You can get sealants that can be applied in the wet. Not that I’d want to be up on a roof in the rain…
It does look as though there’s a bit of lip, where the corrugated iron meets the caravan roof. Is that the case?
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There is a bright side with the weather - it could be worse!
Mae’r gwyntoedd cryfion wedi achosi dinistr sylweddol yn Clarach - today’s news on BBC Cymru Fyw
Strong winds have caused significant destruction in Clarach
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Yes.
Er, if what you mean by a lip is what I mean by a lip. Is it a technical term?..
maybe lip’s the wrong word. ridge. or hump. or sticky up bit
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Sticky up bit, now you’re talking my language. Yes, there are definite sticky up bits.
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You’ve already had excellent advice.
We’ve just had to re-roof and weather seal the back of our house because of leaks so I feel a very pressing animosity towards water / small holes / gravity.
Unless you can see a clear way in for the water, it’s sometimes very hard to know where to seal and once under the roof surface, water is happy travelling sideways before descending. It’s tricky stuff.
I agree about taking down the affected internal roof panels to see the extent of the damage - but it’s worth bearing in mind that water can be around for a long time before it affects structural timbers so what you find might not be too bad. But once panels are down, they don’t go back, as I found a few years ago when I “took a look” behind a roof panel in our loft room and then found I didn’t have the resources to replace it. (I was not popular at home).
Patching with mastic over the winter sounds like a good temporary solution, but what you really need to be doing is offering a DIY SOS bootcamp in the spring. As I’m guessing you’ve already been mulling over…
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Not that it helps you fix it…but I’d say that water has been puddling next to the sticky up bit where the two different parts of roof meet, sitting there, and then degrading the surface over the years till eventually it’s found its way inside.
As @steve_2 says, finding where to seal will be fun. If that’s the case then it’s over to syniad @raymondkefford about plastic sheeting over the top. Which will be even funner, especially if it’s windy!
It is worth getting a roofer to come have a look - especially one who works with flat roofs. You can still do all the work yourself (or via DIY SOS), but the knowledge gained can be useful (this is another tip from my Dad, who used to get builders around, ask them what they’d do, and then do it all himself!)
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I can’t begin to tell you how useful this thread has become already! Diolch yn fawr iawn, so much, to everyone who’s contributed so far! I’m very grateful!
I feel as if we’ve become caretakers of this house, chalet and garden rather than new owners. It’s a place which has so much interesting history and has had so much love and creativity put in to it over the years.
I so want this place to grow in to a kind of SSiW hub. I want the chalet to become a place which has a constant and interesting stream of learners coming to speak, socialise, eat, drink, stay, sing, party, play, interact and so on. So it’s important to me that it’s saved and restored as soon as we can.
This is exactly what we’re very eager to do! By the spring we’re hoping that one, or even two rooms in the chalet will be dry and comfy enough for beds of varying descriptions. Also, my brother in law and his wife have a 2 berth caravan which they’re keen for us to house for a while. In addition to this, there’s space here for camper van(s) . Unfortunately the grassy areas of the garden aren’t flat enough for tents. But I’m sure we could be creative with sleeping spaces!
I think we’re going to need all the help we can get! 
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One other major job we need to get to grips with is making a thorough assessment of the caravan’s chassis. Two floorboards in the central caravan area have given way a little and we don’t know at the moment whether this is just a case of dodgy boards or a problem with the chassis. I’m still waiting to hear back from the owners as to the actual age of the caravan - this info may help us greatly.
The chalet is on a slight slope so the back of the chalet sits flat on the ground, but the front is, to an extent on stilts/wooden frame. But the floor of the added on front elevation, seems completely sound. So the problem may well be with the chassis and not with the foundations in general - if that makes sense. There is a trap door leading to the space under the building, but we haven’t looked under there yet. Quite frankly, there is no way on God’s earth I’m crawling in to that cold, damp, dark, small, creepy crawly space with a torch… no way…
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And it may not be safe to do so. If there could be electric wires in there turn the electricity off first. Then use a mirror hold it in the space and look down into it; only the torch and the mirror need to go through the hatch. Check that it is safe before even considering going in there.
