Swish installer makes good from bad

Barry Gwinnett describes what he discovered when he visited the Wigan bungalow where the cowboy traders were secretly filmed. ‘They had removed the guttering from the property then covered the existing rotten timber fascias with capping boards.

‘Then, instead of removing the bottom row of tiles from the roof, they had nailed a strip of felt across the top of the board before fixing it in place, to make it look like the roof felt had been renewed. By the time we visited to survey the job, the felt was flapping around and some had completely blown off.'

The only course of action was for Barry and his team of fitters to completely re-do the roofline.

‘We took off the tiles and removed the cement that filled the gap between them and the eaves beam. After making good the roof felt, we installed Swish Over Fascia Ventilators with birdcombs and replaced the rotten timbers with new 25mm Bullnose Jumbo fascia boards, before replacing the guttering with new white ogee.

‘At last the homeowner has what she originally wanted, a smart new roofline that will keep its good looks with minimal effort. It's just such a pity that she had to be subjected to these rogues in the first place', concludes Barry.

The BBC, Swish Building Products, Barry's supplier GAP and Barry himself contributed to the cost of putting the job right for the homeowner.

The Swish Building Products Approved Installers scheme is designed to give consumers confidence in the workmen they employ and the quality of the products used.

By joining the scheme, roofline installation companies, such as Barry Gwinnett's, can show that they maintain high standards of workmanship and that they meet Swish's criteria for the administration of day-to-day contact with customers. All members of the scheme carry certificates of registration.