A REALLY CLOSE CALL

Just thought i'd better start posting up on here, not used to the new layout but i'm sure I will get there. 

I had a really close call the other day. About 2 months ago, i picked up this new customer from a recommendation. A fairly sizeable house, not a mansion, not a typical detached house; sort of a mini country house. Anyway, I agree the 1st clean price of £120 as she wanted her lantern cleaned on the annex with all windows, all is well so booked it in and started cleaning. As I climbed up onto the roof and approached the lantern, it felt really spongy and "bed" like? so i thought...oooh I wont stand on that bit. 

Anyway did the clean, and told the customer that they have a very soft patch on the flat roof that needs looking at, " Ok she said no worries"

Two month later, and im doing the regular £60 clean..no lantern (Just this Monday gone) her mother comes out and blerts out " You know the roof?" and i'm like what roof?? 

" The roof that was squidgy!"  Oh yeah i said, what about it...

"It collapsed through the kitchen only two days after you had been on it, left a massive hole in the roof and shattered the kitchen table"

I was like, oh flip. She took me round and showed me, a third of the roof was missing, they put tarp to hold off the rain, but if i was on that roof, i would have ended up falling 30 foot down through the kitchen table, with bits of roof following me onto a hard marble floor!!!

So that's my lucky escape... If you notice any sponginess on a roof, come down immediately!! Do not stay up there.

Thanks for the warning. 

This is why no one should walk over flat roofs. There is no insurance policy that will cover you. Forget charging extra money, your life / health is worth far more than a £20 job

When you sorting the repair job out , since you have broke it? ?

Did she say you made it happen ? 

Part Timer said:

This is why no one should walk over flat roofs. There is no insurance policy that will cover you. Forget charging extra money, your life / health is worth far more than a £20 job

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I must admit i'm not too fond of them myself. Only been up on one but she said she was absolutely certain it was structurally sound as the builders had just had loads of scaffolding up on a few months prior. Like an idiot i went up there with memory foam sandals on which are naturally spongy lol but i did notice a couple of times that the spongy feeling felt a bit spongier than i thought it should. Anyways.. made it down safely but it wasn't a job i particularly liked. Although i did buy a telescopic ladder for any future roofs, I'm planing to avoid using it. If I can get away with leaving it in the car and never actually using it then it'll be the best £80 i spent yet (my luck is weird).

Wind o kleen said:

When you sorting the repair job out , since you have broke it? ?

Did she say you made it happen ? 

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No. I told her it was spongy. 

Tango said:

I must admit i'm not too fond of them myself. Only been up on one but she said she was absolutely certain it was structurally sound as the builders had just had loads of scaffolding up on a few months prior. Like an idiot i went up there with memory foam sandals on which are naturally spongy lol but i did notice a couple of times that the spongy feeling felt a bit spongier than i thought it should. Anyways.. made it down safely but it wasn't a job i particularly liked. Although i did buy a telescopic ladder for any future roofs, I'm planing to avoid using it. If I can get away with leaving it in the car and never actually using it then it'll be the best £80 i spent yet (my luck is weird).

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If you do have to then walk round the edge, just don't step backwards 

I'm not really planning to get up on any more extension roofs if i can avoid it. I'm not great with heights and edges anyway. The one I did get up on a while back nearly saw me come a cropper.. forgot there was an edge and conservatory to my left and i was continuing to walk that way lol. Eventually realised i was getting awfully close to it and found myself realising just how dangerous it actually is.

Mind you.. this seems to be my year for learning about dangerous stuff.. I qualified as a forklift driver at my weekend job and frequently put stuff up (or get it down) weighing over a tonne on a knackered forklift that the instructor himself condemned..

I do flat roof access cleans but only on solid roofs, if I get up there and I haven't liked the look of it of something in the past I've got down and made them aware that the roof doesn't look good and I am not risking walking on it. 

Another thing to be careful of is walking on theses roofs then being accused of being responsible when they leak , we won’t go on flat roofs on a regular basis only for a gutter clear job that cannot be done any other way , if it feels dodgy won’t go on it at all , I once slipped over on a fibreglass flat roofs ended up in hospital for 3 weeks had to have a major operation, and off work for 12 months , leg still isn’t right all for a £65 plastic clean , it’s never worth it . 

****, I've got a few that i get up on flat roofs for. They all seem solid as a rock. All these kitchen extensions with skylights!

Pjj said:

Another thing to be careful of is walking on theses roofs then being accused of being responsible when they leak , we won’t go on flat roofs on a regular basis only for a gutter clear job that cannot be done any other way , if it feels dodgy won’t go on it at all , I once slipped over on a fibreglass flat roofs ended up in hospital for 3 weeks had to have a major operation, and off work for 12 months , leg still isn’t right all for a £65 plastic clean , it’s never worth it . 

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Thank you for the warning as well. Hope your leg comes right. 

Yep close one for you,thankfully you let them know. 

My sister little porch roof was leaking, i said i could paint tbe roof, felt spongy, i was very careful n kind of lay flat to reach the part nearest the wall as scared i would fall through.  Painted the roof, thought id done a great job, sister came back n said look at my roof, top plaster board inside was all broken where my belly was roof totally rotten, she had to get roofers to replace the roof.  So yes be careful on flat roofs.

Pjj said:

Another thing to be careful of is walking on theses roofs then being accused of being responsible when they leak

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That's why i've made up a legal disclaimer for it.. I don't mind doing it if it's strong enough but i'm not taking the hit for the customer if it leaks after they asked me to go up there.

Check out the joists underneath if you can, not possible if plaster boarded though. Just garages I guess.

solarpanelcleaningltd said:

Check out the joists underneath if you can, not possible if plaster boarded though. Just garages I guess.

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Generally the joists are ok it’s the rotten boarding over the top that’s the issue 

I think as you get older, you become more aware of falling at height and how it can end it all. I must admit, when i saw the mess, it made me sick to my stomach..