In short: A house keeps water out in layers. Sarking and flashings are the layer nobody sees, and both of these findings remove it entirely.
Sarking is the second line
A metal roof sheds water. Sarking underneath catches what gets past it - wind driven rain, condensation, the occasional gap. Missing sarking does not leak on a calm day. It leaks on the day the weather is worst, which is also the day it is hardest to diagnose.
Flashing under external doors
A door threshold is a deliberate break in the wall. Without a flashing under it, water that reaches the threshold tracks into the wall structure instead of being directed out. We have recorded this on Clyde builds, and it presents years later as swollen skirting and staining with no obvious source.
Catch them at lock-up
Both are lock-up items: the roof is on, the doors are in, and nothing is lined yet. It is a single visit that covers the entire weather envelope before it disappears behind plaster and finishes.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Clyde. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
