What does a large city's mix of roofs mean for the first visit?
A city of this size has every kind of roof, and the first visit names the material on each part before any scope is written. A tile, a shingle and a flat membrane each need their own crew and fixings.
The technician notes the age and the condition on the first visit, so the repair is planned for the roof that is there rather than a generic one.
How do the storms reach the city's roofs?
The valley's long storms bring sustained rain, and the roofs take it on their valleys, vents and gutters. A roof that held in lighter rain can leak in a soaking storm, and the trace starts in the attic.
The gutter outlets are checked before each wet season, and any that discharge at the wall are carried clear of the foundation.
How are the multi-unit buildings handled?
A multi-unit building along an arterial is planned in phases, so the units below are protected. The access is agreed with the owner or the managing agent, and the occupants are told the days the work will be overhead.
The drains, the parapets and the hatches are checked in the survey, since they are the places where a flat roof most often leaks into the top floor.
Why do the older roofs on the north side need the deck read?
Older houses on the north side of the city often carry a covering that has been re-roofed once, and the deck beneath may be sound or may have softened over the decades. The technician counts the layers and reads the boards from the attic before recommending a recover or a strip.
A deck that is sound but nailed with worn fixings may need its nails reset before a new covering is fitted. The scope records the nailing and the boards replaced, so the next visit knows the state of the deck.
What is the role of the attic on a north-side house?
The attic is read on each north-side house for its intake and exhaust, since the valley's summer heat can warm an attic with little airflow. A warm attic cooks the covering from below, and the shingles lose their granules sooner on the sunny faces.
Vapour from the house below can also reach the attic through a bathroom or kitchen duct that vents into the roof space. The duct is redirected outside where it does, and the readings before and after are recorded.
