Find a Roofer you can trust in Carlisle.

A roof serves as something which is so much more than just a top of a building. A roof delivers guard from the elements and precipitation, it also helps drain water from a structure, and helps to provide insulation to the structure allowing it to keep the interior of a building cool or warm, according to season.

There are several steps to building a roof

Mount the trusses.

This step requires the building’s wall frames to be completely level, square and plumb. If you are building the roof onto a building that is still a frame you must use ladders or scaffolding. Hoist the trusses onto the roof.

Install temporary braces.

You will need to install temporary braces that the trusses can rest on until the sheathing and permanent bracing are installed, this has to be done before you install the trusses. At the centre of the back wall, nail the bottom half of one two-by-six board that's 16 feet long to the top of the outside wall, making sure you fasten it to a stud.

Install the end trusses.

Install the two end trusses at the front and back of the building, making sure you affix them to the temporary bracing. The batten you take will have to be a bit longer than the distance will separate the trusses.

Install the standard trusses.

According to the instructions provided by the manufacturer, you will first need to install the first standard truss. You will also need to nail it to the batten from the first truss.

Sheath the roof.

Once your trusses permanently braced, you can begin with the sheathing of the roof. Starting from the bottom corner and moving across the bottom, the sheathing is installed lengthwise.

Install the roof cover.

Like the sheathing and underlayment procedures, the roof cover is installed lengthwise from the bottom up. The shingles should be staggered, and they should also overlap at the same time. You will need to work up to the ridge and use a ridge cap shingles to finish the ridge.

It can be a huge headache, but cleaning of gutters is a task that needs to be done and even more so when it’s a stained white gutter. Nobody want to do it, but everybody has to. If you happen to lack the required confidence to pull this off as it has to do with working at heights, then we’d strongly recommend that you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help and also save you some time and money from potential costly errors. In this post, we’re going to show you some of effective way in which you can tackle stained white gutters effectively.

Firstly, you’ll have to take out the ladder with a pair of rubber gloves. Simply position the ladder safely, climb up the roof and start removing the leaves and other debris clogging up the gutters. You can also make use of a garden trowel to remove the very thick debris. Once done, spray the gutter using a garden hose to flush out the dirt as this will make the stains visible. Then prior to cleaning, ensure to cover the plants or landscape underneath with tarp or plastic sheet since the cleaning solution may negatively impact the vegetation.

Start to clean by spraying an all-purpose cleaner on the stains and srub them off using a scrub brush. You can also try a mixture of 1/4 of water with 1 cup of bleach and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. Dip your scrub brush in this solution to scrub off the stains. The bleach mixture is guaranteed to eliminate any mold or mildew that growing on your gutters with ease.

Velux windows actually refer to one brand of roof window, which are windows that sit in your roof space and allow light and ventilation into your loft. But how do you install a Velux window? If you’re a competent DIYer, it’s not as difficult as you might think.

You can normally install roof windows entirely from the inside, so you don’t need to get up on your roof or hire costly scaffolding. They come with detailed installation instructions, so as long as you follow them you shouldn’t have much trouble.

Before you start, you’ll need to read up on the Building Regulations and Planning Permission laws. Speak to your local Building Control department if you have any questions.

Firstly, prepare the opening by removing enough tiles or slates from the roof. There’s no need to go out on the roof – access them by cutting away the felt underneath which will give you access to the tiles and battens. Cut away one of the battens from under a tile, then you can slide all the tiles into the roof space. You’ll need to cut away the roof timbers to make the right size opening, then add more timbers to strengthen the ones that are left.

Next, remove the opening sash from the new roof window then fit the frame into the new opening using the brackets provided with the window. Then fit roof flashing between the new window and the roof so you don’t get any leaks. Then lay your tiles back in position around the new Velux window; you’ll probably have to cut some to shape which you can do with an angle grinder. Always cut them on the ground, not in position on the roof.

Lastly, fit the sash back onto the window and you’re done!

If this sounds like too much hard work, plenty of window installers will be able to help you fit a Velux window and will probably be able to provide a much cleaner finish.

There are a few reasons why commercial buildings often have flat roofs. Lots of people argue that flat roofs aren’t as attractive as pitched roofs, which is why it’s uncommon to see a residential property with an entirely flat roof. Lots of commercial buildings don’t need to look attractive, so go for flat roofs because they’re cheaper.

Flat roofs tend to be less expensive than pitched roofs, especially for large, broad commercial buildings. Some commercial buildings simply couldn’t have a pitched roof because their width would mean that the roof would have to be extremely high. Flat roofs are also cost-effective for commercial buildings because it means that air conditioning and ventilation units can go on the roof, saving space in and around the building.

Commercial buildings also often have flat roofs because they don’t need the loft space that residential properties need. If there’s no need for the space, it doesn’t make sense to spend more money on a pitched roof just to keep the attic space empty. Flat roofs also give the commercial building owner the opportunity to use the space as a smoking area for employees or give access to fire escapes to upper floors.

If you’re having a commercial property build, make sure you speak to the experts about the type of roof that is suitable for you. If you’re planning on having air conditioning or ventilation systems installed within the property, you might be best off with a flat roof – but if you need some extra storage space, a pitched roof might work best for you.

