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don’t be fooled by the boy with


hisfingerinthe dyke Every school child has read about Hans Brinker, thelittleDutch boywho savedhis villageonhis waytoschool by pluggingaleakinadykewithhis finger. Hans wasanadmirable boy, but his approachmay not always work for leaky roofs. Because these are often notassimpleastheylook. Iregularly see patch-up jobs on roofswhere one problemhas simply createdanother, rather than creating asolution. This equivalent of filling themost obvious hole doesn’talwayswork, largelybecausewater doesn’t tend to hang around closetoits source.Itwillalways findthe lowest point,whichmeans itmaygatheraway fromthe original problem. If you have a leak, it’s worth having a proper survey carried out to ensure that the original issue is fixed once andfor all. Therearemany techniques that surveyors can use to locate the cause of aleak, includingwater dyetesting, chemical tracers andnon-destructivesurveys such as theuse of thermal camerasand electronic resistance testing.


8 green roofs are nowpopular in cities 9


hans’ approach may not work for leaky roofs


7


roof gardens canwork City space is increasingly expensive and gardens areshrinking.Growing grassonaroofwas once considered eccentric, butitisbecoming increasingly popular. Flat roofs benefit from exposure to theelementsthathelpgrass grow. Butthe usualriskwarningsapply.You won’t wanttorip your grass/greenroof-up every timethere’s amaintenance issue up top, and you will need more than your gardener to plantandmaintainthe roof.Itisvital that you consultagreen roof specialist andprepare a comprehensivemaintenance plan going forward.


thinkoutside the box


Irecall hearingacaseofasurveyorwho went to inspecta building andexpressed immediateconcern aboutthe stateof itsflat roof.Suchwas hisworry that he didn’t just recommend a series of repairs, but that the entire flatroofbereplacedwithanew pitched roof, completely changing the appearance and styleofthe building.After aseriesofdisputes, theLVT foundinfavourofthe surveyorwho hadpresented theproposalfor thepitched roof as themost practicaland economic repair strategy for the building! Fortunately,most of us arenot facedwiththissortofdilemma very often, butwhere roofs are concerned it pays to consider allthe options–eventhe ones that do not at first seemobvious.


10 Flat Living Issue 15


Make theMost of it Finally, neverunder-estimate thevalue of making themost of your roof - and putting a sensiblemaintenanceplaninplace to protect it.There’s areasonthatthere’s aroofontop of your property, and it pays not to forget it!●


MakeMoney


froMyourroof In business terms, roofstendtobeassociatedwith costs.But there are increasingopportunities for your roof tomake youmoney.Themost obviousis by installing solar panels.Thesemake economic sense, and as designs develop, they are increasing- ly aesthetically pleasing.There is also the potential to leasepartofthe roof tomobile operatorsfor the installation ofmasts. Subjecttosomelegal and technicalhurdles,these installationscan generate income. Aroofrefurbishment or upgrade programme


will oftenbe an opportune timeto increase the thermalinsulationonthe roof andthisisoften required to complywith the currentBuilding Regulations. Increasingthethermal insulation canhelptominimiserunningcosts, particularly in largebuildingswithcommunalheating systems. Consider also the potential to developthe


roof or roof space.Adevelopermaypurchase therightstodevelop therooftocreateanew residential flat.The revenue generated fromthe “purchase” of the roof fromthe buildingcanbe used towardsthemaintenanceofthe building, such as replacing lifts.Afurther benefit is that this type of developmentwillalsoprovide the buildingwith an entirely newroof. Irecently carried outasurveyofalargemansionblock wherethe original pitchedtiled roofswereina very poor state of repair and required replacing. Oneofthe recommendationsinmysurveyreport wasfor theresidents to consider sellingthe vast amounts of attic space to a developerwhowould create residentialuse andreplace theroofaspart of thedevelopmentagreement.The development opportunitiesare currentlybeingexplored ahead of themajor roof replacement programme.


JulianDaviesMRICSistheManagingDirectorofEarl KendrickAssociatesLimited,afirmofChartered BuildingSurveyorsbasedinLondonandtheSouth West.Julian’sphilosophyisthathisisarelationship- drivenbusiness.Simpleprojectscanbecomplicated bytheoftenconflictinginterestsofowners,tenants, builders,architects,agentsandsolicitors.Earl Kendrickaimtotakethestrainwitharemitthatgoes waybeyondsurveying.Formoreusefulguidesand technicalfactsheets,goto:www.earlkendrick.com/ downloads


Email Julian@earlkendrick.com Tel 02036671510 Twitter@earlkendrick


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cutoutandkeep


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