# Onduline roofing and National Stables - Problems



## Archers1 (4 May 2015)

I just wanted to share our experience of Onduline roofing and National Stables. (forewarned is forearmed)

National Stables erected a set of stables for us with an Onduline roof in 2001. 

The roof stated leaking at around 7-8 years after it was installed. After 10 years the roof gradually started sagging along the whole length of the stables to a point that it has resulted in pooling of water in the sheets and more leaking. The sheets are stained black underneath and rotten. 

They are attached straight onto the purlins, nothing underneath. After reviewing the manufactures fitting instructions and checking the measurements it looks like National Stables may not have followed them correctly. Our roof looks exactly the same as the 2nd and 3rd picture on this web page: http://www.stablerepair.co.uk/roof-problems/4574850634

On checking the Onduline warranty, it is guaranteed to remain weather proof for 15 years but only fully covered for the first 5. After that point their liability limited to a pro-rata replacement value. If they are confident that their product will last why is it only fully covered for 5 years? According to National Stables this product has an expected life span of only 15 years! http://www.onduline.co.uk/PDF/Onduli... General.pdf

Other people we have spoken to have said that they have had bad experiences with Onduline sheets also and one person described them as cardboard impregnated with bitumen.  

My advice would be to avoid Onduline sheets. 

Other complaints about Onduline: http://www.complaintsboard.com/compl....html#c1367209


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## FfionWinnie (4 May 2015)

Onduline is rubbish, as you have discovered. Far better to use box profile sheets.


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## Dry Rot (4 May 2015)

Archers1 said:



			I just wanted to share our experience of Onduline roofing and National Stables. (forewarned is forearmed)

National Stables erected a set of stables for us with an Onduline roof in 2001. 

The roof stated leaking at around 7-8 years after it was installed. After 10 years the roof gradually started sagging along the whole length of the stables to a point that it has resulted in pooling of water in the sheets and more leaking. The sheets are stained black underneath and rotten. 

They are attached straight onto the purlins, nothing underneath. After reviewing the manufactures fitting instructions and checking the measurements it looks like National Stables may not have followed them correctly. Our roof looks exactly the same as the 2nd and 3rd picture on this web page: http://www.stablerepair.co.uk/roof-problems/4574850634

On checking the Onduline warranty, it is guaranteed to remain weather proof for 15 years but only fully covered for the first 5. After that point their liability limited to a pro-rata replacement value. If they are confident that their product will last why is it only fully covered for 5 years? According to National Stables this product has an expected life span of only 15 years! http://www.onduline.co.uk/PDF/Onduli... General.pdf

Other people we have spoken to have said that they have had bad experiences with Onduline sheets also and one person described them as cardboard impregnated with bitumen.  

My advice would be to avoid Onduline sheets. 

Other complaints about Onduline: http://www.complaintsboard.com/compl....html#c1367209

Click to expand...

I think that was probably me.and I had the definition from someone else who would know. Probably my mate, the architect. The silly little fixing nails with the fancy plastic heads are ridiculous too as they are difficult to remove without damaging them and can't really be re-used. Onduline might just be acceptable if fixed onto timber or plywood sheeting with proper galvanized clouts with broad heads. But why bother when box profile will out last it several times over, isn't a lot more expensive, and can be re-used? Avoid. Avoid. Avoid! (Anyway, it's foreign!).


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## popsdosh (4 May 2015)

FfionWinnie said:



			Onduline is rubbish, as you have discovered. Far better to use box profile sheets.
		
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The main reason the manufacturers of economy stables use onduline is because it weighs less than other forms of material so they can cut corners a little on overall strength of the stables. It is ok to use aslong as you are aware of its limitations and build accordingly and accept it has a limited life span.


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## Welly (4 May 2015)

When we had our stable erected we were strongly advised to have sarking put under the onduline.  It stoped condensation and stoped the onduline sagging, but I agree not a good product for stable roofs.


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## Archers1 (5 May 2015)

Thanks for all the feedback. We're going to pursue it further, I'll let you know how we get on......


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## Pebble101 (5 May 2015)

Archers1 said:



			Thanks for all the feedback. We're going to pursue it further, I'll let you know how we get on......
		
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Please do - I had a National Stables shelter 9.5 years ago and the roof is doing as you described.  I am wondering whether to contact them.