It’s relatively simple to remove a Velux window, whether it’s Velux-branded or is another brand of roof window. Here is a breakdown of the steps you’ll need to take to remove a roof window:

1. Remove the sash (opening part) from the roof window frame. Usually there are screws in the hinges to loosen or a button to press and lift out.
2. Next, remove the tiles or slates from around the window frame along with the flashing.
3. Unscrew all the brackets around the window frame and lift out the frame.

It’s that simple! You can do all of this from inside your home – there's no need to climb on the roof. Removing the glass pane from a Velux window, for example if it has blown, is a more difficult job and should be left to a professional. It involves removing the sash from the roof window frame and then removing the surrounding parts of the sash to lift out the sealed unit. They will then place the new glazed unit into the sash frame before securing all the parts back onto the sash and fitting it back into the roof window frame.

How to repair a flat roof depends on the type of flat roof you have. We’ll talk about how to repair felt, asphalt, fibreglass and EDPM flat roofs yourself. But ultimately if you want the best finish, it’s best to ask a professional to repair your flat roof for you. Repairing a flat roof Whether you’ve got an old pour-and-roll type felt roof or a newer torch-on felt flat roof, you can get cracks, lifting around joints, leaks or dips. As a temporary measure, you can buy a special paint that you paint over cracks. For a more permanent repair, you can add a patch of torched-on felt or add a layer on top. Asphalt flat roof repair As your asphalt flat roof gets older, you may notice blisters, cracks or shrinkage and sagging around flashings. Again, you can use a paint on fix from a tin as a temporary repair, or add heat-applied flashing tape around flashing. For a more permanent fix you can use a liquid system, but many are only available to the trade market. You can also add a patch of torched-on roofing felt over a crack. How to repair a fibreglass (GRP) flat roof Fibreglass flat roofs are usually excellent, but problems can involve leaking flashing and cracks near upstands, trims or board joints. You can add acrylic sealant to cracks or holes for a good DIY repair, but a flashing problem is more difficult to fix. You’ll need to clean and sand the affected area of flashing, then laminate a 600g chopped strand mat into place, cure it and add a topcoat colour to match the roof. That sounds like a job better left to a specialist. EDPM rubber flat roof repair Rubber roofs often suffer from shrinkage when mechanical fixings haven’t been used near upstands, flashing leaks or holes or cuts. If you’ve got a small tear that you want to repair, you can add some lap sealant to the area – but use it sparingly. For a more permanent repair to flashing, buy some self-adhesive flashing that will mould into shape easily. Clean the area you want to repair, add EDPM primer, then stick the patch of flashing on from the centre outwards with a hard roller. You can add lap sealant around the edges if you want more protection from water.

How much a flat roof costs to repair depends on a few factors. Is your flat roof on a garage or an extension? What is the flat roof made from? It’s always best to get a few quotes to compare prices, but we’ll give you a rough idea here. If your flat roof was installed in the 1990s or earlier, it’s likely that you’ll see some leaks or damage soon. Felt flat roofs used to be installed completely flat, which meant that water couldn’t run off. That means that water pools and can create moss and damp. Sun exposure can also damage the felt, causing damage and eventually holes that lead to leaks. If you’re lucky enough to have got away with just needing a flat roof repair, this should set you back an average of £100 per square metre. If your roof is sagging due to the weight of it putting pressure on the timber frame, you might need additional joists – which could cost anywhere between £1,000 and £2,000, depending on how many you need. But if the problem is due to the internal part of the roof system becoming waterlogged, you could be looking at over £5,000. If your roof is severely leaking or the timber joists are rotting, it might be more cost effective to replace your flat roof. If you keep forking out for repairs, it will eventually be cheaper just to replace the whole thing, which could cost around £2,000.

Leaves, twigs and moss all have one thing in common which often annoys home and property owners - they are the three main materials that negatively impacts the proper functioning of a roof guttering system. The major cause of water drainage problems for most homes and buildings are these organic materials. Wondering how some leaves and few twigs can cause such a big problem? Over time there’ll be a gradual build up of the natural debris in your gutter system which starts to rot and turn  to a thick and muddy goo which obstructs the flow of water in your drainage. As a result, there’s the need to make sure that your gutters are thoroughly cleaned at least twice annually in order to prevent bigger issues that can be caused by the blockage of a drainage system.

So if you’re considering getting your gutters cleaned by a professional, you’d probably be interested in know just how it’s going to cost. Well, there’s not straightforward and simple answer to this question as there are a number of factors that contributes to the final cleaning cost of your gutters.

In general, in the UK, the average cost for cleaning of gutter is usually around £18 to about £25 per hour. However, you can also be quoted a day rate which is usually ranging between £150 to £200 per day.

The factors that can affect gutter cleaning price includes the type of your property (such as a terraced, end of terraced, detached and semi detached homes) which possesses a varying gutter cleaning price largely due to their size differences, the height of the building ( if you require the service for a property located on the second floor of a building, this would be a bit higher than if it were to be on the ground floor) as well as additional requests.