Leaking low pitch roof on single storey kitchen extension advice please Information, help and tips on many areas of roofing including trusses, tiling, venting, insulation etc....

[DollyD]

Hi,
I had a single storey kitchen extension built 10 years ago which passed building regulations sign off.
The roof has never looked quite right to me and occasionally leaked after about 2-3 years. Over the last 2 years the leaking has increased greatly around the Velux and end of roof. I have so far had 5 roofers out to look at it. I have been told by 2 of them, after using a phone pitch app, that the roof is only 5 degrees and 1 roofer says it needs to be changed to a flat roof with flat roof skylight at a cost of 3K. The other 4 did not get back to me.
The original builder is no longer trading, I contacted building control at the council to ask why it was passed with such a low roof. The building inspector came out to check and he did some quick measurements by counting bricks and advised me that it was 11.5 degrees and suggested there are some roof tiles that go to 10 degrees that can be used.
I don't know what to do or who to believe, the inspector says the wrong pitch tiles were used and Velux will not cope with such a low pitch but could not tell me why it was passed.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am terrified now of getting another cowboy.

Thank you

[stoneyboy]

Hi dollyd
Your first move is to check the angle of your roof - if you have an iPhone open the compass app, select the angle setting and use this to check the roof angle.
There are tiles on the market which will go down to 5deg but you will probably have to use upstands for the Velux windows to get them to the specified pitch. Velux sell a special kit to ensure the opening is sealed properly- this is important on such a low pitch roof.
Regards S

[dnelson]

Have a look at centurion tiles - they go down to 10 degree and you can buy a dedicated 'bib' which captures the skylight opening and controls water all the way down to the drip edge.
I looked at metal tiles (I had a 10 degree pitch) but with such a low pitch you can get capillary action and all manor of nastiness which causes headaches down the line. So ended up adjusting the slope to 6 degree , single plying it and added a flat roof skylight in the middle. (you need 6 degree to keep water from pooling on the skylight glass)