair work was carried out.
we have been trying to contact the roofer for a couple of months. once he answered the phone and said he come the following week, but he never showed up. all we get when we call is the answer phone, and messages left are not returned.

the work was quite expensive, and i really dont want to have to pay someone else all over again.
i would appreciate some advice on how to proceed from the excellent minds on the forum.
many thanks
 
koolpc said:
He aint coming back.....

Plus, would you trust him to repair it properly now?

Put it down to experience and get someone in via word of mouth...
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he was via word of mouth. the builder we have used for years is now too old to do roofs and recommended him
 
I would ask if the work that was done was correct? Ie, was this the fault that was identified causing the leak/damp or is there another fault that isn't identified and actually causing said leak. The work done may be up to standard...just that it didn't fix the underlying problem
 
Is he still in business? Do you have an address for him? I would say sending him a letter saying it's still leaking and you'd like him to come back and try to sort it out would be the next step. You need to prove you have given him "fair notification" to correct the situation.

If you don't get anywhere, then the next step might be Trading Standards.

In the meantime, you could post pics of the issue here so people can give their opinions on what might be wrong / whether the work is any good.
 
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There’s multiple issues with chimneys, what he fixed may not have been the problem.

Good pal went through three roofers when finally they found out there was no tray after replacing flashings, re pointing and weather sealing the brickwork. It actually needed demolishing to the tile line and rebuilding with the correct tray and then flashings.
 
tamzzy said:
I would ask if the work that was done was correct? Ie, was this the fault that was identified causing the leak/damp or is there another fault that isn't identified and actually causing said leak. The work done may be up to standard...just that it didn't fix the underlying problem
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when he first came out, the fella went up on the roof and took pics of the chimney with his phone, showed us the torn lead flashing and crumbling mortar between the bricks. said that was the issue and quoted us a price.
i think its likely that the work was done correctly, but that wasnt what is causing the leak. im only guessing though.
 
radderfire said:
Is he still in business? Do you have an address for him? I would say sending him a letter saying it's still leaking and you'd like him to come back and try to sort it out would be the next step. You need to prove you have given him "fair notification" to correct the situation.

If you don't get anywhere, then the next step might be Trading Standards.

In the meantime, you could post pics of the issue here so people can give their opinions on what might be wrong / weather the work is any good.
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yes hes still in business. here are some pics i took today.

the wall near the loft hatch.
ypqhi11.jpg


the chimney under the roof. the water can be seen trickling down both sides of this edge.
NlA6PJK.jpg


the lead at roof level covered in water droplets.
mtnybDf.jpg


the loft flooring.
kNl24Td.jpg
 
Pics of the chimney, and where the wall is getting wet, would help. A diagram would also help. Edit - I see we have some now.

Obviously you need to through more fault finding. I can't say I'm a chimney or roofing expert, but there are bound to be other common faults that need to be considered, e.g. missing tiles, further damage to flashing etc.

If you know anyone with a drone you could get them to survey the roof.
 
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Just a cowboy. Name and shame on the local FB group and see if any roofer steps in to save you. The roofer will always argue he did what he quoted for and it's sods law that didn't get the right outcome for you. A more reputable roofer (lols like they exist) may have had another go.
 
Have you got the pics he showed you before he did the work?

Have you got any pics of the work he did?

With water streaming down the chimney it does look like it's a fault around the chimney, i.e. still the chimney flashing that's the problem.
 
radderfire said:
Have you got the pics he showed you before he did the work?

Have you got any pics of the work he did?

With water streaming down the chimney it does look like it's a fault around the chimney, i.e. still the chimney flashing that's the problem.
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no the pictures were all on the roofers phone. i have no way of getting to the outside of the chimney myself.

ive wedged some old towels up where the chimney joins the roof today, to try to soak up the rain before it gets to the ceiling.
 
As there are formed droplets on the internal lead flashing, could this be condensation only? The lead is linked to the outside and it's cold out so the moisture in the loft space could be causing it to condense on this cold surface. When it builds up too much, it drips down the wall below.

How's the ventilation in the loft?
 
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