Wednesday 05 January 2022
Do you own a home or office building with a pitched roof? Is that roof covered with tiles? Then your roof is equipped with ridge forks. Do you want to know what ridge furrows are, when they have to be replaced or fixed and what the costs are? In this article you will find answers to many questions, including who is best to hire for this job.
Ridge forks are the semi-circular, special roof tiles that are located on top of a pitched roof. Because of their special shape, they form an overlap over the two halves of a tiled roof. This keeps the roof watertight. However, when a leak occurs at the roof, it is possible that the problem can be found at the ridge furrows. It is possible that the ridge furrows are no longer sufficiently tight or that the furrows have become porous over time. Especially in older homes, ridge forks were attached with cement. However, when the cement crumbles over time, moisture can get between the cement. That moisture freezes in the winter and expands, causing cracks in the cement attachment layer, resulting in loose ridge frits.
Reattaching the ridge tiles or replacing the ridge tiles (or having them replaced) prevents further future water damage.
To give you an idea of the costs of repairing or replacing a ridge furrow, the table below is included. Mentioned costs are including VAT but excluding materials.
Type of work Average cost
Roof inspection in advance € 50 to € 150
Fasten ridge braces € 50 to € 60 per running meter.
Fixing ridge furrows in plastic mortar € 70 to € 80 per running meter
Installing new ridge furrows € 10 per unit excl. labour
It is almost always customary for the professional to determine in advance what work, if any, needs to be done and what else might be wrong with the roof. If the ridge furrows are only loose, they can be reattached and usually reused. Sometimes it is necessary to replace one or more, for example if they are cracked or porous.
After the roof inspection the professional can better estimate how much time the work will take and you know what costs you can count on. The starting hourly wage for the roof specialist of Zoofy is € 89.
Are the ridge furrows still in good quality and are they only loose here and there? Then you can fasten the ridge furrows or let them fasten, for example by the roof specialist through Zoofy. Nokvorsten fixation is usually done with two different types of fasteners.
Only when only a few ridge furrows are loose and the damage is limited, ridge furrows are sometimes secured again with cement. Because cement is not a flexible material, using a plastic mortar or a roofing paste is a more durable solution. This is a ridge furrow repair.
A plastic mortar or a roof paste are good alternatives to cement. Both materials give a better adhesion between tiles and ridge furrows than cement. A longer lasting bond is the result. A roof paste or a synthetic mortar are flexible and more resistant to rain and wind. When some ridge furrows need to be reattached, it is recommended to have all of the ridge furrows (reattached). That way you can be sure that the roof will not be a problem for the foreseeable future. If your friezes are still in good condition and can be reused, the professional will first remove all the ridge friezes and clean and dry them. The same applies to the top row of tiles. Tiles and friezes that are in poor condition will be replaced with new ones by the professional. After the top row of clean and dry tiles have been placed back, a thick layer of mortar or paste is applied to them. The ridge furrows are placed in this layer and pressed. In this way a watertight connection is created. This is not a repair but a renovation.
Chances are that, when you suffer from a water leak because ridge crusts are loose, it concerns an older roof. Have the professional take a look at the rest of the condition of the roof and tiles right away, even if everything seems fine at first glance. Especially if the leakage occurred some time ago but was only noticed recently, roof battens can come loose, resulting in misaligned tiles and even more water damage. This is especially true for roofs that are 40 years old or older. At the time, ordinary steel nails were usually used to attach roof battens, which can rust and come loose if water leaks. Also, if the ridge cords are loose due to a storm, it is advisable to have them inspected by a professional and they can fix them.