Birds ate through my roof

graham77

I've had a broken roof tile for a little while now and some starlings got in and made their nest there. They weren't really a problem(or so I thought) apart from a bit of noise in the mornings when their chicks hatched, but I've just discovered that they have eaten through the the felt and in heavy rain water comes through and is beginning to damage the ceiling on my landing. How do i go about fixing the felt firstly and then the tile? the hole in the felt is not directly beneath the broken tile. The tile is an end tile and the hole is about 2ft into the roof. Can the felt be repaired from the inside?

Any help would be appreciated as like so many others I'm out of work and can't afford to hire a proffesional.

looksee

Felt isn't supposed to keep rain out, it should not really matter if there is a hole in it. I suggest you get someone to go up and fix the missing tile, and if necessary put some bird grid in to keep the starlings out. Once they have been in they will sit around looking pathetic for several seasons!

You can fix the felt from inside by making sure that the piece is to the inside at the top and the outside of the existing felt at the bottom, but you would be better to get someone come and have a look at it as the roof timbers could start to rot if they are constantly wet.

It shouldn't be a big job, unless there are problems with the timber, maybe you could trade a bit of work with someone who is like yourself, perhaps a job barter forum could be started?

gsxr1

If you have birds in your roof. And they are tearing your felt.

I would advise to get it sorted ASAP. evict them .

I am currently re-roofing a clients house and the cause is rot, caused by damage by birds. His roof had to come down. His bank balance and life has been turned upside down . He had holes in the felt , poor vents and water getting in at the ridge. 35 year old roof in the skip. All timbers . I suspect the termite damage was brought on by the dirty nests and muck and dirt brought up through the years by the birds.



Felt is your second line of defense against weather. Keep is weather tight

To repair felt you need to lift 4 or 5 courses of tiles and replace the felt by slipping it under the layer on top. There really is no point just putting a new bit on top of the hole. Water will just run down the back and into the hole again. You may have to cut a batten or 2. And use modern fabric breathable felt for the repair.

Be warned. Keep you attic well vented, treat old timber against dry rot and woodworm , and keep damp free. And inspect ridge pointing and lead work around chimneys and roof windows . There is tonnes of tiles up there. Your timber rafters or trusses are what keeps all that weight above your head.

Your roof should last more than A lifetime if maintained.

I have some pics i took last week . It will scare the st1t out of you






if you need any step by step advise just PM me.

graham77

Thanks for the replies.
As the birds have gone for now and the weather's not too bad I'll get up and fix it before they return and the rain returns. Going to have a go at it myself as i'm reasonably handy around the house. I'll post how it goes.

looksee

Just be aware that now they have been up there they will come back next season and they will make serious efforts to get into the roof.