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The property manager and directors of a large block of apartments required independent advice on the condition of their roofs, with recommendations as to phasing of works and technical issues to consider.
Dabinett inspected with a combination of drones and getting on to the roofs to look in depth at quality and condition.
As well as older roof areas there was scrutiny of areas which were relatively new, where concerns with quality were raised.
The use of Dabinett’s drones was crucial to helping inspect inaccessible areas.
The building comprised of numerours, structurally, independent roofs. Over the years renewal of roofs had been phased, some recent roofs had been re-covered with varying quality felt.
The standard of some later works were poor, with lower quality materials having been used and time saving techniques employed.
There had been variations in the approach to whether insulation was included in the renewed roof coverings. In some instances this can be a question of preference, but in others it can be a legal requirement of Part L of the Approved Documents of the Building Regulations and/or cause problems of interstitial condensation which could see roofs rot from the inside.
Getting access on to the roofs, as well as using the drone, was critical in establishing the quality of roofs completed in the last five years. The inspection allowed for testing of joints, which had used a self adhesive felt, this exposed area poorly adhered areas.
Where the felt was not fully bonded there would be scope for water ingress, whilst not necessarily leading to immediate ingress to the building, over the course of time the water would cause failure.
The drone was an excellent tool for providing a fast survey method, narrowing down problems and where there was no safe access. On many roofs the defects found with the drone can be sufficient to determine next steps.
Having the inhouse use of drones is a great benefit of Dabinett, negating separate companies.
The result was a detailed report, commenting of the roofs condition, the statutory requirements, budget costs and recommendations for safe access provisions.
For more information on roof surveys click here, or for information on planning maintenance of buildings click here.
