Kestrel Test Roofing

The parts of a roof

A guide to the materials and details found on most house roofs, and the signs on each that are worth a closer look.

Example image Example image: rows of interlocking concrete roof tiles in terracotta, brown, charcoal and green
Example image. Interlocking roof tiles come in many colours and profiles, which matters when a broken one needs replacing to match.

The sample board

Six things you will find on most roofs, drawn to show what each one looks like and what can go wrong.

Natural slate

Thin, dark and long lasting. When a nail rusts through, a slate can slide out of line and leave a gap beneath it.

Clay plain tiles

Small, slightly curved clay tiles laid in close courses. Frost can crack them, and a broken one is easy to miss from the ground.

Pantiles

Clay tiles with a wave-shaped profile, each one locking over its neighbour. A lifted edge lets wind-driven rain underneath.

Ridge tiles

The rounded tiles that cap the top of the roof, bedded on mortar. When the mortar weathers away, they can work loose.

Gutters and downpipes

They carry rain from the roof edge to the drains. Leaves and moss collect in them, and a blocked gutter overflows down the wall.

Chimney stack and pots

The most exposed part of the roof. Look for tilted pots, crumbling mortar and damp on the chimney breast indoors.

Seen one of these on your roof?

Call Sam Kestrel on 0117 410 1744, or send an enquiry describing what you have spotted.

Call 0117 410 1744 Send an enquiry