Roofing Work News Roundup – August, 2017
Here at D-marc we’re in the business of making work at height, namely roofing work, safer with our innovative rooftop barrier solutions. As such, we keep a close eye on the news for stories about roof work and working at height in general so that we can provide our readers with useful and relevant information that will keep them up to date with what’s going on in our industry. Once a month, we’ll publish a roundup of the news that affects our sector in one easy place so that readers can get a quick overview of the most important happenings over the past month. If you have anything to add or know of any stories that you’d like us to cover, please don’t hesitate to let us know, either by email, on our Facebook Page or on our Twitter feed.
Our first item involves a story we came across on the Guardian website which involves London resident, Mary-Anne Thompson who claims that service charges are bankrupting her! Thompson alleges that her service charge bill increased steeply after the property arm of Heinz bought the freehold on her flat. She claims that the service charges rose from around £500 to more than £7,000 annually, leaving her liable to pay £640 per month which is more than her mortgage repayments. Included in the bill is £1,236 for cleaning a corridor and unspecified amounts for the installation of a whole new felt flat roof and the cost of scaffolding which was necessary for the task.
As we’ve already reported, green roofs and roof gardens are on the increase in the UK and we’ve come across a report that demonstrates the advantages to be gained by going green. A branch of popular restaurant chain Wetherspoons in Falmouth has put forward proposals to install a new roof terrace and beer garden at the Packet Station pub. Wetherspoons claims that the space is currently “underused” and home to unsightly ducting and ventilation equipment. Access would be via a new stairway or lift inside the premises with an emergency exit installed at the back of the terrace.
Another story about green roofs of a very different type – the distinctive green roofs at Snow Hill in the City of Bath. The Curo housing association which owns and manages an estate of eight blocks of residential properties is planning to replace the green copper roofs with new zinc roofing which should offer a 60 – 100 year lifespan.
The internet is abuzz right now with news of a homeless man who has been offered work by a group of roof workers who discovered him sleeping on a park bench near a house they were working on. The man, known only as John, asked if he could help out after the roofers gave him a cup of tea and worked “non-stop”, according to one of the tradesmen. The roofers bought him a Burger King lunch and payed him £70 for the day’s work from their own pockets as they were so impressed by how hard he worked. The story went viral after one of the roofers shared it on Facebook and John has since received several offers of a home.