Is my roof ok?

samtheman1k

Are you sure the water wasn't coming from the water dripping down the drainpipe? It can be quite loud sometimes. or maybe an overflowing gutter if it is blocked? Have you actually any water damage on the floor of your loft?

chuckalicious_2

I'll be saying similar to those above I think.

I live in a very similar property and when we bought it the roof was all original slate. When I went into the loft for the first time saw daylight I immediately thought we'd bought a duff house and that it was the end of the world that the roof might need replacing as we'd heard stories of £30,000 costs for re-roofs!

However, as has been said previously by others, this is normal - your roof isn't felted (didn't exist when it was built) and it doesn't need it. The gaps keep the roof ventilated, so if any little bits of water do get in, which they will, the constant breeze will dry it out. That's a healthy old roof.

However, if you do get water coming in making the wood damp, then you do need to address it. Chances are it's just a slipped or missing slate higher up the roof (water can run a long way down the roof before it finds a way past the wood). This is easy and cheap to repair.

However, the issue that arises is how often does a slate need replaced and how easy is it for the roofer to replace the slate without damaging lots of the old slate around it? The roof does have a lifespan and although you can keep it going almost indefinitely with lots of maintenance, the slates will become brittle and flaky and will come off one by one in bad weather. It is at this point that you need to consider a re-roof.

You need to know the following:

1. Are you in a conservation area
2. Does your local council require planning permission
3. Do your neighbours intend on reroofing

I was in your situation after about 2 years of constant leaks from the back of our roof. The slate was in such poor condition that any tradesman coming round had real trouble fixing it because as they put one new slate in, another would come out, or snap etc.

So we decided we needed to re-cover the back of the house (the front wasn't in quite such bad condition). In total, for a decent sized house, in new, beautiful Burlington Blue slate (stipulated by the local council as we are in a conservation area) and a membrane, some chimney work and new cast iron guttering, it cost about £4500. It wouldn't have been double that if we did the front and back, as the scaffolding would have already been there.

We didn't do the front because A we didn't have the cash and B the council wanted the entire tarrace to re-roof at the same time for looks, or for us to use reclaimed slate which would have upped the cost.

The biggest hurdle is finding a reliable and good quality roofer. Once you have one of them who knows your roof you'll be fine.

If you're interested here is my thread for the re-roof on DIYNOT.com, it's a very indepth discussion of your question, with pictures

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=120366&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60