Advice Needed - "window" in Roof?!!

SkiptheHobbit

Hi,

Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm hoping you can help me with some advice.

We recently viewed a 1930s style 3 bed terrace, and on 2nd viewing looked in the loft and noticed daylight. From outside, it was clear that, not only does the roof bow in the middle, but there is a hole of about 10 tiles missing (clay tiles). When mentioned to the EA, he had no idea and said the vendors hadn't told him about any issues with the roof. We had another look in the loft hatch (couldn't go into the loft as no ladder left out by vendor), and there are tarpaulins in the loft space, so I can only assume that it leaks.

We got a few quotes from local roofers for total re-working of the roof, and put in a quote based on the costs. The EA has come back to say that the vendors knew about the hole (unsurprising) and that it was there when they moved in 17 years ago and is apparently an old-fashioned window, used to get light into the roof space before electricity was routed into the loft.

This sounds like total BS to me....has anyone experienced anything like this before, or have any knowledge of this kind of "window"? We have so far refused to reconsider the offer, and cited and bowing structure (and the fact that 60% of houses on the street have replacement roofs so it's clearly due sometime soon), but I'm very skeptical about this hole!

Any advice greatly appreciated

Skip x

Mr_Moo_2

So they've got tarpaulins to sort a leaking roof. I wonder what else has been skimped on maintenance wise? One to move on from......

PaulCooper

The answer to this has to be driven by

• your attitude to taking on a building problem
• the price you pay

If like most people you don't know much about houses and how they are built, you are probably better staying away from it.

If your happy to take on some risk and know enough that a builder can't mislead you, or you have a friendly builder that you trust, buy the property at a price that covers all the work plus sizable contingency.

Personally, if it were the house I wanted, I'd buy it and get it sorted, but there again, I have no problem in taking on a building project, providing the money is available to fix it.

They won't sell it easily with a wacking hole in the roof.
You could of course pay £400 & get it surveyed, £400 may of course cover the repair of the hole.
Paul

00ec25

in the days before velux windows my uncle's 5 bed Victorian property in London had such a window for exactly the same reason. In fact his was "worse" than that because the loft hatch was also made of glass and the window was directly above the hatch so that light reached the upstairs landing

whether such windows are common or rare is not the issue for you though, the issue is you have a leaking roof, either walk away or budget for its replacement - simple choice

cattie

I've lived in 30's houses with no window or hole in the roof & I've lived in houses with a window in the roof to let light into the loft, but never, ever have I heard of or seen a house with just a hole in the roof as a means of letting light in.

I'd be very scetptical too!

LisaLou1982

SkiptheHobbit wrote: »

Hi,

Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm hoping you can help me with some advice.

We recently viewed a 1930s style 3 bed terrace, and on 2nd viewing looked in the loft and noticed daylight. From outside, it was clear that, not only does the roof bow in the middle, but there is a hole of about 10 tiles missing (clay tiles). When mentioned to the EA, he had no idea and said the vendors hadn't told him about any issues with the roof. We had another look in the loft hatch (couldn't go into the loft as no ladder left out by vendor), and there are tarpaulins in the loft space, so I can only assume that it leaks.

We got a few quotes from local roofers for total re-working of the roof, and put in a quote based on the costs. The EA has come back to say that the vendors knew about the hole (unsurprising) and that it was there when they moved in 17 years ago and is apparently an old-fashioned window, used to get light into the roof space before electricity was routed into the loft.

This sounds like total BS to me....has anyone experienced anything like this before, or have any knowledge of this kind of "window"? We have so far refused to reconsider the offer, and cited and bowing structure (and the fact that 60% of houses on the street have replacement roofs so it's clearly due sometime soon), but I'm very skeptical about this hole!

Any advice greatly appreciated

Skip x

Depending on location, it is quite common for 1930's and older housing to have a skylight in which would look simply like a pane of glass rather than the newer velux windows.

when you say there is tarpaulin in the roof, do you mean it is attached to the rafters? This is common in older properties to stop any dirt coming down off the tiles. I have it in my loft. there certainly isnt a leak!! is the loft hatch a glazed one?

Id advise taking a ladder and actually going up and having a look! