How do you find a roof leak?
A roof leak is found by tracing back from where the water appears inside to where it enters above. Water runs along battens and rafters before it drops, so the entry point is often several metres away from the ceiling stain. Checking valleys, flashings, ridge pointing and cracked tiles usually finds it.
If you can tell us roughly where the stain sits inside the house, that narrows down which section of roof to start on. A photo of the ceiling helps more than you would think.
Can a leaking roof be repaired, or does it need replacing?
Most leaking roofs can be repaired. A leak is usually one failed component, a broken tile, perished pointing or a blocked valley, rather than a roof at the end of its life. Replacement is only the honest answer when the structure or the sheeting itself has gone.
We'll tell you which one you're looking at, and we've no reason to talk you into the bigger job. If a repair will hold, that's what we'll quote.
What should we do about a leak right now?
Move what's underneath, put a bucket down, and if the ceiling is bulging with trapped water, pierce it in one spot to let it drain in a controlled way rather than letting the plaster collapse. Then photograph everything before anything is cleaned up.
