Preparedness for when

charlies-aunt

mardatha wrote: »

Skylight was just sucked right out of the roof by a gust of wind, heavy rain on the way and I don't know what hell to do lol. Rain will come in and soak the loft insulation and the ceilings might come down. HA emergency number not answering, joiner son not answering. Anybody got any ideas?

Oh no! First thought - can you get hold of a patio table parasol, fishing or golfing umbrella or even several smaller ones? Push it through the gap and then open it up on the outside. Fasten the handle to something substantial -maybe one of the beams or cross beams? or if you have a piece of timber that you could put across the gap inside the roof and lash the brolly handle to it to brace it?

Solomon_Broad

Put a tarp underneath to catch all of the incoming rain and direct it to a specific collection point. Put a big bucket under this point to collect the rain. If you do end up with a damp ceiling, I hear that poking a hole to let the water through is preferable it it building up and then causing the plaster to fall down.

GreyQueen

Mar, when we have the roof go on one of our houses, the workmen can't repair a hole as an emergency because you can't stick a temp patch on the outside of a roof; the rain just comes underneath it. Ditto if you try to patch from the inside.

If you can, between trying to get your HA on their emergency number and your son, try to clear any insulation/ stored belongings well away from the hole where the skylight was, so they won't be wetted.

If you have a tarp, lay it across the inside of the roof on the level, and put as many buckets etc as you can lay hands on, on top of it, to catch what will come thru the roof. If it's a case of putting boards across joists to support the weight, do that if you can.

ATM , it's damage limitation. Try to reduce as much as possible the amount of water making its way down into the home, as it'll cause damage and have to be dried out which takes a long time.

((((((big hugs)))))))

ETA Dunno what it is with HAs and skylights. Pal had a 2 bed moder n HA house and it had a skylight slap bang over the bed in the biggest bedroom. Great thinking; nowhere else in a bedroom this size to put a bed but right under the skylight. Beggar leaks or blows away and you have a soaked mattress, bedding, divan etc.

I didn't like the idea of it.

mardatha

Thanks SHTFanners that makes sense. Its an old fashioned apex roof with tiles. The skylight was cracked this summer and the HA put a new one in, the whole frame and glass has been sucked out and is in the back garden.
Got hold of joiner son, he is on his way down, and will try to get him to patch it somehow. No chance of any umbrella on it Charlies Aunt - the whole house would end up in the Baltic! Still no answer from HA always-manned emergency line..

GreyQueen

Glad to hear son incoming, not good about the emergency number, !!!!!! are they doing? Out Xmas shopping?!

Keep us posted on developments, remember the OS borg-brain is at your service.

Just shows how quickly life can go from OK to OMG, doesn't it?

mardatha

He's here now, thankugod. Up in loft with waterproof board, nails and a hammer. Thank god I had a son who became a joiner. Asked him to send us a bill for the wood which we will forward the HA.
It isn't a tiny skylight either.

GreyQueen

:T Great news, Mar. :T

I can breathe now, and wander down to the Magic Greengrocer and the chazzers. Didn't want to stray until I knew what was happening (although I did wash the dishes and reload the underbed larder whilst waiting for your news).

Have found put that you can put 3 cartons of passata in the space occupied by 2 tins of tomatoes........hmmmm, more room to stash. I like it.

Hollyberry

Nice work, Mar & Mar's son. Have just been elsewhere on site researching and cursing silently about a parking fine (35 mins in a hotel car park for a business meeting) but you've really put it into perspective. Hope you're soon safe & dry.

(And all power to the speed of the hive mind here... :cool:)

jk0

mardatha wrote: »

He's here now, thankugod. Up in loft with waterproof board, nails and a hammer. Thank god I had a son who became a joiner. Asked him to send us a bill for the wood which we will forward the HA.
It isn't a tiny skylight either.

Have you possibly got the details of the firm who fitted it? Try ringing them.

[Deleted User]

Hope you're watertight now MAR by eck kiddo you've had some rough weather up there lately haven't you? Have you ever read any of the Miss Read stories about the life of a village schoolteacher? all the way through many books runs the continuing saga of the skylight over her desk in the older childrens room, she would know how you feel!!! Thank heavens for usefully employed offsprings, bless him!! Hope your daughter is feeling better now and not as uncomfortable as she was, take care, Lyn xxx.