Homebuilding & Renovating

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RENOVATION Part 10: Repairing the roof

A lot of successful renovation projects are shaped by good fortune to a greater degree than we perhaps like to admit. This is particularly the case with older properties where it’s often something of a gamble whether an ageing roof can cling on for a few more years until it becomes someone else’s problem. A defective roof has the potential to single-handedly make or break a renovation project. But it’s not all about money. News of roof failure is somehow more psychologically intimidating than reports of defects elsewhere, perhaps linked to a primeval fear of heights combined with the imminent threat of your home being deluged from above. For prospective renovators, however, the prime concern is to ensure that the day of reckoning is still some way off and the embryonic project isn’t going to be crippled with humongous repair bills.

GET IT CHECKED

The need for complete re-roofing is the mother of all budget-swallowing works.

Without a professional assessment in advance you’re effectively risking pouring money down a well of unknown depth. Even relatively straightforward repairs that involve working at height can

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