Survey Report: Thatch Roof Overlaid with Tiles

Steffi747

Bit of an unusual one...

Just got the results of the full building survey on a house we are purchasing. The survey quotes:

"The original thatch roof covering has been overlaid with tiles which is a very unusual arrangement as normally the thatch will be completely stripped prior to re-roofing."

I have had a Google, but to no avail.

Is this truly unusual?

Any thoughts welcomed.

G_M

Sounds extraordinary!

Good insulation though.

I would ring the surveyor and ask if here are any negative implications.

Fire_Fox

Fire hazard? Is the house listed and if so is there listed building consent in place to tile the roof?

Steffi747

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Fire hazard? Is the house listed and if so is there listed building consent in place to tile the roof?

No, its not listed. I was thinking fire hazard too, and surely an insurance implication?

thelem

Would that cause the thatch to get damp and rot, meaning the tiles no longer had a solid foundation to sit on?

MX5huggy

What are the tiles fixed to?

The thatch can't hold the tiles?

teneighty

That is very unusual. So unusual I cannot see how it is possible.

Thatch is usually about 2 feet thick and usually considerably thicker. Over time it degrades and thins out. Any roof tiles fixed above the thatch (I assume to timber battens) would slowly sink and become very uneven and unstable.

What I have seen is a thin layer of reed laid under tiles to act as an early form of sarking. I can't help wondering if the surveyor/valuer has seen that and mistakenly assumed the tiles were laid over thatch.

I would love to see a photo if it is tiles on thatch as that is a first for me.

Steffi747

MX5huggy wrote: »

What are the tiles fixed to?

The thatch can't hold the tiles?

The report goes on to say "It is assumed a secondary structure has been created over the thatch to support the new tiles, however, the structure is concealed by the thatch..."

The surveyor suggests that if no building regulations documentation exists then invasive investigations are carried out to reveal the structure.

Overall the visible roof structure is in good order for the type and age of the property.

I guess a roof specialist is the next step.

PasturesNew

How bizarre. Unless they stripped the thatch down to rafters level, strapped batons horizontally then fixed on the tiles .... leaving some straw in place as "insulations".

Sounds like the way all work used to be done: Bloke wants a job doing, bloke down the pub offers to give him a hand, couple of neighbours turn up... they scratch their heads for 20 minutes then come up with a daft plan, which is then carried out. Beers all round, job done.

That's how it used to happen before building regs etc.

I'd not touch it with a bargepole ..... nor any other bodges.

(Note: Unqualified opinion of a pessimist).

Mrs_Imp

I've come across this before. It came to light when the owners were re-roofing the house. They took the tiles off and found a thatch underneath! It must've been like that for over 50 years.

Worth getting it investigated further to see if it's really a problem, or just an oddity.

Steffi747

Link to picture...

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5980/thatchroof.png