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## honetpot (5 May 2015)

I had a roof put on by National Stables, and had very good service and was very happy with the product. Onduline is cheaper, and if you look on line its says its guaranteed for 15years, ours started to get holes about then, but there was nothing wrong with the timbers or the frame.
 If you want a longer lasting roof covering you have to expect to pay more. My biggest concern at the moment are stables that are made from T&G that is far too thin and not even suitable for chicken houses. If its cheap there has to be a reason.


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## WelshD (6 May 2015)

honetpot said:



			If you want a longer lasting roof covering you have to expect to pay more.
		
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I agree with this, you cant choose a budget option then name and shame the builder of the stables this many years on knowing full well that the manufacturer only fully covers the product for 5 years!

If it had lasted a couple of years I would have said that would have been fair


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## Red-1 (6 May 2015)

Jay has an economy shelter in his school for winter turnout. It has only been up for 4 years, but when he went to summer grazing I had a look at it to see if it needed repair before next winter's onslaught. 

It has Onduline, and no inside lining, and I am delighted that it looks all FAB. This is only 4 years old, and I am happy...because.... it was an economy building. 

If it makes 10 years I will be double delighted. :-D


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## BlueSocks (6 May 2015)

Just wondered those of you with box profile roofing, is it not seriously noisy when it rains? I've got a mobile with onduline roofing (its not even lined but now in its 10th year and still going strong??!), but I'm getting another shelter for a different field, and wondered about box profile instead. But I am worried that a noisy roof will spook the horses in really bad weather. I think it will be set east facing so in winter the prevailing westerly will be driving straight across the back of it. Experiences anyone?


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## Onduline (12 May 2015)

Hello,

We are sorry to hear that you face problems with our products.

Unfortunately, Onduline is not responsible for the quality of the installation or maintenance of its products.
Every day, we aim to sensitize companies that distribute and use our products to this issues. Sometimes, however, our guidelines are not followed, resulting in short-term problems for end customers.

This is why we wish to remain at your disposal.

If you want to share your reviews or discuss about your issues with us (especially on the guarantee of our products), know that you can reach us by mail or phone:

Customer service - 0207 727 0533 &#8226; enquiries@onduline.net

We are always more than happy to answer your questions.

Onduline UK whole team wish you a great day.

Kind regards,
The team Onduline


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## gpxequestrian (1 February 2016)

Hi to all.
I had stables built by National Stables. Over time the roof has sagged  and now leaks very badly to the point that we are wasting bedding and hay due to the leaks.. With Onduline having a 15 year life expectancy I thought I should contact the stable manufacturers. I sent them photographs of the roof panels sagging on the inside of the buildings causing valley's across the roof. I received an email from the manufacturers as follows.

"Thank you for your mail. From the photos you have sent and from my experience it appears the Onduline has sagged because the roof purlin needs to be repositioned to cover the join. Alternatively I can send you some hangers and you can fit a new purlin where necessary . I recommend this is done as soon as possible."

This appears to be an admission of improper installation of the Onduline and that it may be a common problem with the design of their stables.I replied suggesting that to reposition the purlins or install new hangers and additional purlins  would mean removing the roof panels and asked for some assistance to carry this out. At the time of writing this I have had no further reply from them.


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## FfionWinnie (1 February 2016)

BlueSocks said:



			Just wondered those of you with box profile roofing, is it not seriously noisy when it rains? I've got a mobile with onduline roofing (its not even lined but now in its 10th year and still going strong??!), but I'm getting another shelter for a different field, and wondered about box profile instead. But I am worried that a noisy roof will spook the horses in really bad weather. I think it will be set east facing so in winter the prevailing westerly will be driving straight across the back of it. Experiences anyone?
		
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Bit of a late reply but I have box profile sheds and shelter and it doesn't bother the horses at all. They are sensible cobs and prefer the slight noise to it landing on their heads!


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## Doris68 (1 February 2016)

Had Onduline on our stables for nearly 20 years - never had a problem!  PS. I have no association with Onduline!!  PPS. Had Onduline on another building, where I think it wasn't fitted correctly and had to have it replaced - depends on who & how it's fitted I think.


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## Crugeran Celt (2 February 2016)

Our stables were put up by 22 years ago using onduline and now it does need replacing but mainly due to having a company in to do a little repair work and they stood on it!  If that hadn't happened the roof would still be ok.  I will be replacing it with more onduline.


