Attic Condensation

MickMun

Afternoon people!

We have just purchased a house which is in good condition apart from the attic.

The attic has large amounts of mould on the sarking timbers which we have had checked by timber specialists. According to them there is a build up of condensation in the attic, so they will need to place vents and also treat the mould/replace some timber in the attic.

We have been quoted ~£800 for the work and I just wanted to check if this is a fair quote? (For a 2-bed terraced house)
We have also had a roofer confirm that the moisture is not due to leaks/problems with roof tiles.

Any help is appreciated!

LisaLou1982

Not sure about the timbers and how much they would cost to replace but you can do the vents yourself!!
Cheap to buy - if you have felt on the back and standard tiled roof then you would need easy vents. Other options would be tile or wedge vents but i wouldnt know without seeing a pic of your roof.

Hopefully someone will come along soon to tell you about costs of the timbers - it sounds a lot to me on first thought but then again, how many timbers need replacing? It might be worth getting someone else out to advise you

docmatt

Hmm, mould is usually on the surface of the wood. The wood would only need changing if it was rotten. Is the underfelt wet?

I'd hold fire for a bit.

For now i'd retrofit some vents either circular soffit vents (DIY) or over fascia vents and tile vents (Roofer). Also move the loft insulation away from the eaves, it shouldn't be squashed into the corners. Hire yourself a dehumidifyer (sp.) and stick it in the loft for a week.

The previous owner could have hung clothes on radiators, had the heating on full wack and never opened any windows. Just a day of having all the windows open gives your house a condensation service (when it's dry outside, obviously!).

Do you have an extractor van in the bathroom?

docmatt

Can you take some pictures of the timbers? Where abouts are you based?

MickMun

Thanks for the replies!

We havent moved into the house yet, get the keys in a week!
We had the a timber specialist and roofer go round before purchasing, I haven't spoken to them directly and just going by the written report I was given which states the following:

"Fibreboard in certain areas is affected by condensation due to lack of ventilation. We reccomend the following:

1 - Remove and replace damaged fibreboard with plywood
2 - Treat exposed timber joists and rafters with fungicidal fluid
3 - Supply and fit soffit vents to front and rear to allow airflow"

I'm not too sure the extent of timber which requires replacing - once we get the keys on friday I am going to re-check the attic and maybe get another timber specialist round for a quote/to find out exactly how much wood needs replacing!

Is it likely therefore that the majority of the cost will be for the replacement of the wood?

Thanks!

docmatt

So was this initially picked up on the house survey?

MickMun

In the original house survey it was only slightly mentioned as "slight staining to sarking timbers". However after looking at the attic and seeing the mould growth when viewing we got the owners to have the timber company round to confirm if there was any damage/what needed done etc.

Also forgot to mention we're based in dundee and the house has been left empty for about 2/3months as the owners had already moved out.

docmatt

ok, plenty of pictures would be good.

damonflash

Before going to all that expense try a dehumidifier, we had the exact same problem in our Barrett house. After years of drying clothes on radiators and concern over damp christmas decorations we tried one of these proir to calling a builder around.
http://www.ecoair.org/DD122FW.html (classic version)

We opened up the attic entrance and left the machine on laundry mode for a couple of days and now a completely dry attic.

We used to have condensation issues also on the double glazing, this is also a thing of the past. Good Luck

Biofox

Hello,

I have the same problem in my house. I purchased it last August and when we had the survey done the loft hatch was jammed so the couldn't get in to view it. I didn't notice any problems until (like above poster mentioned) I went in to fish out the xmas decs and noticed drips. I was really concerned at first and had my dad over (good ol' dad!) to look at it. We differ in opinion as to the root cause of the damp- I think it is condensation (he thinks it was the masses of snow we had at the time, I dont often disagree with pops but this time I do).

I bought a dehumidifier and run it in the house. I also keep the bathroom window and spare bedroom window on "vent" to allow air into the house. Does the house have a chimney? When we had our double glazing fitted when we first moved in we noticed a lot of condensation on the windows. Had the window people back out who said if you dry your clothes inside etc all that moisture has to go somewhere! He pointed out that since we dont have a chimney there is less air flow and having the double glazing put in has essentially "sealed" our house.

Our condensation hasn't gone from the loft, although it is only bad enough to drip (small amounts, not rain!) when it is very very cold outside. Our next plan is to cut back the insulation as it has been wedged in like a duvet on a made bed! And also fit some soffit vents.

I mention putting the dehumidifier in the house rather than the loft because (without going into a big dewpoint and air humidity levels explanation) the air needs to be warm in order for more moisture to be extracted from it. You would prob need an industrial dehumidifier, with a built in heater- like they use to dry out newly built houses, as your loft is much colder than the house. Start with the house, the moisture has to be coming from somewhere.

Sorry for the long response!

Hang about! They say fibreboard needs replacing with plywood? I think the fibreboard is the stuff you stand on (isn't it?). I hope I am not making myself out to be really silly when I say that! If it is the fibreboard (meaning the removable flooring one usually lays themselves) that is soft because it has soaked up some drips or excess moisture it certainly shouldn't be £800 to put all of what you said right!
You can buy fungacidal wash from DIY shops, likewise some sheets of ply to lay on the floor over the joists.

If they were replacing the roof timbers it would probably cost a lot more than £800, as I dont think you can do that from the inside. You would need to hire scaffold and remove the tiles from the roof in order to get to the roof timbers.

This is all speculation mind. Wait until you get there to see for yourself. They may only be telling you that XYZ needs doing because they stand to make some money from you.

MickMun

Thanks for the advice biofox and damonflash!

We get the keys tomorrow so I'll be able to have a good look around and see exactly what the problem is/put pictures up! I'm not sure whether this wood is on the floor or where exactly (I'm not the most technically minded, as it shows!)

The house is double glazed and does have a chimney, however the cover that is used at the moment essentially seals the chimney off!

I think we will try and give the dehumidifier a go to begin with and definitly treat the mould ourselves! If that doesnt show any results we'll go from there!