In brief
- Flashing fails at junctions, not in the middle of a roof sheet, so checks must focus on ridges, valleys, parapets, pipes and wall abutments.
- Weak supervision lets installers set the laps and end laps the wrong way and leave the metal unclipped, and the leak only shows in the next Gu or Deyr rain.
- Ask for photographs of the open laps before sheets go down, then inspect after the first rain and confirm what the contract requires in writing.
Contents
Water gets into a Borama roof at the flashings, not in the middle of a sheet. A supervisor who only looks at the finished roof sees a tidy line of sheets and signs it off, while the ridge, valley, parapet and pipe collars underneath are wrong. The fix is a roof flashing supervision routine that checks each junction while it is still open and records what was seen.
Where does roof flashing supervision go wrong on a Borama building?
Weak supervision fails at the closed-up junction, where the detail is hidden once the sheets or tiles go down. Flashing depends on laps, fixings, clips and sealant that no one can see from the ground afterwards. In Borama, where the Gu and Deyr rains arrive in short heavy bursts, water backs up under a laid-the-wrong-way lap and finds the ceiling. The oversight usually comes from a supervisor who is on site for the structure and finishes but not for the roof, or who accepts an installer's word that the ends are sealed. General practice for low-slope sheet roofs is to lay side laps so water flows over them and to set end laps in the direction of fall, with fasteners on the crown rather than the pan. Confirm the exact lap and fixing pattern against the project's specification or engineer before the sheets are ordered. Ask the installer to photograph each ridge, valley and parapet detail before the next layer covers it, and keep those photographs with the site records.
How do weak checks show up as leaks at junctions?
A leak appears after rain at the same spot, and no one can identify which detail failed because the work was never photographed. Typical symptoms are a wet patch at a ceiling board near a parapet, a stain running down an inside wall below a valley, and damp around a pipe collar. By then the roof is complete and the flashing is buried under finished layers. The remedy is the same on every site: wait for the first rain after completion, then walk the roof and the rooms below on the same day and mark each damp line on a plan. Do not accept a verbal list of remedials. Record the position, photograph it, and ask the roofing foreman to open the detail so the cause is visible. Where the roof drains to a hidden gutter, check the gutter outlet and the drip edge as well. Check what the contract says about making good after leaks, and keep the notes with the payment documents rather than agreeing a settlement on site.
How do you close the flashing supervision gap?
The gap closes with a written inspection sequence tied to the roof, not with more people on site. Treat the flashing as its own inspection stage. Before sheets go down, check that the substrate, battens or purlins are level and that any upstand or kerb at a parapet is sound. During laying, check the lap direction and the fixing position on a sample at the start, then spot-check the rest. At each junction, require a photograph before covering and a short note in the site diary. Ask the supplier whether the collar, apron and sealant suit the sheet material and the expected heat, and ask the municipal engineer's office whether any local requirement applies to the plot or the roof drainage. Confirm every technical limit, including lap and fixing spacing, against the project's specification. Keep one page per junction with the date, the name of the installer and the decision.
What to do next
List every roof junction on the Borama building and number them on a roof plan. Set one inspection point for each: open, laid, and after the first rain. Ask the roofing contractor for the lap and fixing details in writing, and confirm them against the project's specification. Then walk the roof after the next rain and record what you find before any making good is agreed.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after roofing should a Borama building be checked for leaks?
Check after the first rain that follows completion, ideally on the same day, and walk both the roof and the rooms below while the damp lines are fresh. Waiting until the next Gu or Deyr season makes the cause harder to find because more layers are finished.
Can a supervisor check flashing without climbing the roof?
No. Laps, clips and collar seals sit under the sheets and are invisible from the ground. Inspect each junction from the roof while it is open, or require dated photographs taken at that stage and keep them with the site records.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Borama and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.