By employing a suite of products from Redland – the
UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of pitched roof systems – contractors
and consultants have saved the residents of a block of 30 apartments from years
of leaking roofs.
Kearton Place in Caterham, Surrey, was built in the
mid-1990s and has been managed on behalf of the freeholders by Richard Mason
for the past 18 years.
“I’m very pleased with the result and the way it has
worked”, said Richard, Head of Major Works at the Croydon-based property
consultancy HML. “We’ve had continual problems with the roof and leaks in six
of the top floor flats”.
The roof had been a problem since it was first
occupied, with leaks and condensation, but 10 years of piecemeal repairs had
made little difference so Richard had brought in The Tiled Roofing Consultancy,
which soon found multiple causes: a combination of poor workmanship and
inadequate supervision. Chris Thomas of The Tiled Roofing Consultancy drew up a
detailed specification for the replacement roof, using Redland products
throughout.
“The choice of tile was set by two considerations –
the very low pitch of the roof, just 16o, and the need to
match the existing tiles visually”, he said. “The Regent tile is one of the few
products to do both and I knew it from experience to be a good, reliable
product.
“From there on it was simply a case of using the
appropriate Redland systems and components”, said Chris.
This decision pleased Darren Byard of Oakland Roofing,
the Sevenoaks-based contractor working on the project. “Redland products are
always good quality and well-researched”, he said. “The specification did most
of the work, so the job went very smoothly. I hadn’t used Regent Half Tiles
before but I would use them again because they are very handy for the lead
valleys. There’s less wastage because you don’t have to make any small cuts to
achieve the rake”.
The roofing details included replacing the mortar
bedding with the Dry Vent Ridge system together with the Redland Dry Hip
system, with Kro-Clips fixing the cut tiles. Installing Kro-Clips on the hips
simplified inspection because they are fixed before the dry hip system is put
in place. At the eaves – with a traditional open loft space – he
specified 10mm Redland RedVent Eaves Vent, with Extension Trays into the loft
space.
The Cloaked Verge System was installed where the
module sizes provided a sensible fit. The system provides high resistance to
wind uplift, is maintenance-free and provides a neat finish to the verge. It
employs a one-piece concrete tile to continue the tiling over the gable end and
is mechanically fixed, eliminating the need for mortar bedding.
Lead was used at the top-edge abutments if it was not
ventilated, but if ventilated, the Redland Top Edge Abutment Vent was
installed. Ventilation tiles were installed to terminate soil pipes and
bathroom extract fans.
“The new roof has brought the building back to life,
and now the roof has been brought up to 21st century
standards and should not need any major maintenance for the next 50 plus
years”, commented Richard.
