Which Trade or Expert to Look/Search for Regarding Leak in Ceiling and Water Pooling under House?

tebbybabes on 06/05/2021 - 10:39
Last edited 06/05/2021 - 12:23 by 1 other user

Good day.

I've recently discovered a leak going on in my garage ceiling. It's not something we've ever seen before and only happened during a particularly heavy rainfall. The dripping also stopped pretty quickly when the rain settled to a more light rain. There isn't anything above the area other than the roof. This area is also pretty close to the edge of the roof and an existing downspout and gutter.

At this point, my best guess is a blocked down spout or gutter causing an inflow into the roof space and I'm currently searching for roof and gutter cleaners.

My question is, which trade or expert would be best suited to determine if my guess is indeed correct and suggest the best course of action? Would it be a building inspector?

The reason I'm come up with this question, is because, unrelated to leak in the garage, I've also had a long standing issue of water pooling in space under the house after a heavy downpour. I had a couple of landscapers come in and give quotes to rectify it a few years ago, and they had quite different approaches as well as ideas as to why it was happening in the first place. This variety of approaches and reasons made me a bit hesitant and I ended up just sitting on the problem.

I figured I needed an expert or an authority to check this out and advise, and today's issue with the garage ceiling leaking pushed me to seek OzB input.

TL/DR: 2 different house issues : leak in ceiling and water pooling under house. What trades or experts to seek to investigate the separate issues.

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  MS Paint on 06/05/2021 - 10:43

  +4

  Roof plumber

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  Ocker on 06/05/2021 - 10:49

  +2

  Pretty easy to do your own preliminary checking. Get up on a ladder and check the gutters and also stick a hose into the downpipe to see if it backs up

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  Catullus on 06/05/2021 - 11:16

  Handyman, or general factotum.( like Figaro ) 😎

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  garetz on 06/05/2021 - 11:34

  The leak in the ceiling and the water pooling under the house might stem from the same issue.

  You probably need a building inspector to come and identify what is causing the issue, then if its a leak in the roof you get a roofer, if its a leak from plumbing then get a plumber.

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  AndyC1 on 06/05/2021 - 11:43

  +1

  Get your ladder out and climb up and have a look. Allot cheaper than a tradie.
  When you look you can check the following:
  1) if there are any leaves etc blocking or slowing down the water.
  2) If the front of the gutter is higher than the back of the gutter so that if the gutter gets full the water flows into the garage. Yes there are guttering systems sold where the water will flow into the house/walls before it overflows….
  3) See if you can see any broken tiles.

  If you spot nothing then grab a hose and put it down the down pipe and blast water down it to see if the water backs up in a downpour.

  If you don;t have a ladder then invest in one as you will need to get onto the roof in the future.

  • 

    MS Paint on 06/05/2021 - 11:50

    Get your ladder out

    The fact that the OP is even asking this question I'm guessing they don't own a ladder.

• 

  tebbybabes on 06/05/2021 - 13:38

  Thanks everyone.

  I do have a ladder, just not quite tall enough to reach the roof line. We're on a slope and the area in question is almost two stories from the ground. On the section where the roofline is closest to the ground, my existing ladder can just barely clear the edge. :)

  I'm looking into getting a mate with a ladder to maybe come and visit.

• 

  thatonethere on 06/05/2021 - 14:59

  I had similar in my garage. Was just a crack in a tile. I couldn't pull it out so just sealed it up from above and below. All good since.

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  88mph on 07/05/2021 - 08:30

  +1

  If you are on a slope, and your house is on stumps (most likely), the water pooling under your house is most likely groundwater seepage from the high end, gravity flow to the low end, whilst pooling around the stumps enroute.

  From personal experience, AGI's across high end could divert some of the groundwater to a nearby storm water pit. Or water proofing the high end bricks down to the foundations. Or a combination of both.

  Try googling "drainage specialists" in your area, mostly commercial plumbers or medium size engineering companies come up, try to get around three of them to quote and analyse. That was my approach.