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Gutters are a crucial component of any roofing system. They’re designed in such a way to protect your home or property from serious water damage, but keeping them clean and in good condition is something that’s almost always forgotten or ignored. Do not be deceived even when rain water is still running from them or they don’t appear to be clogged. Failure to clean maintain your gutters can lead to a wide range of outcomes and they aren’t so pretty. According to experts, gutter cleaning should be done twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. In order to help you realize the importance of cleaning your gutters, we’ll look at some of the possible outcomes of a neglected gutter.

• Leaky roof. If your gutters get clogged and cannot move water away from your home, it begins to build up on the roof and eventually lead to damages like rot and mold. As the damages spread, the end result could be a severe damage to the attic and supports.
• Damaged foundation. If the gutters are not functioning as they should, water saturation becomes a great threat to the foundation of your home or property. The concrete will crack or wood rots and you can also end up with mold.
• Creepy crawler infestation. Wherever you have stagnant water, there are also bugs. This is because they love the wet and moisture-filled gutters. You get unwanted visitors like carpenter ants, roaches and mosquitoes, just to mention a few.
• Driveway and path damage. When the downspouts aren’t directing the water to the appropriate spot, the excess that comes in contact with these surfaces can lead to cracks or sagging.

How To Clean Roof Tiles?

If you’re a DIY person with a dirty roof tiles or just a homeowner who’s also a lover of knowledge, you may probably like to know how you can have your roof tiles cleaned. This is a very common question which often depends on the dirt or debris you’re dealing with as well as the type of roof you possess. Most often than not, if you own a traditional concrete or slate roof tiles, then you’re more likely to battle moss and or algae growth.

If you’re not a competent DIY person or do not have enough confidence to pull this off, then it’s advisable to hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, you’ll learn how to go about cleaning your roof tiles. Let’s have a look!

✓ Consider Safety. When it comes to roof cleaning, you have to be very careful. They’re normally high up and any task that deals with height will usually require putting safety measures in place. Firstly, it’s important to be confident with heights and ladders, if not you’d have to find someone who is. And if you’re confident, there’s also the need to find someone who can help you hold the base of the ladder.

✓ Trim the trees. Nearby trees are usually a threat to any roof and also makes cleaning much harder. So it’s always wise to cut any overhanging branches before you proceed.

✓ Bleach or not to bleach. Although you have to be very careful using beach and water but it also happens to be one of the easiest DIY ways to clean your roof. You either stand about 4 feet away and rely on water pressure or clean down the tiles by hand.

✓ Try not to make use of a blaster.

It depends on the material you use, but if your flat roof is installed correctly it should last for at least 10 years, and at least 20 if a material other than felt is used. Always question a roofing company when they quote to find out what materials they use and what guarantee's they offer.

The feasibility of this will depend on the roof’s strength, in particular its load bearing capabilities. This is simply because tiles are heavier than the metal sheeting. Normally a tiled roof will need to take a load capacity of 60kg per square metre. You will need a trusted roofing company to advise on this.

How Much Does Roof Repair Cost?

With the typical British weather, the roof is always subjected to enough battering every single day. With that type of events, you’d expect to find some chimney pots on the floor or roof tiles to go missing every once in a while. When these minor roof issues occur, a professional roofer is always in hand to easily resolve these problems. However, there are times in which the roof will be in a terrible condition with persistent leaks which is beyond the capacity of a roofer to resolve. In such cases, you may have to consider having the roof replaced as the best choice.

If you’re currently facing some issues with your roof and you need it repaired, then you’d probably want to know just how much it’ll cost to complete the project. In the UK, a roof repair cost can be within the range of £100 to £12,000 based on a number of influencing factors such as where the property is located as well as the size of the property. For instance, if you happen to stay in London where the demand is higher and there’s also the high cost of living, roof repair costs tend to be a bit more costly.

Let’s look at a simple breakdown of some roof repair jobs. These includes the following:

✓ Cost of renovating the roof on a detached four bedroom house using slate ( two story house) will range between £6300 to £12000.

✓ Cost of renovating the roof on a two story semi detached house using slate will range between £5000 to £7400.

