house i am buying has no roof lining?

kitchencrazy

Did you have a survey done? We were in the process of buying a 30's semi earlier this year and the survey picked up a few problems with the roof, one being the lack of felt under lay. Bad for heat loss and leaking rain water if I remember correctly. Anyway we had to pull out of the purchase as the mortgage company refused to lend us the money until the current owner re roofed the whole house as the survey had stated it was no longer fit for purpose.

27col wrote: »

I have worked in quite a few old houses over the years and they were no better built than modern ones. Most houses have always been spec built and still are. In addition there were few building regulations to be observed so there was no incentive for the builder to produce anything more than he could get away with.

Often heard things like this about modern houses and thought it is probably a load of rubbish. I'm sure that there are well built new houses and some rubbish too. Sure that the same goes for old houses.

techmob

Yes i have had a survey done but it was the basic one, the valuation

the house was not flagged up about the roof but did state house was in the expected condition for the age and it mentioned about radon gas but nothing specific with repairs etc

we have a mortgage for the house and look to exchange on tuesday

thanks

sundin13

Hi, we had exactly the same issue in our !915 semi. I was a bit disturbed at first by the lack of roof lining, but I read enough posts on here to ease my mind. The torching (mortar holding the slates on) does disintegrate and make a horrendous amount of dust though, and I didn't want that all over the contents of my loft - or all over the new insulation getting put down.

What I did was buy, from ebay, a 50m roll of breathable roofing membrane (£30) and an electric staple gun (£20). I then had a fun day up there stapling the membrane across the rafters, so that the dust was trapped on top of the membrane. It's made a significant difference - not completely got rid of the dust (when it was windy last week for example), but it's noticeably better. I've got a few things up there like Christmas decorations and suitcases that I didn't want to get full of dust - and I'm happy with the difference the membrane has made.

HTH

techmob

thanks that sounds like something i will need

Gloomendoom

techmob wrote: »

i am not worried about the dust but the amount that is up there didn't look normal.

It's pretty normal for a 1930's and earlier house. I expect there are hundreds of thousands of houses without any sarking felt.

On a positive note, it is unlikely to suffer from condensation problems.

Rotor

I've just rebuilt an outbuilding to make a guestroom/playroom and put breathable fabric on the roof because it seemed the done thing but but am not very sure what the benefits are.
It seems if I have a leaking roof, instead of having a damp patch on the ceiling plasterboard, I will know nothing about it untill the battens rot and the slates fall off.
Any thoughts anyone?

Andy_Spoo_2

I work on around 5 houses a day, installing loft insulation. I've seen thousands of theses houses and can confirm that 80 percent are exactly the same. They're easy houses to work on, but I always end up covered in dust etc. The information given above is pretty accurate.

The dust won't bother your insulation. It's a loft, not a room. It's supposed to be cold and windy!! It's the rooms below that need to be insulated and warm. Don't be tempted to stuff the eaves with insulation. You'll just be asking for trouble. Remember that a warm loft is a bad loft (they'll just get damp and rotten). The more insulation you put in, the colder the loft should be (less heat penetrating from the rooms below).

Andy_Spoo_2

Rotor wrote: »

I've just rebuilt an outbuilding to make a guestroom/playroom and put breathable fabric on the roof because it seemed the done thing but but am not very sure what the benefits are.
It seems if I have a leaking roof, instead of having a damp patch on the ceiling plasterboard, I will know nothing about it untill the battens rot and the slates fall off.
Any thoughts anyone?

Your spot-on!! I've seen the inside of roofs covered in plastic sheeting and have thought exactly the same thing.

Even worse, people have paid good money for the insides of there lofts to be covered in expanding foam, with even worse results. And since you need to keep the 'eaves' clear (to prevent rotting), it's a complete waste of money imo !

baldelectrician

Andy_Spoo wrote: »

I work on around 5 houses a day, installing loft insulation. I've seen thousands of theses houses and can confirm that 80 percent are exactly the same.

I didn't know this was the norm until I went to my mates in Northern Ireland (they do it that way as well there)

I have been in lots of lofts in Scotland and they almost ALL have sarking board, then felt then battens and then tiles etc.
This is even the norm in tenement lofts that are > 100 years old


That's probably why roofs tend not to blow off frequently up in Scotland (despite winds of > 100 mph)

oxfordt

use breathable marerial if you do felt / cover. Then you do not have to have ventilation at the ridge, the eaves vents should be enough to circulate.
I've lived in 200 year old cottages, victorian houses, 1930's, 1950's flats, and at moment in a 1980's modern estate home all of which have had no dust problem in loft.
PS do not leave loft door open if possible, if doors get opened down stairs wind can travel and lift loose tiles.

techmob wrote: »

Hi

i am in the process of buying a house due to exchange next week. I went in the attic to check what it was like up there and the amount of dust suprised me. it was thick and circulating the room.

i also noticed that you could just see the roof tiles, there was no inner lining like there is on my current house

the house is 1930s build and the roof does look old but it concerns me there is no lining.

Is there a way to put lining on the inside of the roof or would there be a reason why there is no lining on the inside or is the lining only put on when a new roof is?

thanks