Help - Conservatory Roof Coming Apart!

We had a leak in our conservatory on New Year's eve. I took a look at the roof next morning to see if I could see any obvious damage and noticed that two of the roof struts had moved out of position. Pictures here:

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people think this is a sign of movement in the structure (I had a look round inside and couldn't see anything obvious liks cracking in the walls) or storm damage? Any ideas what the best way of repairing this would be?

I'll be speaking to the builders and don't want to be fobbed off. Is it worth getting a surveyor to take a look?

Thanks

Tony

Reply to
anthony.j.cunningham
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> Do people think this is a sign of movement in the structure (I had a

It looks to me as though that joint has not been made properly - the two parts appear just to have been butted together and covered with sealant. Is the frame wood or plastic (difficult to tell from the photos). If wood, there should either be a mortice and tenon joint or, at least, dowels to hold it together. If plastic, it should have been welded.

How old is it? If fairly recent, get the builder to fix it under warranty. You may need to get an expert opinion if he argues. If more than a few years old, it will be more difficult to prove faulty manufacture, so claim for storm damage on your household insurance and get the insurance company to pay for the repairs.

Reply to
Roger Mills

The frame is metal (Steel I believe) and plastic.

Two and a half years.

Would this be from a surveyor or a builder?

Thanks

Tony

Reply to
anthony.j.cunningham

I would possibly start with a structural engineer - but you'll need to find one who deals with this sort of thing because it's a bit different from most of the things they deal with. Failing that, a surveyor is probably better than another builder - but be aware that many 'surveyors' are really only valuers - with little knowledge of structural matters.

Reply to
Roger Mills

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> Do people think this is a sign of movement in the structure (I had a

Ask the installer to repair the roof under the terms of the warranty, assuming that the warranty is still running. If the installer refuses to honour the warranty, complain to the trade association if the installer is a member. You can get it repaired by another company and either pursue a Small Claim Court action to recover the costs, or just pay up and forget about it. If you want professional advice from a structural engineer try . Unless the leak has resulted from severe weather/storm damage to the roof structure then this isn't covered by your buildings insurance.

Reply to
DIY

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Looks like the result of thermal creep on joints that weren't designed and/or put together quite right.

Ask the builder to fix under warranty if that still applies.

Otherwise, try to gently (by tapping or hand pressure) work the struts back into position and reseal. It looks to me like the strut of the left has moved down and left. The panels often just slide in between rubber strips either side of the struts and there is a lot of slack and potential for creep if the struts are not properly jointed to each other.

I speak from experience as the conservatory in my rented house, which looks of similar construction to yours, pops a corner panel from time to time. I get up on a ladder, spend about 30 minutes wiggling everything back and it does OK for another year. Several struts have crept out of position, but not enough to leak. The roof hasn't fallen off yet (bar the corner panel).

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

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