Is my roof ok?

Katyroo62

Hello.

I'm hoping that somebody kind can give me a bit of advice. I live in a victorian terrace and last week when it was hammering it down with rain we could hear a dripping sound coming from the loft it lasted for about 5 minutes then the rain lessened and it stopped. WE checked the loft the next day and right above the loft hatch is a hole about the size of a pencil.

What is concerning me is that you could see the tiles and that you could see light coming through in a few other places (they were only small bits though) OH says that it is fine and him and his dad will sort out the pencil sized hole and that it is nothing to worry about. It has rained quite a bit since but not heard the noise again.

But then I went onto the internet and have scared myself by looking at people who have had to replace their whole roof etc and now it is windy outside and there is a draft (wind) coming from the loft hatch.

I know that you can't see my roof and so can't tell me for sure that it is ok but can anyone just let me know whether I am worrying when I don't need to be. Is it ok that I can see the tiles? Is it ok that I can see light? If I did have more leaks how would I know? (I'm guessing that I should just go up after it rains and check whether the insulation is wet?)

Thanks in advance

latecomer

take a pic and post it up if you want opinions.

If you want to get an idea how much water is coming in then pop a bucket where you think its dripping and see how much it has after the next time it rains properly.

ormus

you should not see any light through the roof. if you can see light then water can get in. not a great idea for a roof.
sort of defeats the object.
the good news is that itll probably only need some small repairs such as some slate/tiles replacing.

paddedjohn

ormus wrote: »

you should not see any light through the roof. If you can see light then water can get in. Not a great idea for a roof.
Sort of defeats the object.
The good news is that itll probably only need some small repairs such as some slate/tiles replacing.

i live in a 130yr old house with a slate roof and when i stand in the loft space i can see loads of daylight coming through. This is quite normal in an older house with slates.
Op is yours a slate roof? Can you see the back of the slates from in the loft?
If the answers are yes/yes dont worry, water will only get in if a slate slips as as happened already by the sound of it.
these houses were built before breathable membranes were invented so the gaps act like a vent to let your loft breathe. make sure you have plenty of insulation in the loft and dont forget over the loft lid.
HOUSES WERE BUILT TO LAST BACK THEN

julianashcroft

My previous house was the same, slate roof, no felt, could see daylight in places between the slates, but never had any water come in or damage due to wind. However before I decided to move, I was thinking of having the roof stripped and felt put in.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Our house was like that when we moved in,a 140 year old roof that had little gaps everywhere.
It was like going into an old barn.
It lasted till we had a storm one night and several tiles blew off and flooded the landing as water was pouring through one of the loft hatches.
When we went up in the loft we found previous owners must have had problems too as under the lagging there were old doors and bits of wood and polythene sheets in specific places where the water tended to come in.
We had the roof replaced still in slate but this time with a breathable membrane too.
It's been a lot warmer upstairs too since we did it.
A roof is one of the most important things to keep maintained,it's money well spent afterall it keeps you dry.

SailorSam

I think it's pretty normal to be able to see daylight on old slate roofs. The slates overlap and when you're on the inside you'll be able to see between them but 'cos of the slope the rain can't run upwards.
The small hole sounds to me as if it may have been where the slate was nailed to a beam, as a temporary repair i'd get some sort of mastic, like you have around windows or your bath and fill the hole in.
We had a lot of wind last night, looking out of the window i've lost a fence panel and several panels from the greenhouse i'm just going out to see what i can do. If where you live has been the same maybe a roofer would fix any loose tiles and call it storm damage, check your house insurance, would they pay but check your excess it may not be worth claiming .

Katyroo62

Thank you so much to all of you for your replies.

I'm always amazed at how kind people are on this site and that people are willing to give up their time to help others out even if their problem is minor. It always restores my faith in people when I come on here.

You've all made me feel a lot less panicy about it (I do tend to overreact and think that things are going to cost me thousands of pounds). It is an old slate roof and you can see the back of the slate. I've had a feel around the loft and can't feel any damp bits. I think I will definately get some more insulation.

I like your thinking SailorSam. Think it may be a mastic job for now and I'll keep an eye on it after each windy night. My house insurance is up for renewal in December and I've already found a cheaper deal but I'm going to check what is said about the roof before I get it.

I agree with you paddedjohn about houses being built to last. My friend moved into her house which is only ten years old a month after we moved into this house. Her house was only built ten years ago and she has had loads more problems with hers than we have with ours.

Thanks again everyone

knowloads

Despite all of the above, it would make sense to put a re-roof on the 'must do' list. With new breathable membrane and wood battens fitted 75% of the old slate is normaly re-useable. Then you can forget it for another 120 yrs. The damaged done under the roof may NOT be covered by your insurance as the 'reasonable wear and tear' get out-clause, will be the normal reply, (should it get worse).

latecomer

Great idea - take a perfectly good roof apart just because there is a slate missing????

The roof has been fine for years and will probably continue to be fine once the slate has been replaced.

vaio

I'm just about to re-roof an 1860 house, strip, felt and replace slates making up any missing with second-hand ones.

The major reason is whilst the slates are generally fine the nails holding them aren't, they are 150 years old and little more than rusty stumps so any wind and we have slipped slates and another stacker box goes up in the loft.

I'm not sure when felt came in ('70s?) but anything old enough to not have it could well be coming to the end of life of nails and/or battens so worth a close inspection