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## lrw0250 (2 February 2016)

I used to work for a stable manufacturer and Onduline was the most common choice for smaller stable blocks and field shelters, while bigger buildings would often stretch to box profile. It is guaranteed by Onduline for 15 years I believe but you do have to follow the instructions in the paperwork with regards to maintenance i.e remove debris like moss and leaves, chap the nails in once a year to tighten them up, keep gutters clean etc. We offered the option of sarking as an extra and would normally advise that this could extend the lifespan by around 5 years. We would do a couple of jobs a year of replacing Onduline roofing that had reached the end of its life but would maybe only have 1 case a year of it failing early in which case we referred to Onduline who would look at it and make a decision with regards to subsiding the cost of replacing it.


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## dibbin (2 February 2016)

We got rid of the onduline on the roof of our stables, but still have it on the external walls. I don't know how old it is but the roof was sagging very badly and had quite a few holes in it. We've gone for plastic-coated metal sheeting with a built in vapour barrier to prevent condensation. Even in the howling wind and rain it's nowhere near as noisy as normal corrugated metal.


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## DD (2 February 2016)

in my experience onduline doesnt last very long.


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## Dry Rot (2 February 2016)

Onduline is nothing better than bitumin impregnated cardboard, in my opinion. In our Scottish winds, it will move and gradually enlarge the nail holes as well as sagging. It is ridiculous to expect owners to go on the roof every year to hammer the nails in! Box profile onto sarking is the only way to go, though I do have corrugated iron on a field shelter with DPM tacked onto the underside of the roof timbers to prevent condensation drips which works well. The sound of rain does not bother horses.


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## Pebble101 (2 February 2016)

Oops deleted!


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## gpxequestrian (2 February 2016)

Wow thank you all for your replies. I should say that I am not questioning the worthiness of the Onduline product, It was in fact part of our local planning officers requested materials when we applied to build the stables. My concern is that our stable manufacturer was not competent in installing the product. I am trying to find out if this is a common problem with stables built by "National Stables" and if so has anyone else had any assistance in fixing the problem.


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## cronkmooar (2 February 2016)

Agree with the above - only can confirm that scatty TB's and ISH also have no problems.  Its not that noisy at all, and it doesn't leak !


ETA - sorry meant to include quote regarding box sheeting and sensible cobs


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## Crugeran Celt (2 February 2016)

My stables are by National Stables and as I have previously said the onduline roof has been fine for 21 years. The stables have just been jet washed and now look as good as new. The roof does now need replacing but more due to cowboy work men standing on it than the product itself.


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## Onduline (5 February 2016)

Hello Horse & Hound users,

We are relieved to read that you are mostly satisfied with Onduline products.

However, it is always disappointing to learn that some of you encountered negative experiences with our products.

As we explained in May 2015, Onduline is not responsible for the quality of the installation or maintenance of its products.

Onduline offers a wide variety of guidelines that, if followed properly, allow customers to get the full Onduline experience.

Furthermore, in case you have any enquiries regarding Onduline, our products or even the products warranties, feel free to contact us:
-	Customer service - 0207 727 0533
-	enquiries@onduline.net

Best regards,

The Onduline Team


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## Gift Horse (5 February 2016)

WelshD said:



			you cant choose a budget option then name and shame the builder of the stables this many years on knowing full well that the manufacturer only fully covers the product for 5 years!

If it had lasted a couple of years I would have said that would have been fair
		
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^ This I have a stable building with an Onduline roof. It's been on 20yrs! We are on a windy moor at 1,000ft so  fairly rough weather.


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## *Sahara (5 February 2016)

IMO I think Onduline is rubbish stuff, lasted about 8 years then had to replace it, our newest stables now have a plywood and felt roof. Stables are much cosier. :smile3:


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## Doris68 (5 February 2016)

I go back to what I said earlier - Onduline has been on our stables for nearly 20 years with no problems.  I guess because it was properly fitted.  I'm sorry that other people have had problems; I can only speak as I find - we've been very happy with it!


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## Pebble101 (6 February 2016)

Ours has bowed even though there is not much space between the supports.  My friend had some stables built after a fire and one of the builders refused to use it as he said she would have problems in future.


