scampicat

We have a traditional Moorish village house with flat roofs.

One of them is crazy paved to make a terrace, and the other is covered with launa (powdery grey clay) which is the traditional building material used for roofs on these houses.

We have had heavy snow and heavy rain for nearly two weeks now and now both roofs are leaking!

We are all used to minor leaks in these parts, but I'm sure there is more water in my house than outside!

Spanish builder neighbour is going to fix the paved one as soon as the sun shines and the launa one is soon as it has dried.

Aaaaagh! More expense!! (And the money has to come from England, so even worse!).

Has anyone else fared badly in the winter weather? Or have you not had winter weather?

Hillybilly

Someone I know of has flown in today with 2 builders from the UK to replace his roof (I think he was too tight to pay a Spanish builder to do it last year ) despite me telling him for the last few weeks that this is not a good idea right now!
It is absolutely bucketing down here and has been for days...the roads have become rivers...

bil.w

I like the glass fibre matting with white rubber paint. On our flat roof it has been a godsend. Plus it can be sculpted to shift water where you want it to go.

fionamw

I am gradually weaning myself of the blind panic that usually sets in if you have a leaking house (well it did with me in the UK). In the time we've been here, of 11 rooms we've had leaks in 4 plus absolute downpours in the poolhouse (where of course I store all the - now rusty - tools). There have been various 'mends' of roofs, doors, etc., and yet this latest washout has left me totally blase in a living room which is so predictable I know from the wind direction and volume of rain whether or not it will drip daintily from just the one beam or cascade down the wall - naturally on top of the previously dry woodbasket - and additionally splosh prettily, precariously next to the hifi speaker and aircon unit!!!! I just lay newspaper, move armchairs & get on with life.
However the point is I (used to) know here that it's going to end. Sometime soon.
Quite how I'm ever going to find WHY the various tile/wall joins are so dodgy I really don't know.... but hey manana

Lionda

We are in an old town house and the back of the house has an area which is open to the heavens. We have some fibreglass roofing and hubby extended that after the first lot of heavy rain we had last year as the rain came down like a waterfall and into the kitchen. Not so bad now thank goodness

scampicat

Thanks all for your replies, they have cheered me up knowing it's not just us!

We had to scrat around trying to find a pan to cook in tonight as they are all on the floor catching drips, as well as all my husband's building buckets!

When the builder saw how many leaks we had he said 'Madre de Dios!' and crossed himself!

The other 'weather' problem we have is every so often in the winter we have a really, really strong freezing wind down from the Sierra Nevada, it's not gusts, it's just constant like a cold fan heater. Our house faces directly north-south, so the wind catches the back of the house and makes it like a wind tunnel. It whistles through any crack it can find around the windows and also through the flue for the boiler and down the chimney, so we can't have a fire or a shower.

Certainly interesting living in this house!

03630

My neighbour's roof is always leaking. After heavy rain, his wife gives him GBH of the earhole, so he goes onto the roof, moves a few tiles around and tells her it fixed.

big wheels

Old house with a pitched roof and terracotta tiles resting on muck. And yes for the first time ever we have tiny rivulets of water running down the wall of a bedroom. (Luckily not in use at present)

Not sure whether it's coming in through the roof somewhere and running down to the lowest point. Or from the top of the wall under the gutter. The water is clean though which to me points to it not coming through the roof, plus the ceiling is dry

If it ever stops raining I'll get my friendly builder to have a look. Meanwhile we have some towels on the floor.

fionamw

It's my experience - and seemingly the experience of anyone I've ever quizzed about leaks - that water does not do exactly what you'd expect and certainly finds its way in from far further afield than where you first see it.... just to cheer you up...

the top of the armchair directly under line of (drip)fire yesterday had turned from ochre to grey by the time I noticed it was getting drenched. Note to self.. do a bit more dusting

poshnbucks

Just had a new roof fitted on the guest wing. You will notice a little wiring needs to be addressed on the left. I only charge 150 Euro a night in August I mean what do they want five star for that money. We do provide towel and slippers as seen in pic below. Its the little touches that make it feel like home............... For some

bil

Well, flue reversal due to wind implies that the terminal is in a zone of pressure. The usual cure is to raise it, or try one of those spinning cowls.

cavecritter

Ive had the paint blow on the exterior walls of one house and some damp in the other.

scampicat

The boiler flue comes out of the wall horizontally and has a vent thingy on the end.

To get it and/or the chimney to avoid the wind , we'd have to raise them vertically 2000m as the wind comes down the 3000m mountain at the back and hits our house (at 1000m) on the way down!