Warm roof construction is an efficient roofing method in which the insulation layer is installed on an Air and Vapour Control Layer (AVCL) over decking above the structural timbers of a roof. The key point to understand about this construction is that the AVCL is always fitted on what’s called the warm side of the roof, i.e., the underside of the insulation. Everything under the AVCL is warm because it’s shielded by the insulation from the cold outside. Not only that, everything under the AVCL is deemed to be internal and subject to internal temperature and humidity changes. What Is A Warm Fl ..read more

How to tuck in your roof correctly. “Tucking in your roof” is a term coined by @steveroofer in 2010, and it serves as a powerful metaphor for the meticulous process of insulating a roof to ensure optimal performance. Just as one would tuck in the edges of a warm blanket for a snug night’s sleep, the same principle applies to roofing insulation. When @steveroofer introduced this term, he was emphasising the crucial importance of sealing and insulating a roof properly. It’s not just about the quality of the insulation material; it’s about the attention to detail in making sure there are no g ..read more

Because I’m getting old and because the demand for roof surveys has become so much, I have set up a new website called London roof surveys. I’m not actually competing with myself. I’m just trying to distinguish between doing roof repairs and new roofs and doing roof surveys and reports. London roof surveys is still part of the London flat roofing group. However, it’s there to catch more surveying work of roofs. London Roof Surveys new website It’s quite interesting the way the market has gone. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of roofers who understand how to build roofs any more and more a ..read more

Doing reports on roofs for customers whose insurance companies have asked for a condition report or roof inspections on the flat roof before they will renew the insurance on here property is now becoming a big part of your business. Over the last 4 years, we have gone from doing one a year to 8 a week, so much so that I’m ( Steven Dickinson) now solely doing roof inspections. Not only roof condition surveys but serves on roofs for potential house purchases; people wanting to know if the roof is in good condition before purchasing a house; I’m in a unique position to know only know most of the ..read more

A customer asks about venting a lead roof Spired on by my Youtube vide Lead Roof Venting Lead is beautiful & cross venting vital for a cold deck roofs. Warm deck usually avoids the need for cross venting but I notice that the LSA & other lead sheet groups recommend cross venting even a warm deck flat roof where this should be unnecessary for a warm deck roof. What is your opinion on providing yet another set of counter battens & decking on top pf a warm deck roof when lead sheeting is applied rather them single ply? Have you ever seen or experienced internal sweating of a lead shee ..read more

Expansion and contraction in OSB is not a problem ( I think) As far as I know, no gaps needed in 18mm T+G OSB the expansion is built-in. The lower part of the T+G this doesn’t meet the other side; however, the top use so I don’t understand how that works! I know they are moving over to a new under T+G soon, but that’s all I know. I’ve tried reading the BS EN 1995-1-1:2004+A1:2008 Eurocode 5:  ( 145 pages but went to sleep) Tongue and groove do I leave expansion joints The expansion per meter if it gets damp is recorded at.03mm so it’s not much we always leave a perimeter gape of 10 mm a ..read more

When I go to my London flat roofing blog I see lots of people search for roof survey near me if they were only to put in the postcode so I knew what area they were in this would be very helpful. When we are carrying out roof surveys in and around London and enquire comes through we may be on the road doing other roof surveys and the possibility that we can just pop in because you are local then becomes extremely convenient not only for us but for the customer. Mainly the cost of doing roof surveys come from travelling to and from our office and the customer’s property. Inspecting inside a fla ..read more

Using a drone to do a roof survey in London Over the past 5 years, we have been carrying out more and more drone roof surveys. This is mainly because the cost of drones has come down and we now carry drones with us all the time. Pros and cons of  drone roof surveys: Pros Drone roof surveys enable us to survey the roof without climbing all over it and possibly breaking tiles. We can also get to places on the roof that we cannot reach with ladders. Our health and safety risk is reduced dramatically. Can work out cheaper if scaffolding had been necessary to access the roof. Cons You don ..read more

Needs stripping and starting again, which adds to the new roof cost! New roof cost and how to keep the cost down. This is one of those things where the more you know, the worse it gets as you start to understand the complexity of what you’re about to do and the new roof cost and what’s involved in doing it properly! As a roofing surveyor, I’m constantly attending people’s houses after they have paid lots of money for new roofs, but I then have to tell them that everything is wrong and they need to completely replace the roof at some point, probably sooner rather than late ..read more

Outlet to small Roof inspection for insurance renewal on a large flat roof covered with mineral felt. The felt is in relatively good condition for its age however, look at the size of the outlet it’s tiny. It makes me wonder who designed this flat roof and how this ever passed building control. When designing a roof, calculations for water runoff is something the design team should have calculated and worked too. So the question is will this roof pass a roof inspection for the insurance renewal or not? The answer is yes, it will. What I will be righting in my roof inspection report will ..read more