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## Tiddlypom (6 February 2016)

I'm pleased with our Onduline roofing, and we've got rather a lot of it. It's between 5 and 10 years old. It was put on over OSB boarding, which I presume adds rigidity. It hasn't had any maintenance, it just carries on doing the job. It's wearing much better than the roofing felt over OSB which I had on the original stables.






 2006






 2015


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## Notimetoride (5 May 2016)

Better quality stables have their roof timbers closer together with will lengthen the lifespan of the onduline.  Onduline is an economy roofing material but itch have a reasonable lifespan if the supporting timbers are closer together meaning it won't sag quite as much.   When i was looking for stables I looked very closely as the distance between the timbers and went with Redmire (we still had onduline though)    As far as I know the roof us still sound but the onduline will need replacing at some point as it doesn't have a particularly long lifespan


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## Makemineacob (5 May 2016)

Our onduline is now about 15 years old and still no issues, it was installed over supporting timbers and has ply underneath towards the bottom of each panel. Still looks very good and we don't have any condensation issues.  Installation is the key and yes, it won't last for ever but needs installing properly.


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## Antw23uk (5 May 2016)

Interesting thread. Now I know why the roof looks like it does on the stables we are buying, lol (house move)


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## Bradders2175 (21 October 2020)

We bought some pre-fabricated stables about ten years ago. I won't name the manufacturer as, although they were budget (their lowest price option), they do the job if treated properly. The onduline roof began to leak in places along the ridge about six years after installation. I used expanded foam to fill the gaps, but eventually this year had to bite the bullet  and get up and do something about it.
I noticed that the majority of ridge panels had sunk and were no longer effective in the rain. We live in SW France and in my opinion, this is due to the high temperatures that we can get in the Summer months, regularly in the high 30's and often in the low 40's with occasional high 40's. Being black, the onduline will really soak up the heat. It has sagged between the purlins. I don't think the purlins were built of a substantial enough timber, nor were there enough or them. 50cm spacing was too much. All of the purlins had begun to sag. I have since installed additional timber and the ridge purlins have been supported, making them level again, but, I really need to install additional rafters. I'll then have another look at the roof, probably boarding it before covering it with a roofing finish yet to be decided.
We don't have a problem with condensation, but if I'm going to re-roof, I'll probably put in some sort of vapour barrier as belt and braces.


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## rabatsa (21 October 2020)

Zombie thread.


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## cauda equina (21 October 2020)

Still informative though
I was wondering why my field shelter was leaking, and now I know!


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## D66 (21 October 2020)

Is this Zombie Thread of the Day?


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## Tiddlypom (21 October 2020)

It may be a zombie thread, but FGI I’ll bite , as one of our onduline field shelter roofs is now leaking. 

Despite being fitted correctly as per the photos below in my post from 2016, the onduline roofing in our smaller field shelter which was put up in 2011 (not shown), has split in a few places and is leaking.




Tiddlypom said:



			I'm pleased with our Onduline roofing, and we've got rather a lot of it. It's between 5 and 10 years old. It was put on over OSB boarding, which I presume adds rigidity. It hasn't had any maintenance, it just carries on doing the job. It's wearing much better than the roofing felt over OSB which I had on the original stables.






 2006






 2015
		
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Onduline has refused to honour their 15 year guarantee - they never pay up, according to Withington Hill who installed our stable block and field shelters. However, Withington Hill are going stand by their build and are sending a man round to replace the leaking panels at no cost to ourselves. Excellent long term support from WH, but not from onduline.


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## ester (21 October 2020)

Our onduline was 16 years old with I think 2? replacement patches. It was very saggy particularly just down from the ridge but not horrendously leaky.
We've put box profile up over the summer.


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## cauda equina (21 October 2020)

ester said:



			Our onduline was 16 years old with I think 2? replacement patches. It was very saggy particularly just down from the ridge but not horrendously leaky.
We've put box profile up over the summer.
		
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Is box profile much heavier?
Mine is a mobile shelter and does get moved occasionally


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## thefarsideofthefield (21 October 2020)

We have a block of 4 stables and a field shelter installed by National Stables over 25 years ago . The onduline roofing was excellent with no problems for 18 years . We then got hit by a particularly bad storm which caused a little damage to a small area of onduline on one stable and on further inspection decided that the onduline was probably nearing the end of it's life and elected to replace all the roofing . I have no complaints with either National Stabling or Onduline . Certain materials have a given life span and need replacing at some point and I felt 18 years of roofing with no leaking , lifting or sagging was good value for money - I will be happy if the new roof also lasts that long . I should add also that the actual timber stables/shelter themselves are superb and look almost as they did when they were first put up . I view it the same as having to replace rotten fence posts , guttering , etc . Not much lasts forever these days .


