Roofing

Further Improvements
Despite the 2015 survey mainly being a positive story, inevitably there
are some areas for further improvement. With two notable points
highlighted below;
Incorrect mortar mix
Unfortunately there was a 6% increase in sites using the wrong mix.
The correct mix should be 1:3 cement:sand with plasticiser, with the
mix based on sharp sand with soft sand added to achieve good
workability. The proportion of sharp sand must not be less than onethird
of the total sand content.
Mechanical fixing of the last ridge or hip tile
Where ridge or hip tiles are mechanically fixed in the joint, the last
ridge or hip tile is required to have an additional mechanical fixing.
From a claims perspective, the percentage of roofing claims that
relate to mortar has significantly reduced since NHBC first launched
the campaign to reduce pitched roof claims and raise overall build
standards. In 2011, this figure was at 79% but over the following
years has fallen to 51% (2015).
Progress and Predictions
We have undoubtedly made some good progress over the last five
years, although it is too early to predict the levels of claim reductions
we hope to see moving forward, and the true effect of all the work to
raise awareness and improve standards. What is clear is that early
year performance of homes benefitting from NHBC’s warranty cover
are attracting a lower number of claims than older generations. If this
trend continues, in conjunction with improved quality, lower levels of
claims can be expected.
The 10 years of cover provided by NHBC’s Buildmark warranty means
that, despite all of this, we’ll continue to see historic claims coming
through for some time to come.
However, we feel we are on the right track and will continue working
in collaboration with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors
and Roofing Tile Alliance to help promote and improve roofing
standards to ensure that significant pitched roof problems become a
thing of the past.
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