The evidence
Nine of the 24 photographs, nine of the findings
Missing and displaced tiles High
Missing, displaced and irregularly seated small-format concrete tiles on more than one slope of the hipped principal roof, with general weathering and biological growth across the coverings.
This roof has no modern continuous underlay — it is a traditional torched roof. Every open tile joint is therefore a direct route for wind-driven rain, not a cosmetic defect.
Hip and ridge mortar High
Mortar bedding and pointing to the ridge and hip lines has failed in several positions, with open joints, lost mortar and damaged sections along the hip-tile line.
Loose ridge and hip units admit water and can come off in high winds. The correct repair is to lift them, clear the failed bedding, and re-bed with mechanical fixing.
Main chimney leadwork High
Leadwork at the front and rear chimney abutments is missing, displaced or inadequately dressed, with open joints straight into the roof. Stack pointing and flaunching are weathered too.
Chimney abutments are one of the most common leak points on older roofs. Correctly formed soakers, cover flashings and back-gutter details are the proper fix — not mastic.
Gutters and rainwater goods High
The front gutter is buckled and partly detached from the fascia, and gutter runs contain mortar fragments, moss, soil and established growing vegetation.
Blocked, back-falling gutters overflow against the fascia, masonry and roof edges. This is cheap to fix and expensive to ignore.
Front entrance canopy lead High
The lead sheet over the entrance canopy has visible tears and splits, surface deterioration and evidence of previous patching. Water can enter the canopy structure and the entrance below.
Where multiple splits are present, complete renewal in correctly sized bays that allow thermal movement is more reliable than another patch.
Loft: failed torching, no underlay Medium
From inside the loft, the traditional lime-mortar torching has detached and fallen from the underside of the tiles. Daylight is visible through open tile joints, and fallen mortar has contaminated and compressed the insulation.
Torching is not a substitute for modern underlay, but its failure further reduces resistance to wind-driven rain — and it feeds a steady stream of debris into the loft and gutters.
Extension ridge tiles High
On the ground-floor extension, the mortar securing the ridge tiles has cracked and failed, with open joints and biological growth along the line.
The extension defects interact: failed ridge and abutment details let water in from above while blocked drainage holds water on the roof. They need treating as one coordinated repair.
Wall-abutment lead chase High
The mortar or seal securing the extension lead flashing into the main wall has failed, with gaps and loose sections, and the lead laps at the extension-to-house junction are insufficient — water was observed breaching the joint.
Flashings only work if they are restrained in the chase and lapped correctly. Re-form, dress and mechanically secure the lead, then seal with a proprietary flexible lead sealant.
Roof-window drainage channels High
The head and side drainage channels around the extension's roof windows are heavily obstructed by moss, soil and established vegetation. Water had backed up around the frames and was contributing to internal water ingress — and the blocked extension downpipe had submerged the eaves membrane, letting moisture track through by capillary action.
Roof windows rarely leak through the glass. They leak because water can no longer get past them. Clearing and water-testing the channels is routine maintenance that had simply never been done.