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Sounds like a lot of fuss.
Send a child instead.
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There’s a man after my own heart.
So on the weekend, Aran, armed with trowel and thick black stuff, went along the seam where the caravan meets the ‘extention’ (where the problem seems to be) and begun the task of resealing the roof for the winter.
I’m guessing at the moment that our next step will be to put a dehumidifier in there to dry the place out and try to tackle the ceiling boards. But there are ceiling lights nearby the damaged areas so we’ll have to exercise caution with the electricals.
Otherwise, we now desperately need to tackle the central heating system in the house which still isn’t working, so we’re burning lots of coal and wood at the moment. Thing is, we currently don’t quite know where the problem is. We’ve a large Charnwood multi fuel stove with a back boiler and a grundfos pump. Not sure at the moment if there’s an actual air lock or if he pump isn’t working grump feels hot but can’t hear noise coming from it… anyway, I digress!
We’ll keep you posted!
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Pob lwc . I hope you get it sorted before it gets even colder. I am not very practical at all and tend to struggle with the most basic things such as putting up a shelf . ( My brother inherited all the practical genes ) If there is anything not too complex you need help with then I am happy to help in anyway I can
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Just a suggestion that you might like to consider in the spring. We had a similar problem with the garage to our previous house. As I’m not an expert and we didn’t want to spend a fortune on an out building, I fitted an additional layer of economically priced corrugated plastic sheets over the existing roof. This gave many years of service and didn’t require any great building skills, as the strength was provided by the existing (leaky) roof.
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That is commonly seen done on commercial buildings round here even if they aren’t leaking as it provides an opportunity to add a layer of insulation in between.
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P’nawn da!
Wow, it’s been some time since I contributed to this thread and updated you on the latest with the chalet.
Since I last ‘spoke’ to you, out situation has changed again. Our original plans to have the chalet as an occasional holiday home for family and friends and a base for Welsh learners at other times, have have to have been scrapped.
My mother in law’s health has recently deteriorated meaning that she has become quite lonely and frightened living on her own. She no longer feels safe, comfortable, relaxed and at home where she is currently living in Staffordshire. So is having to come and live ‘with us’ on a permanent basis.
Although this was going to eventually be the long term plan with the chalet, we didn’t expect it to all happen so soon!
Anyway, we are now pushing on as fast as we can to get here here for a test run next month - yes, things are having to happen that fast!
Aran has sealed most of the roof, but it needs another coat once the weather is dry enough for long enough.
Otherwise we have had the whole structure checked from below and it’s been deemed sound with plenty of years left in it.
I’ve a plumber coming tonight to see about installing a new bathroom and am waiting for the double glazing company t phone back to say when they will ba able to come and measure for new windows and doors.
My biggest headache at the moment is working out the best heating system for the chalet, and I seem to be going round in circles!
We tend to get cold and wet weather here as well as strong winds and although the whole structure is clad in wood - it doesn’t have the best insulation. We also need a heating system which is fairly uncomplicated to install, which is efficient, which will keep the chalet warm throughout the winter and especially in the evenings and easy for an elderly woman to control.
We aren’t on mains gas here, but am beginning to think that my original idea of storage heaters was short sighted and we may need to install a full central heating system.
I would be very grateful for input from anyone who has any kind of experience or expertise?
Diolch yn fawr iawn!
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Well no experience but as i’m at a loose end at the moment if you need any help just ask. Being off work is pretty boring and i could do with something to keep me occupied!
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Storage heaters can be a bit of a nightmare to keep under control. It might be worth considering a more modern technology such as German-style ceramic core radiators. It would probably be best to investigate the possibility of adding more insulation, too.
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Until you fix draughts and insulation you’ll be wasting a lot of heat and money. You also have to maintain enough ventilation to prevent damp, though.
I have no direct experience with storage heaters. I understand they cost a fortune unless you can get economy 7 to work for you.
If you’re not on mains gas then you can have your own gas or oil tank if you have the space. Gas boilers are an awful lot cheaper than oil boilers. The cost of either is probably only a small part of the installation of a whole central heating system, though, unless you can DIY.
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