Paul’s second column in the Derwent Valley Express resulted in someone coming up to him at our local school summer fayre to say that he liked the column and that he had taken his advice and checked his gutters!
Also please note that Paul wrote this column in May when the sun was shining!
Here it is:
Summers here!
Finally, some well-needed and long awaited sunshine is streaming through my office window as I write my column!
Now that some fine weather has arrived, our attention turns outside with most of us mowing the lawn, planting out summer bedding, and arranging barbecues!
But now is a good time to look at the outside of your property to see if there are any maintenance issues and repairs needed after winter.
I have listed a few aspects that may need attention:
The roof:
Have a look at your roof to assess the condition of your tiles or slates. If any are broken, chipped or missing, then they need some attention. Check the ridge tiles all in place and bedded properly, and if there are any holes of missing cement to the verges, again these may need some minor repairs.
Spending money now on minor repairs means that your roof covering will last longer and avoid the renewal of the whole roof, which can be very costly.
Have a look in the loft to see if your underfelt is damaged, if there are any tears or holes in it then repairs should be carried out. You may not have underfelt if you have an original slate roof.
It is important to carry out these repairs to keep your roof weather tight for next winter.
Is there any moss on the roof, if so this should be brushed off as it can fall into gutters causing them to overflow and also eventually cause blockages to the gulleys. Which leads on to…
Gutters:
Now is the time to check if your gutters are clear and free from debris. Moss, fallen leaves and weeds can all find their way into your gutters and can block them and cause water to overflow when it rains.
Flat roofs:
Flat roofs have a limited life expectancy of 10 – 15 years. This means that they don’t last forever!
If you do have a single storey flat roof over a bay window, garage or outbuilding, have a look to see if there is any cracking, blistering, holes or standing water. If any of these signs are there on your roof it may be time to think about renewing it.
These types of roofs can fail suddenly and can cause damage to timber and decorations should the leak. It is always best to replace the roof covering before it leaks. If standing water is present, on renewal your builder or roofing contractor may be able to raise one end of the roof to create a ‘fall’ to allow water to run off.
Woodwork:
If you have any timber doorframes, doors, windows or timber cladding then they may need a new coat of paint or varnish. It is important to redecorate timber as the coating protects it from rain and snow and prevents it getting wet and rot developing.
I hope that this short guide is useful to you, and I hope that you all enjoy the sunshine – long may it last!
