Storm-damaged roof made safe the same night — Cheshire

Half the tiles gone, after 11 at night

A storm came through Cheshire and went straight for one family’s roof. By the time they noticed, a run of tiles on the windward slope had lifted and gone, the felt underneath had torn, and rain was already coming through the bedroom ceiling.

It was gone 11pm. They had a bucket on the landing and no idea who would answer the phone at that hour.

They called the 24/7 line. Someone picked up.

What we did that night

We don’t run an answerphone after hours. The call went to a roofer who could talk, not a message you hear back from in the morning.

First we got the inside under control over the phone: move what’s underneath the leak, get a container under the drip, kill the power to that part of the house if water was anywhere near a light fitting. That stops a wet ceiling turning into a ruined one while we’re on the way.

A van was outside within the hour.

In the dark, in weather, you don’t re-tile a roof. You make it safe. We got up, found where the tiles had gone and where the felt had torn, and covered the open slope with heavy-duty sheeting, battened and weighted down so the wind couldn’t take it back off. The water stopped coming in that night.

That’s the whole point of the make-safe: stop the damage getting worse, buy the time to do the real repair in daylight when it can be done right.

The proper repair, two days later

We came back in daylight. Off came the temporary sheeting and we could see the full picture.

The storm had taken a section of tiles off one slope. Underneath, the felt was torn where the tiles had been flapping, and two battens were split. A wet roof you only patch is a roof that leaks again at the next big blow.

So we did it properly:

• Stripped back to sound timber and cut out the two split battens.
• New felt and new battens across the bare section, lapped into the existing roof so there’s no weak seam.
• Re-tiled with matching tiles so the slope reads as one roof, not a patch.
• Re-bedded the ridge tiles the storm had loosened either side of the damage.
• Cleared the gutter below, which was packed with the broken tile and grit the storm had washed down.

Before-and-after photos went to the homeowners the same day. They’ll have those on file if they ever need to show an insurer what was done.

What it cost them, and what it didn’t

We’re not the cheapest emergency call-out in Cheshire, and the people who phone us at 11pm aren’t looking for the cheapest. They’re looking for someone who picks up, turns up, and does it once.

What the homeowners didn’t pay for: a second leak through the same ceiling a month later because someone slapped a few tiles back over torn felt. The repair is backed by our workmanship guarantee. The make-safe held until we returned, and the proper fix has held since.

In their words

“Storm took half our tiles off at 11 at night and water was coming through the ceiling. I called expecting an answerphone. Someone actually picked up, talked me through what to do, and a van was outside within the hour. Roof was made safe that night and properly fixed two days later. I can’t fault them.”

— P. Howarth, Cheshire (Google review)

We’re the most-reviewed roofer in Middlewich, and every one of those reviews is five stars. This is one of them.

If your roof’s open right now

If water is coming in tonight, don’t wait until morning. Move what’s under the leak, get a bucket under the drip, and if water is near any light fitting or socket, switch that circuit off at the consumer unit.

Then call 01606 537305. The line is answered 24/7 by a roofer, and we do same-day make-safe across Cheshire and South Manchester. If it’s not urgent, email middlewichroofing@gmail.com and we’ll book a look.