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## onemoretime (21 October 2020)

gpxequestrian said:



			Wow thank you all for your replies. I should say that I am not questioning the worthiness of the Onduline product, It was in fact part of our local planning officers requested materials when we applied to build the stables. My concern is that our stable manufacturer was not competent in installing the product. I am trying to find out if this is a common problem with stables built by "National Stables" and if so has anyone else had any assistance in fixing the problem.
		
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I had the same problem with our stables built by Chart.  We had to have the whole roof renewed by another company and they put OSB on first then Onduline.  It is far far better now and no condensation.  Chart clearly hadn't fitted the Onduline correctly and it sagged and leaked after a very short time.


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## Muddywellies (21 October 2020)

Deleted as post is 5 years old


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## Esmae (21 October 2020)

We have onduline on our stables. Fitted over OSB board.  The first block is 18 years old with the original roof and we have no problem. The second block 12 years old fitted the same way and no problem.  I think it is essential to fix it to a solid rigid surface in the first place.


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## scruffyponies (21 October 2020)

BlueSocks said:



			Just wondered those of you with box profile roofing, is it not seriously noisy when it rains? I've got a mobile with onduline roofing (its not even lined but now in its 10th year and still going strong??!), but I'm getting another shelter for a different field, and wondered about box profile instead. But I am worried that a noisy roof will spook the horses in really bad weather. I think it will be set east facing so in winter the prevailing westerly will be driving straight across the back of it. Experiences anyone?
		
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I don't know about rain, but my tin roofed shelter is right under an oak tree.  With the number and size of acorns falling this year, it sounds like a machine gun.  Ponies.... couldn't care less. 
I would suggest that if you have the kind of horses who get overly wound up by noise, this would be a great way of desensitising them.


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## Bradders2175 (24 October 2020)

D66 said:



			Is this Zombie Thread of the Day?
		
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I was researching roofing due to ours leaking, which was why I replied to the thread. It might be an old post, but was relevant to me. The box roofing is an interesting fix, but having looked at the cost of replacing the roof, is probably too expensive. 
It was interesting to see the onduline roofing being fitted on top of osb in one of the posts. I have considered using the old onduline on top of the osb, but 80sqm of osb isn't cheap either. I had bought Douglas Fir planks from a local sawmill in the past to use as a base for a tiled roof over a carport. That was quite inexpensive. It comes as planks, which will take bit longer to install. I'll be pricing that up in the week.
A week or so ago, I had removed the ridge and placed overlapping roofing felt, fixed with new onduline nails over the ridge, replacing the ridge with some new ridge tiles. Fortunately, I had been oversupplied when the stables arrived and only had to buy three more.While I was on the roof, I took the time to knock the nails in further where the sagging of the onduline had made them protrude. Where the nail holes were enlarged, caused by movement in the sun and wind, I patched using strips of roofing felt and some liquid bitumen reinforced with fibreglass fibres. A little messy, but the patches did the job.  Three days after the repair, a storm removed the felt from the South side! Hence the thoughts about a better repair. However, the patches held out in the rain, which exposed one leak that I had missed.
Over the years, our inexpensive horses have cost us a fortune! Fencing the perimeter, stables, trailer, more substantial vehicle to tow the trailer, sand school with proper drainage (yet to be completed due to the cost of suitable sand delivery!). I'm a rare rider (that's my wife and daughters), but get great relaxation from being with them when mucking out or feeding.


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## sharni (24 October 2020)

depends if the wind plays with it. had to replace a roof on one of our field shelters after 10 years but the other is older and the roiof is still water tight. it is facing at 90degrees to the the other roof which is north and south elevations the ridge running east to west. the sun ans wind lift the nails slightly and wear holes then the rain gets in. i find onduline pretty rubbish compared to box profile tin sheet which i would use if putting up stables or shelters again.


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## ester (24 October 2020)

That's interesting, ours are west facing towards to the somerset coast. Only because that's the only direction the planners would allow


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## ester (13 September 2021)

*cough* advertising


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