Roofs on and around the hill
Northcliff was established in 1934 and named after the ridge it is built on. Northcliff Hill rises to 1,807 m, making it the second-highest point in Johannesburg, and much of the suburb is made up of large homes set around its steep slopes.
On exposed, sloping sites, loose ridge capping, lifted sheets and badly fitted flashings are usually the first things to give in a storm. On a steep site, water also runs off fast, so gutters and downpipes have to be able to keep up.
Where a home has been extended, the join between the extension and the original roof is a common source of leaks. We fix it in the structure and the flashings, not with another layer of waterproofing.
Worth checking on roofs like these
- Ridge and hip capping that has loosened or cracked
- Sheets or tiles lifting along the edges of the roof
- Flashings where the roof meets walls and chimneys
- Gutters and downpipes that overflow in heavy rain
- Water marks after a storm, even small ones
