Roofing in ShetlandRepairs and Works WhenCleaning Is Not Enough

Water rarely enters directly above where it appears. It runs down the underside of a slate, along a batten, across a rafter and drops where the structure lets it, which can be metres from the defect.

So we look at the whole system: covering, laps, fixings, flashings, abutments, valleys and the rainwater goods. A surprising number of internal damp problems turn out to be an overflowing gutter or a failed downpipe rather than the roof covering at all, and it is worth knowing that before paying for roof work.

Wind uplift is the defining load on an island roof. Fixing specification, the condition of existing nails and the state of ridge and verge detail matter far more here than in sheltered locations.

Salt air attacks fixings and metalwork continuously, so corroded nails are a common underlying cause of slates slipping on otherwise sound roofs: nail sickness that shows up as one slate at a time over several winters.

Repair makes sense when the covering is generally sound and the defects are localised, which covers most of what we are asked to look at.

Replacement becomes the honest answer when slates are widely delaminating, fixings have failed across whole slopes, or repeated repairs are no longer holding. We will tell you when you have reached that point rather than taking money for another patch, and we will be equally clear if we think you have years left.

On homes the priority is usually stopping water ingress quickly and getting the building secure and dry.

On commercial, agricultural and let property, the priority adds up to access management, minimal disruption and clear reporting so owners can plan. Because the business grew out of property management, that reporting comes naturally to us.