Fowey takes the full force of the weather that comes in off the Atlantic. Every autumn and winter the storms roll through Fowey, PL23 and every one of them leaves ridge tiles in gardens, slates through conservatory roofs, felt lifted off garages and lead flashings peeled back from chimneys. We deal with the aftermath across Fowey in the same order every time: stop the water, assess the damage, repair it permanently, and document everything for the insurance claim.
Emergency make-safe in Fowey
The first job is to stop water getting into the house. We fit tarpaulins and temporary battens, slide in emergency slates or tiles, and remove anything loose that could fall on a person or a car. Where scaffold or a tower is needed to get at the damage safely we arrange it the same day wherever we can. During a major storm we work through the calls in Fowey, PL23 in order of urgency, which means water coming through a ceiling comes before a missing verge tile, and we'll tell you honestly where you are in the queue.
What we ask you not to do is go up there yourself. Roofs are dangerous in the dry; in a storm they are lethal. Put buckets down, move what you can and ring us on 07723 607 800.
The damage storms do to roofs in Fowey
- Ridge and hip tiles lifted where the mortar bedding had already cracked. The commonest storm damage on tiled roofs across Fowey, PL23, and the easiest to prevent with a dry ridge system.
- Slates and tiles slipped or missing, especially on the older slate roofs of Fowey where the nails were already failing.
- Verge pointing blown out and edge tiles lifted on exposed gables.
- Flat roof felt lifted or torn on garages and extensions, often taking the deck with it.
- Lead flashings peeled back around chimneys and abutments.
- Chimney stacks damaged, with pots down and the flaunching cracked.
- Fascias, soffits and guttering torn off or hanging.
- Impact damage from branches, aerials and debris from neighbouring roofs.
Permanent repairs
Once the roof is weathertight we come back and repair it properly. Missing slates and tiles are replaced with matching ones, ridges are re-bedded or converted to dry ridge so it can't happen again, flashings are re-dressed or renewed, and flat roofs are patched or re-covered depending on their condition. While we're up there we look at the whole roof, because storm damage usually exposes problems that were already there, and we'll tell you what we find even if it isn't part of the claim.
Insurance claims for storm damage
Most home insurance policies cover storm damage, and most insurers want the same things from a roofer. We provide them as standard:
- Dated photographs of the damage before and after make-safe, and of the finished repair.
- A written report describing the damage and its cause in plain language, including the weather on the date it happened.
- An itemised quote laid out the way loss adjusters expect, separating the storm damage from any pre-existing wear.
- Direct contact with your insurer or adjuster if you'd rather we dealt with the questions.
We'll also be honest with you about what's likely to be covered. Policies cover storm damage; they don't cover wear and tear. A roof in Fowey that was already failing before the storm may not be covered, and we won't inflate a claim that's going to be rejected. We'd rather tell you straight and quote for the work than waste weeks on a claim that goes nowhere.
Stopping it happening again
Most storm damage in Fowey is predictable. Cracked mortar at the ridge, nail-sick slates, felt roofs past their life and gutters hanging off their brackets all fail in the first big blow. A roof inspection in the autumn, and the small repairs that come out of it, is a fraction of the cost of an emergency call-out in January. See our roof inspections page.
What to do in the first hour after storm damage
If water is coming into your house in Fowey, move anything valuable out from under it and put buckets or bowls down. If a ceiling is bulging with water, pierce it with a screwdriver over a bucket to let the water out before the whole ceiling comes down. Switch off the electrics in that room if water is near a light fitting or socket. Then ring us on 07723 607 800 and tell us what you can see from the ground and from inside; a photo from your phone helps us bring the right materials. Don't go on the roof, don't put a ladder up in the wind, and don't let anyone who knocks on the door offering to fix it there and then on the roof either. Storm chasers follow bad weather around Fowey, PL23 every year and the work they leave behind is usually worse than the storm.
Emergency and permanent repairs are two visits
A make-safe is exactly that: it stops the water for now. It is not a repair, and a tarpaulin on a roof in Fowey will not survive a second storm. Once the weather has settled we come back to do the permanent repair properly, with matching materials, in daylight, from safe access. We'll give you a date for that at the make-safe visit and a written quote for the work, which is also the document your insurer needs.
Storm damage roofers for Fowey and Fowey, PL23
Fowey Roofing is based in Fowey and covers the whole of Fowey, PL23. In a storm we prioritise by urgency, we photograph everything, and we give you the report and quote your insurer needs. Call 07723 607 800.