Hip tiles sit along the sloping ridge line where two roof slopes meet at an angle, and on a hipped bungalow roof in Hengrove there are usually several of these running from the ridge down towards the eaves. Because they occupy such an exposed position, the way they are fixed has a real bearing on how well the roof performs in wind and driving rain over the years, and it is one of the areas most likely to show early signs of wear if it was not fitted properly in the first place.
Older roofs were sometimes finished using a wet mortar bedding method, where hip tiles were simply bedded onto mortar with little or no additional mechanical fixing. This approach can work for a time, but mortar is prone to cracking and losing adhesion as it ages, especially where the roof is exposed to the weather, which can eventually leave hip tiles loose or vulnerable to being lifted in strong wind. It is a common cause of the loose or slipped hip tiles we are called out to inspect on older bungalows in the area.
Modern practice on bungalow re-roofs typically combines a proprietary dry-fix hip system with mechanical fixings, securing each tile with clips or screws rather than relying on mortar alone. This gives a more consistent, weathertight junction along the hip and reduces the maintenance that mortar-bedded hips can otherwise require over time, since there is no mortar joint left to crack, crumble or need repointing in years to come.
Dry-fix systems also tend to accommodate a small amount of natural movement in the roof structure without cracking, which is another advantage over rigid mortar bedding, particularly on older bungalows where some settlement may have occurred over the decades since construction. This flexibility helps the hip line stay secure even as the building itself moves very slightly with the seasons.
During a survey, it is worth checking the condition of existing hip tiles closely, since cracked mortar or gaps at the joints are not always visible from ground level but can be a good indicator of how the roof as a whole has weathered over the years. Where hip tiles are the first thing to fail, it is often a sign that similar age-related issues are developing elsewhere on the roof too, including at the ridge and around any flashing details that were finished using the same mortar-bedding methods at the time of construction.
On a bungalow, where hip roofs are common and the roof itself is more visible from the ground due to the single-storey design, a neat and properly secured hip line also makes a noticeable difference to the finished appearance of the property, not just its performance in bad weather. If your Hengrove bungalow currently has mortar-bedded hips or you are planning a full re-roof, Brunel Roofing Bristol can advise on modern hip fixing systems and include this detail as standard within a full roof replacement quote.
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