Maintenance and repair
What to look for during an autumn roof inspection
In brief
Base the autumn roof inspection on a comparison with earlier checks rather than assessing it from scratch. Document the condition of the surface, details, drainage and layers visible from the loft, recording specific defects instead of a general impression. The key decision is separating urgent securing from planned work, so note the location, description and date, and attach labelled photos. Remember events since the last inspection, such as gales or hail, which may have affected the coating, flashings or fixings. Choose conditions that allow safe inspection.
How to prepare for the inspection?
Gather photos from previous inspections and information about repairs. This allows the same places to be compared rather than assessing the roof from scratch. Record events since the last inspection, such as a storm, hail or work by another crew. These may have affected the condition of the coating, flashings or fixings.
Choose conditions that allow a safe inspection. A check from the ground can be supplemented with photos, but it will not replace the assessment of all details. Accessing the roof slope requires proper access and protection. The roof should not be checked in the rain simply because that is when water is most visible.
What to assess on the main surface?
Look for scratches, detached coating, deformation and left-behind contamination. A rusty trace may come from a foreign metal filing rather than from the sheet. Its source must be identified. It is worth marking the places on a simple sketch of the roof slope so that the next inspection can check whether the problem is growing.
Not every local soiling requires painting. First, a cleaning method suited to the surface is selected. Where the coating is damaged, the extent of the repair is assessed. Extensive corrosion, perforation or cracking are not defects that can be reliably resolved with a single patch without inspecting the substrate.
How to check flashings and laps?
Inspect the chimney, roof valleys, ridge and junctions with the wall. Folded-up edges, gaps and places where sediment accumulates are important. Flashings should direct water in the planned direction. If a pocket forms between elements, it is worth establishing its cause before winter, when water may freeze in it.
Sealants are assessed together with the geometry of the detail. A cracked sealant may indicate movement of the joint or an unsuitable material. Applying a new layer alone will not always help. During repair, adhesion, compatibility with the coating and the way water is drained across the whole detail must be checked.
How to check the fixings?
Screws and washers should be complete and correctly seated. Loosening, seal deformation or corrosion require assessment. Do not routinely tighten every fastener to the limit. Excessive pressure can impair tightness. The condition of the substrate to which the screw is fixed is also important.
Check the fixings of roof ladders, steps and snow guards separately. They carry different loads than the ordinary sheet overlap. If a component moves, it should not be used as support during further inspection. Safe access must first be ensured and it must be determined which part of the connection needs repair.
What should be checked in gutters and downpipes?
Remove larger debris, then assess the gutter base and the areas at the outlets. Leaves can hide sediment, a damaged seal or a local depression. Also check the downpipes, bends and the rainwater gully. A clear upper section of the system does not guarantee that water flows freely out of the entire system.
Look for signs of overflow on the façade. These may indicate a blockage, poor geometry or mismatched capacity. The gutter cross-section should not be increased immediately without diagnosis. Sometimes removing an obstruction is enough, but other times the outlet needs changing or the position relative to the metal roof covering needs correcting.
How should the attic inspection be used?
In accessible areas, check for signs of moisture on the timber, membrane and finish. Look for a change in smell or wet insulation. It is worth comparing observations with the weather. A problem that appears without rainfall may be due to condensation rather than a leak in the external sheet.
Do not close the designed ventilation openings as part of preparing the house for winter. A distinction must be made between unwanted leakage and the necessary air flow path. If the layer arrangement is unclear, a specialist assessment is needed. Accidental pressing of insulation against the underside of the covering can worsen moisture conditions.
What should the result of the inspection look like?
Record the location of the defect, its description, the proposed action and the deadline. Separate urgent securing from planned work. Attach photos, preferably with the roof slope and detail marked. Such a document allows specific corrections to be ordered. General information about the need to “seal the roof” does not show what actually needs to be done. Photos should be marked with the name of the roof slope and the viewing direction so that the defect can be easily found later.
After repair, it is worth adding the material used and checking the result during subsequent rainfall. If the defect returns, the record will help change the diagnosis instead of repeating the same action. The autumn inspection then becomes part of the roof maintenance history, which facilitates the decision on repair or future replacement of the covering.
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