Our Free School Roof Survey – What is Involved?
Leaking roofs have become an increasing problem for schools and only by conducting a comprehensive roof survey will the school understand the true situation, put their mind at rest and help them plan for funding applications. The survey will provide the evidence required to make a CIF application successful, and with the right advice will help avoid unnecessary repairs or costly damage to the school buildings, their contents, staff and pupils.
SIG Design & Technology look at what is involved when carrying out our free school roof survey. For more advice and information about school roofs visit our new website www.FixMySchoolRoof.com.
How do SIG Design & Technology carry out the free school roof survey?
Firstly, we make a no-obligation pre-inspection of the school roof, to determine any issues on the roof, or indeed if any work is required. All surveys are undertaken with minimal disruption to the school day. Then we meet with the school and discuss our findings, and if we are confident that a comprehensive survey is necessary, the roof survey is carried out.
The survey inspection is made by experienced Technical Managers from our team, who attend the school and survey the building externally and internally. All our inspectors are DBS checked and experienced at working in a school environment. Risk Assessments are carried out and the inspection is carried out in accordance with best practice with health and safety at the fore.
The Technical Manager then prepare a condition report collating all the survey findings and recommendations.
What information is provided in the condition report?
The condition report will normally include the following elements:
- A general overview of the school’s roofs describing their pitch, type of falls, type of existing finish and the existing waterproofing system, insulation, vapour control and drainage systems.
- Identify what repairs have previously been made to the roof and the materials used; this is important to help determine how the construction is performing, why it might have failed and the most appropriate means of repair or replacement.
- We evaluate how the water is leaving the roof including all gutters, and look at cladding, roof lights, upstands and parapets. These are all areas where a lack of maintenance or damage can dramatically shorten the life of the roof. We will also check for roof mounted plant, including air handling units and photovoltaic or solar panels to see if their installation has had an effect on the roof.
- On each roof we inspect, we will take core samples, where a small section of the roof is removed to determine the build-up and check the condition of all the roof elements down to and including the deck which supports the roofing materials.
- During the core sample exercise we can also check for moisture content in the different layers. Sample cores are replaced and the area repaired.
- We take a photographic record of our findings to show the condition of the roof and brief the contractor on what to look out for when work is carried out.
- As part of our condition report we advise on the life expectancy of all the existing roof coverings, make recommendations as to the actions required to extend the serviceable life of the roof coverings, and form a strategic plan to look at a programme into the future for renewing the roofs.
Finally our recommendations consist of full instructions – known as a “Specification” on how the recommended work is to be carried out. This includes:
- Details of how any existing waterproofing should be removed and how the roof should be prepared;
- Details of the products to be used and how they should be installed
- A full set of drawings and details for the contractor to follow
- Instructions regarding the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations for Health and Safety Procedures
- Details of the material & workmanship warrantee
- Initial Costings for the Works.
Our comprehensive roof survey and recommendations can then be used to inform a funding application to the Condition Improvement Fund, to instruct accredited contractors and to act as the Specification to which they will work.
If your school is part of a Multi-Academy Trust, condition surveys of this type can be used to inform an estates management strategy for you. We can work with our team of expert surveyors to manage planned maintenance and repairs on the whole estate, bringing peace of mind and savings on unnecessary repairs.
SIG Design & Technology is not a manufacturer of roofing systems but an independent company, part of SIG plc, a FTSE250 company This makes us “product neutral” with the credibility and expertise to provide independent advice backed up with reliable warranties.
Why is the school roof survey free?
If we’ve carried out a pre-inspection and are satisfied we can help the school, SIG Design & Technology provide our service free, including our comprehensive roof survey and specification. This is not only because we are confident in ensuring funding for the repairs and/or replacement. It also allows us to manage the roof design process, the on-site process, and the product selection. This means that we can provide our customers with genuine, quality guarantees. We take the risk, so you don’t have to.
A comprehensive condition survey is a first starting point to help schools manage their property with confidence. It will provide schools with the information to plan maintenance and ongoing maintenance to ensure their roof perform well for years to come.
