Leave out the mortar to prevent roof leaks

The National House Building Council paid out £11million in claims against its new homes warranties in 2010 – and a large percentage of those claims were down to problems with mortar.

Mortar is traditionally used on roofs to secure the tiles along the ridges and hips.  However, mortar, particularly if the mix is not precisely correct, can crack.  When this happens it is no longer waterproof and the tiles can start to slip.

Having identified this problem as being at the root of many claims, the NHBC has now stated that, in order to be covered by its warranty scheme, all ridge and hip tiles must be securely attached to the roof battens using mechanical fixings such as screws.

The best system, however is to use a dry fix system – no mortar, just modern, mechanical fixings.  If you use one of Redland Select’s trusted roofing contractors make sure you ask them to specify a full dry fix system which will offer you a full roof system guarantee - your HomeSpec Guarantee.