PROPERTY Residential
Australian homeowners and owners of commercial premises will be spending more on roof repairs and water damage in the future as houses and commercial premises face roof stress from increased storms and rainfall intensity, Archicentre says.
The roof is one of the most integral parts of the home and needs to be regularly checked and maintained. With thousands of Australian homes already severely damaged through the storms over the past three months there will be a major spike in the number of roof repairs leading to a potential shortage of skilled tradesmen and a drop in the quality of some repairs.
Archicentre Queensland state manager Ian Agnew said the recent extreme weather patterns of less rain but in more intense falls simply mean house roofs and plumbing fixtures such as guttering, downpipes and drainage would be placed under more stress.
“It is clear the recent storms across Australia, with record rainfall resulting in massive floods, will be the catalyst for a re-think in the size of guttering and the number of drainage points and downpipes required for a home,” Mr Agnew said.
“Often overflowing guttering, especially internal guttering, can fail and flood the interior of the home causing major damage running into thousands of dollars.
“The increased intensity of storms with high winds, and in some cases cyclones, puts extreme structural pressure on roofs, which are also increasingly damaged by falling trees, power poles or other building debris picked up by the winds.”
Mr Agnew said in the case of tiled roofs, once a couple of tiles have been blown off and air pressure can increase in the interior of the roof space, it could lead to the entire roof being stripped of tiles leaving the house and its contents vulnerable to expensive water damage.
Poor drainage at ground level could also lead to water being left under homes, causing problems such as damp, timber rot and encouraging termites.
“In some cases flooded homes can break down termite barriers requiring systems to be renewed,” he warned. Mr. Agnew said the recent intense storms raised the importance of roof maintenance, which was often hard as the roof was usually out of sight, and difficult and dangerous to access, especially after a storm.
“The roof is one of the most integral parts of the home, however, as it is mainly out of sight it is often out of mind.”
A survey of Archicentre’s national pre-purchase home inspection data base of some 100,000 inspections reveals that almost 50 per cent of homes have a roofing problem. Mr. Agnew said the roof was often one of the least inspected areas of a home for sale by many home buyers as it was difficult to access, but once they had purchased the home they might discover major leaks with the first storm.
The giveaway can be a freshly painted or patched up ceiling He said home buyers serious about purchasing a home should have a professional independent pre-purchase inspection carried out before signing any contracts.
