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In the UK, fireplaces are a very common addition to homes and property and reasonably so. Not only do they represent a great source of heat, but they’re also quite timeless in their beauty, thereby adding more value to your property. Now every fireplace possesses some sort of chimney, asides from the ones that are ventless. And while you might not be aware, every chimney poses a number of dangers which includes being a fire hazard and can also lead to carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of improper or lack maintenance.

Since your chimney will be clogged up over time with all sorts of soot and often cleaned from the top of the roof, cleaning of a chimney comes with a huge amount of risk. As a result, you run the risk of falling off if you decide to clean one by yourself. And even if you’re the type that’s comfortable being on high level places, you should know cleaning a chimney is not the most pleasant of jobs. It can be quite messy as accumulated creosote and soot can drop into your home causing a cloud which covers both the floor, furniture and any other thing you have in the room. Furthermore, chimney cleaning requires specialized skills and knowledge which professionals have acquired after several practices. For instance, missing out on a spot can result in an unchecked chimney fire or a masonry crack.

The simple answer to this question is, therefore, a big NO - you should leave the cleaning to the professionals.  Professionals are not just limited to chimney cleaning; they’re trained to identify any structural issues while also being able to carry out a close analysis of the chimney. They’ll fix minor issues on site and give you a peace mind for any future wood burning activities.

Do You Need Felt Under Roof Tiles?

Before now, roofing felt were mainly incorporated to serve as a temporary waterproof roof on a building which would later on be changed for the permanent solid tiles or slate roof. This is due to the fact that rebuilding a roof can be time consuming taking a few number of days, the roofing felt would be used to protect the structure as well as the property it contains by acting as a barrier between the house and the harsh elements such as rain, wind, snow, sleet and more, while also providing minimal insulation until the structure is complete.

However those are in the olden days, in recent times, roofing felt ( also referred to as breathable roofing membrane or breathable felt) is now being used to create a safe and waterproof roof which is long lasting and will protect your house, properties as well as other outbuildings for a long period of time while also complying with the Building Regulations. So to answer the question - yes, you’re going to need felt under roof tiles as it has been made mandatory by building regulations.

Now let’s take a look at the different functions served by felt.

✓ You’ll need felt under roof tiles to prevent the roof space from being exposed.

✓ Roofing felt protects homes where a roof has not yet been installed to serve as a temporary protective layer against the elements.

✓ Roofing felt is particularly crucial for modern homes which are constructed to be more energy efficient and work to hold warm air from escaping the house. This is great to reduce your heating bills while also keeping both you and your loved ones cosy all throughout the year.

✓ Overall, building regulations imply that an underlay underneath the slate or tiles is now a compulsory requirement.

What Is The Average Cost To Replace A Flat Roof?

Are you interested in knowing how much it costs to replace a flat roof? Here, you’ll discover a price breakdown for replacing flat roof. This includes a number of price determining factors such as materials costs as well as cost of labour and cost per square metre. All these enables you to make easy calculations so that you can determine a flat roof replacement estimate for your own project.

The type of flat roof that is the most common type is the garage roof and for the replacement of a single garage roof, the cost will fall between the range of £700 to £1000. Meanwhile for a double garage, you should expect a price increase of about 40 percent to 50 percent. The main price determinant that’s affecting the price of a new flat roof is the material incorporated in making it. For instance, lead or fibreglass are much more expensive when compared to felt roofs.

Generally, the cost of a flat roof replacement will fall within the range of £700 to £1300 varying largely due to the type of materials to be used by the roofer, the roof’s size as well as whether or not scaffolding would be used. Multiple flat roof applications also comes with different costs which includes:

• Felt roof ( £40 to £60 per square metre).

• Fibreglass roof ( £70to £90 per square metre ).

• Rubber roof ( £80 to £85 per square metre ).

• Lead bay roof ( £90 to £105 per square metre ).

• Fibreglass bay roof ( £40 to £60 per square metre ).

Several professional roofers work in pairs and to hire them you’re likely to be charged between £200 to £300 per day. The project can be completed with just a day’s work, but the installer should be back to make sure there are no leaks.

It is constantly important to consider your skill degree as well as your physical capacity when picking to tackle a Do It Yourself task. Generally, sun tunnel setup is not made to be tried by anybody without experience and training for the following reasons:

• You will likely need professional devices which may include scaffolding.
• It is really unsafe to deal with a roofing as a result of the danger of falling.
• Your sun tunnel have to be appropriately secured to avoid leaks as well as drafts coming through your roofing.
• This installment is not a straightforward, easy job. It involves eliminating roofing ceramic tiles, attaching a panel, thoroughly installing the passage and also even more.

Whether you’re liable for a leaking roof in a commercial property will depend on your ownership status and any contracts. Of course, if you own a standalone commercial property, it would make it your responsibility to repair to leaking roof. But if you own an office within a building, you should check your paperwork to see whether you are responsible for some or all of a leaking roof.

If you’re a tenant in a commercial property, things get a bit more complicated. Lots of commercial leases are FRI, or Full Repairing and Insuring leases, which means that the tenant is responsible for all external and internal maintenance and insuring the building. It means that it’s vital that you read through your tenancy agreement in full before signing it and seek legal advice if you think you need it. If your lease is an FRI lease, you are liable for a leaking roof in your commercial property.

It’s important to ensure that you have a schedule of condition for the property, which will mean that you only have to restore the commercial property back to the condition that it was in when you took over. It’s also worth getting the roof inspected before you sign the lease, as if there is any damage before you sign the landlord may be responsible.

The best way to avoid having to pay for a leaking roof in a commercial property is prevention. If you are liable for repairs and maintenance, make sure you have the roof inspected regularly by a reputable company to avoid having to pay for costly repairs when disaster strikes.

The feasibility of this will depend on the roof’s strength, in particular its load bearing capabilities. This is simply because tiles are heavier than the metal sheeting. Normally a tiled roof will need to take a load capacity of 60kg per square metre. You will need a trusted roofing company to advise on this.

Chimneys are certainly on top of the commonly overlooked features when it comes to cleaning a house. This is quite understandable given the fact that they’re not readily accessible and not in plain sight, hence, home and property owners tend to overlook the relevance of any chimney cleaning effort. But this can be a grave mistake! The importance of having your chimney swept on a regular basis cannot be over emphasized and even more so if it happens to be on a wood burner. Not only can a dirty chimney constitute fire hazard, but when left uncleaned it can also give rise to blockages which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. In fact, from 2014 to 2018, one of the top factors contributing to about 25% of home heating fires is due to lack of cleaning, mainly from solid-fueled heating equipment, mostly chimneys. Therefore, sweeping your chimney regularly is a safety precaution and when they happen to be on a wood burner, this exercise becomes a lot more important. With that in mind, the question that arises is just how often is sweeping of a chimney on a would burner needed?

Well, it’s strongly advisable to sweep chimney on a wood burner at least twice a year by a qualified professional depending on the usage. If you happen to own an oil burning fireplace, the same also applies. In other words, this means that regardless of the type of chimney you possess, the cleaning must be done regularly. However, most chimney would only need to be swept once in a year by a qualified professional.

It depends on the material you use, but if your flat roof is installed correctly it should last for at least 10 years, and at least 20 if a material other than felt is used. Always question a roofing company when they quote to find out what materials they use and what guarantee's they offer.