✓ Cost of renovating full roof on a two bedroom bungalow using slate will range between £4000 to £5900.

If you’ve never had Velux windows before, you might be wondering how to open them. If you’ve got very high ceilings and your roof windows are set high up in the pitch of the roof, you might not even be able to reach them. So how do you open them in this case?

When Velux windows are installed so high that they’re out of reach, the installers will often recommend that they install an electric switch for you to open and close your windows. They often come with a rain sensor, so you don’t need to rush up to the top of the house if there’s a sudden downpour – they will close automatically. You can also choose to have a remote so you can open and close your roof windows wherever you are in the room.

If you don’t have an electric switch, but you still can’t reach to open and close your Velux windows, you should be supplied with a telescopic pole when they’re installed. If you weren’t or you’ve moved into a home with roof windows and there isn’t one, you can buy them online. They have a hook on the end and can be extended to the correct length so you can hook it over the handle of the window and pull or push to open it.

If you’ve got a top-hung Velux window that can also be opened in a centre-pivot position, it’s easy to switch between the two. Simply ensure the window is completely closed before you start, then open the handle up – but don’t push it out. Then pull the vent bar down until the sash is rotated 180 degrees. Then secure the position by sliding the barrel bolts into the holes at either side of the bottom of the frame. Easy!

Replacement of roof tiles that have fractured, cracked or is missing is vital to avoid roof leaks and ceiling damage once rain and wind appear. Countering the problem swiftly by yourself is probable as long as it's only a few tiles. Charges for tile replacement can be expensive and fluctuate conditional on the company you hire.

The steps to replacing a tile are:

Ensure you have the right replacement tile as there are numerous different roof tiles on the market.

The most common types of roof tiles are concrete and terracotta. You must confirm that the tile is identical to your earlier tile or it may not work and can result in impairment even though you've tried to repair it. If you don't know what the tile is, ask the suggestion of a roofing supplier and they should be able to match it for you.

Get onto the roof.

It is only advisable to do this if the safety is guaranteed, using a steady ladder and maybe even using climbing ropes to protect you in case of a fall. If you don't possess a head for altitudes or you're sceptical about how safe it is for you to get on the roof, call in a professional.

Once you have securely gotten to the cracked tile, you'll want to somewhat lift the tiles that overlay the one to be detached. Do this by means of two pieces of timber to hold them up. Lift the broken tile over the baton with a brick trowel and gently slide it down.

Place your new tile on top of the brick trowel and inverse the steps to remove the tile.

Be certain to place the overlying tiles back into place.

Conduct a fast check across the roof to review any other possible damage. It is always advised to keep update on how the roof is holding out to keep an eye out for other tiles that might need replacing.

How Much Does It Cost To Have Roof Cleaned?

If your roof is dirty, it’s highly recommended that you have it cleaned by a reliable and professional roof cleaning contractor who specializes in cleaning of all types of roofs rather than making it a DIY project or hiring an odd job man who is a jack of all trades. This is due to fact that major mistakes like incorporating inappropriate cleaning agents, pressure as well as wrong cleaning techniques can have a serious negative impact on your home while also putting in mind the several dangers that comes with working at height. However, when hiring a professional roof cleaning person or company, do make sure that the cleaner is fully insured, possesses the relevant training working at height and has the ability to operate access machinery. In other words, when it comes to roof cleaning where safety is the first priority, it shouldn’t always be about the price of the job but the quality of the service you’re going to receive.

There are several variables that determines the cost of cleaning a roof and these includes both the type of the roof in question as well as the size of the house. Let’s take a look!

✓ For a small semi detached or terraced house with a standard front and rear elevation with no side hips, the average cost of cleaning the roof usually starts from £390 and above.

✓ For a semi detached or detached house which is a free standing residential building, the average cost of cleaning the roof usually starts from £490 and above.

✓ For a averaged sized detached house which is a stand alone property, the average cost of cleaning the roof usually starts from £590 and above.

✓ For a large detached house featuring several additional roofs including a porch, double garage and even an extension, the average cost of cleaning the roof usually starts from £790 and above.