Roof Repairs

Why tiles slip in the first place

Roof tiles are held in place by nibs that hook over battens, and on older roofs by nails that were driven through the tile itself. Over time those nails corrode, especially on roofs that are forty or fifty years old, and once the nail lets go the tile is only sitting there under its own weight. A strong gust during a winter storm is often all it takes to work it loose.

Battens can also fail. If the roof was built or re-covered with untreated timber, or if water has been getting in around a poorly sealed flashing for years, the batten rots and the fixing has nothing solid to bite into. We see this a lot on terraced housing stock around Coventry where the original roof covering has never been touched since the house was built.

Wind is the other big factor. The West Midlands doesn't get coastal-level storms often, but we do get sudden squalls, and a roof that faces the prevailing south-westerly wind takes more punishment on that side. Tiles near the ridge and at the verges are usually the first to go because they get the most lift.

Spotting the early warning signs

You don't always need to get on a ladder to know something's wrong. A tile that's slipped out of line is often visible from the pavement as a dark gap or a tile sitting at an odd angle compared to its neighbours. Staining on a bedroom ceiling, especially after heavy rain, is another common giveaway that a tile further up has let water track down through the felt or membrane.

In the loft, a torch check after a storm can show daylight coming through where there shouldn't be any, or damp patches on the underside of the roofing felt. If you catch it at this stage, before water has had a chance to soak into ceiling plaster or loft insulation, the repair is usually straightforward and a lot cheaper than dealing with the knock-on damage.

What a proper repair actually involves

Fixing a slipped tile isn't just a case of pushing it back into place. We check the condition of the batten underneath, the nail or clip that should be holding it, and the tiles either side, because if one has gone it's common for its neighbours to be close behind. Where the batten has rotted we replace the section rather than just refixing to timber that won't hold.

Matching the tile matters too. Roofs on houses in Leamington Spa and Warwick, particularly the older Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often use clay tiles that aren't stocked everywhere, so we try to match colour and profile as closely as possible rather than leaving an obvious patch. On concrete tiled estates it's usually a simpler match from stock.

Once refitted, tiles are secured with clips or nails as appropriate to the roof pitch and exposure, since building regulations set out minimum fixing specifications depending on how exposed the roof is to wind.

When it's more than just the odd tile

If several tiles have gone in the same area, or you're getting repeat call-outs for the same section of roof, it's often a sign of a wider issue with the battens or the fixings used originally rather than bad luck with the weather. In that case patch repairs become a false economy and it's worth having the whole slope looked at properly.

This is where a roof inspection earns its keep, because it tells you whether you're dealing with an isolated fault or the roof covering nearing the end of its working life. Either way, it's better to know before the next storm rather than after.