Just wondering if anyone has any advice on where to go from here. We moved in to our home in Sept. '01 and soon after we discovered a leak appearing on the ceiling in our hallway just inside the front door. We have a "half roof" - not sure if there's a proper name for them - which is built directly under the upstairs windows (its a dormer) and this roof covers the two bay windows and the front door downstairs.
Anyway, leak started one stormy night when rain was beating against house. Phoned builder who came back and thought problem was the half roof. Moved a few slates around etc. Next stormy night, same thing, leak appeared, starting running back towards wall above front door and water (albeit a small amt) started running along coving at top of hall wall. Each time this happened, in fairness to the builder, he has always come back and fiddled with the roof again. We had suggested that it might be something else, but he was sure it was the roof.
Leak continued since then (but only appeared on very stormy nights) until last Jan when we had a really stormy night, came downstairs to find it worse than ever, coving from hall door right down to kitchen door was soaked, and the walls which met the coving soaking up the excess water (about two inches in depth). In places where water became too heavy, it started trickling down the fulll length of wall and we had to mop everything up that night with towels. Got a roofer out next morning (who actually specialises in these "half roofs") and he completely took it apart and it was bone dry! He moved up further and discovered that the window cills had never been sealed and this is where he reckons the water is getting in. Leak has also spread to bay window ceiling in living room.
Builder back to us in Jan to see damage. Agreed to fix and repaint but said plasterboards not damaged despite the water soaking in to them. Four months on, still no sign, despite several phone calls etc (apparently he needs a consecutive week of dry weather to seal up windows).
Paint in hall and coving now discolouring due to dampness and I am beginning to wonder if there has been structural damage done. Took pictures of the night it was pouring down on hall walls on digital camera.
Apologies for the long post. I am wondering who exactly I should get in to have a look at this to see if any structural damage done to plasterboard walls. My main concern is that a patchy job is done just to plug the holes in the cills and in 10 years time I have a much larger problem on my hands. Any advice much appreciated - thanks.
Anyway, leak started one stormy night when rain was beating against house. Phoned builder who came back and thought problem was the half roof. Moved a few slates around etc. Next stormy night, same thing, leak appeared, starting running back towards wall above front door and water (albeit a small amt) started running along coving at top of hall wall. Each time this happened, in fairness to the builder, he has always come back and fiddled with the roof again. We had suggested that it might be something else, but he was sure it was the roof.
Leak continued since then (but only appeared on very stormy nights) until last Jan when we had a really stormy night, came downstairs to find it worse than ever, coving from hall door right down to kitchen door was soaked, and the walls which met the coving soaking up the excess water (about two inches in depth). In places where water became too heavy, it started trickling down the fulll length of wall and we had to mop everything up that night with towels. Got a roofer out next morning (who actually specialises in these "half roofs") and he completely took it apart and it was bone dry! He moved up further and discovered that the window cills had never been sealed and this is where he reckons the water is getting in. Leak has also spread to bay window ceiling in living room.
Builder back to us in Jan to see damage. Agreed to fix and repaint but said plasterboards not damaged despite the water soaking in to them. Four months on, still no sign, despite several phone calls etc (apparently he needs a consecutive week of dry weather to seal up windows).
Paint in hall and coving now discolouring due to dampness and I am beginning to wonder if there has been structural damage done. Took pictures of the night it was pouring down on hall walls on digital camera.
Apologies for the long post. I am wondering who exactly I should get in to have a look at this to see if any structural damage done to plasterboard walls. My main concern is that a patchy job is done just to plug the holes in the cills and in 10 years time I have a much larger problem on my hands. Any advice much appreciated - thanks.