Roof Question?

[The Jogger]

I have had a survey done on a house I'm in the process of buying to move into. One of the problems that has shown is nail fatigue in the roof. The surveyor has said it needs a new roof. I would obviously either negotiate this with the price or walk away? Although I have been on google and one of the solutions with a twenty five year guarantee is a polyurethane spray. Is this spray really any good? Advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Jogger

 

[Night Train]

I'm not sure I'd go with 'gluing the slates onto the roof' method.

I would rather get the roof re-roofed properly as it allows proper maintenance in the future.

 

[akb]

What NT says. Do it right first time, get it re roofed and negotiate a price on re-roofing.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

User9609 has a point. Surveyors tend to be pessimistic. They cover their arses just in case. However - if you do need to re-roof - do it properly as NT said.

 

[slowmotion]

I have heard appalling things about spraying the inside of the the tiles with foam. People say it doesn't allow the battens and timbers to breathe and that it acts as an incubator for rot.

 

[Doseone]

Don't use the spray.

Is the roof underfelted? If not you can have a look at the slate fixings yourself to see if they are rusting - which is basically what nail sickness or fatigue boils down to.

Both the surveyor and User9609 have a point. If the fixings are rusting they aren't going to get better and slates will continue to slip - but depending on the extent you are quite likely to be able to carry on quite happily just replacing a few slates now and then.

Look on it as an opportunity to negotiate a few grand off the price.

 

[Spinney]

Yet another for avoiding the spray. A friend bought a house, roof leaked, needed a complete new roof (rather than a repair) because the roofers couldn't take tiles off to repair because they had been effectively glued down by the spray stuff.

 

[The Jogger]

Thanks for the replies, the foam is a definite no no, a negotiation on price will take place and I'll take it from there. Thanks all, very much appreciated.

 

[dellzeqq]

Think of the survey this way. It might be that the man or woman knows nothing at all (wtf is nail fatigue?), but the simple fact that the survey mentions this will bash the value in a big way.

Here's the deal. The timbers in this roof may be undersized. Note the word may. If you put on a new roof covering (which may be heavier than the existing) you may have to replace the timbers. If you are putting on a new roof it will have to be designed by a structural engineer - do not, for pity's sake, think that what is there now is necessarily correct. If there is evidence of the roof spreading (purlins separating from struts, rafters shifting against wall plates) you really must get it looked at by a structural engineer. If it's not so far from South London I may be able to put you in touch with somebody.

The basic problem is this - the surveyor thinks there is a problem but hasn't really thought through how to make sure the problem goes away. That's why, with roofs, foundations, wall deflection and the like you are best off calling in the experts.

This all sounds a bit dramatic. The key is to find a structural engineer who is not simply going to cover his or her backside.

Oh - the spray may well corrode galvanised or copper fixings. That's not clever.

 

[The Jogger]

Thanks Dell, the property is in Chichester, an 1870's semi, the attached house has the same roof so I'm guessing it could be the original roof, I'll look into a structural engineer if I decie to proceed.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Think of the survey this way. It might be that the man or woman knows nothing at all (wtf is nail fatigue?), but the simple fact that the survey mentions this will bash the value in a big way.

Here's the deal. The timbers in this roof may be undersized. Note the word may. If you put on a new roof covering (which may be heavier than the existing) you may have to replace the timbers. If you are putting on a new roof it will have to be designed by a structural engineer - do not, for pity's sake, think that what is there now is necessarily correct. If there is evidence of the roof spreading (purlins separating from struts, rafters shifting against wall plates) you really must get it looked at by a structural engineer. If it's not so far from South London I may be able to put you in touch with somebody.

The basic problem is this - the surveyor thinks there is a problem but hasn't really thought through how to make sure the problem goes away. That's why, with roofs, foundations, wall deflection and the like you are best off calling in the experts.

This all sounds a bit dramatic. The key is to find a structural engineer who is not simply going to cover his or her backside.

Oh - the spray may well corrode galvanised or copper fixings. That's not clever.

dellzeqq - it's not that bad is it? See OP. Seems to me only the nails need to be replaced. So it's a tile removal and refit those existing tiles with new nails. No structural problems at all really.

 

[dellzeqq]

dellzeqq - it's not that bad is it? See OP. Seems to me only the nails need to be replaced. So it's a tile removal and refit those existing tiles with new nails. No structural problems at all really.

ask yourself why the nails have come loose............

 

[dellzeqq]

Thanks Dell, the property is in Chichester, an 1870's semi, the attached house has the same roof so I'm guessing it could be the original roof, I'll look into a structural engineer if I decie to proceed.

If next door has the same roof, then you're probably right about it being the original. Which means the battens may be past their best and the timbers are probably undersized

One thing. Some 1870s slate roofs had fearsomely low pitches. If your roof has a low pitch (anything under 25 degrees) then you are in the doodah. Let me know if this is the case and I'll tell you while.

 

[slowmotion]

You could, of course, see the dodgy roof as a rather good opportunity. Negotiate a reasonable lower price and use some of the money to replace the tiles/timbers with a decent roof to modern standards.......incorporating a loft extension which will almost certainly be a very good investment when you eventually sell up. Whatever you do, if you bodge it now, someone will bash down the price when you sell.