Our house is barely 2 years old and the roof was ripped off. We've found that there's virtually no support out there (except from our kind neighbours). Insurance companies uncontactable and leave you on hold for hours, HomeBond uncontactable, builder will not take responsibility, original roof builders uncontactable, independent roofer says he'll call out but doesn't turn up because his day is "mental". Roofing supplies are apparently unavailable. Meanwhile you and you're pregnant wife are left worried and stressed in the new "dream home" you've only just spent your life savings on.
by jamesiemcjamesface
28 comments
Was the whole roof torn off or just some tiles? Sorry for your troubles buddy I can imagine the stress but insurance should sort it.
Tarp over the roof.
Not a lot you can actually do – try to minimise water damage by covering things – tape as suggested but with another storm around the corner this may not be advisable. Take pictures, contact insurance – roofers are going to be busy for a while 🙁
Look for the big bad wolf .. . But seriously sorry this happened to you hope the damage wasn’t 2 severe and that your insurance may cover it
Try and find a good roofer I think , start getting quotes then you can contact insurance
Ask around the neighbors, a lot if people will have a few spare tiles, if you’re in an estate they’ll all be the same. A bunch of neighbors here replaced several tiles on 3 houses yesterday evening. Just need a couple ladders and someone familiar with working at height! The installation process is relatively simple. Risks apply.
Of course if your whole roof was actually blown off then all you can do is document everything for the insurance company and enlist a loss adjuster.
Blow it back on
Some companies have an emergency help line. Zurich do. It helps mitigate the damage. Councils have a dangerous building lune.
Keep trying on the home insurance – they will cover it. When you’re getting quotes, only get people who you have word of mouth recommendations for if possible. There are cowboys out there and they are absolute cunts.
Had some storm damage to our roof last year so I know whereof I speak on this.
Step 1 contact home insurance
Step 2 get roof repaired
Step 3 move on from this tragedy
Ah bollox I’m only after copping that the broken plant pot I cleaned up earlier was probably a slate
Homebond wont cover this by the way. The insurance from your builder is structural issues, and the roof is not structural. I found this out last storm when 7 tiles blew off the roof. Two more this time.
I had a leak last year and contracted a roofer. My roof was only 4 years old. He told me the builder should stand over his work and that he didn’t want to touch it because he would be liable if anything went wrong.
I rang the builder and he fixed it without charging me.
Good luck.
Some of these new builds are held together with spit and chewing gum.
My folks got onto the insurance. My Da had secured some back on with silicone to keep any rain out until they fella can get over to them.
Unfortunately some of the tiles bounced off his car before they hit the ground 🫠.
Home insurance may cover alternative accommodation, check the policy.
Use it as a slide
Contact the insurance people by email. They’re probably rushed off their feet but at least this way you’ll have a date on when you contacted them.
Call around as many roofers as you can. They probably are having a mental Time off it, so many people in the same position. Could be worth getting together with some of the neighbours and having it as one bigger job doing a few houses. Might be more likely to call out then.
In the meantime, see what you can do about waterproofing from the inside, check out how it looks from the attic and see if there’s any extra precautions you can take while you wait for someone to come.
Hey, this happened to me a few years back. So sorry it happened to you.
First thing is to get a tarp over it to prevent any water damage to the rest of the house. Usually it’s a builder who will do this – ideally all your local roofers, construction companies, are prioritizing this before they start actual repairs on buildings in the area.
Insurance is generally a good place to start, but of course they’re swamped right now. Just keep calling insurance and local companies until you get someone out to tarp, then take a deep breath and get ready to wait a long while for repairs.
Good luck!
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Tarpaulin keeps the rain out and buys you time to deal with it. Tie it down well. It limits the urgency of the situation so you can deal with it calmly and with a cool mind.
Even a few layers of corrugated steel or something that stops the wet getting it.
Just as an observation from someone who is into this craic.
You have a handful of broken tiles and I do atleast see a nail which suggests that they were nailed – it’s actually amazing how well a tile roof can take wind. The weight alone holds them, the nails are more of a precaution but still required.
The other tiles are ridge tiles…. they should have a half bucket of mortar stuck on them still, if they’re installed correctly they won’t come off clean like that.
What has happened is that ridges lifted (they really shouldn’t), once the ridge lifted the wind could get under the tiles and that’s why you now have a leak and mess in your garden.
Who ever installed the ridges was a lazy bollox that didn’t want to be bucketing up mortar to set them – I’d investigate the rest
Obviously you ring the insurance company and local roofers.
Go hunting some wolves
Get a tarp and put it over area.
Depending on the amount of damage your entire roof might need to be rebuilt. That could involve plumbing and electrical work. So get a general contractor builder to take a look, not just a roofer. If that’s not the case you’ve an easier time of it. You wont be able to get all this mess sorted out without taking a week off work either.
DO NOT wait for your insurance company, start protecting the house ASAP. The more water you let in the more damage it will cause. It will take a while to start repairs and I’m sure they’ll be onto you by then anyway.
1. Video and photos of the damage. And email your insurance company with the details. Post the video to your social media and friends gorups. Ask for help, you’ll need it.
2. Order the flowing (and keep the receipts for insurance):
Screwfix – Tarps, duct tape, blue rope, plastic sheeting, knife/scissors, gloves.
Local hardware/builders supplies – a delivery of Cavity Blocks for secureing your tarps.
Waste Company – A Skip, you’ll need to put the roofing material you getting rid of there. If your builder is getting you a skip they add 10%+ to the cost.
3. **Get tarps up.** Use ropes and cement blocks top hold down the tarps. have very long ropes on one side that you use to throw over and pull it over the house.
4. **Call movers.** And arrange storage. Remove everything from the house, even with tarps you have wet areas which will start to mold.
5. Try to **protect things** inside the house that you can’t move by putting tarps or plastic over them and wrapping with duct tape. Maybe padding stuff like fireplaces, toilets etc. that could get damaged from falling debris during the removal of the old roof. I used duvets and cardboard under the plastic sheeting.
Understand this will take months to fix, arrange alternate accommodation. Ideally ask a family member to take this one while you’re trying to get the house and insurance sorted.
Edit: I’m assuming the worst and the entire roof is off. If not, you might getaway with a well secured tarp, something you get fixed in a few weeks and very little drama.
Go and stay with your brother who built his house out of sticks….
Pritt stick
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