Site checklist for your roofer – what to measure and photograph

Print the checklist

For every job

• address, or at least the town or village – for travel and to check for a heritage area
• a photo of the whole house from the street and from the garden
• number of storeys, height of the eaves above ground, access for a vehicle and scaffolding
• type of roof covering and its condition
• what the existing metalwork is made of (galvanised, coloured, copper…) – if in doubt, a close-up photo
• exactly what is failing and when (in rain, when snow melts, in wind)

Chimney flashing

• width and length of the chimney stack where it passes through the roof (cm) – the side total sets the price of flashing kits
• height of the chimney above the roof on the upper and lower side
• roof pitch (at least an estimate in degrees)
• photos of the chimney from all four sides and a photo from the loft next to the chimney
• whether the chimney is in use and what fuel is burnt

Gutters

• length of the eaves on each side (m)
• plan depth of the roof from eaves to ridge for each side (m) – for the calculator
• number and position of downpipes and drain gullies
• number of external and internal corners
• condition of the fascia board and rafter ends

Window sills

• number of windows and how they are labelled
• length between the reveals for each window (mm), at the top and bottom
• reveal depth to the finished facade, left and right (mm) – or the thickness of the planned insulation
• end caps on the render, or set into the render
• colour of the windows and the facade

Parapet coping

• perimeter of the parapet (m) and width of its top (mm)
• number of external and internal corners
• whether the facade is insulated and how thick the insulation is
• type of roof waterproofing (bitumen membranes, single-ply membrane)

Made-to-measure items

• sketch of the cross-section with dimensions and angles
• visible colour face
• lengths and quantities, number of corners and stop ends
• material, thickness and colour

How to take the photos

• always take one photo “from a distance”, so it is clear where the detail is,
• for close-ups, hold a tape measure or folding rule in the shot,
• take photos in daylight, not against the sun,
• if there is a leak, photograph the spot inside as well.

Put the finished information into the enquiry builder.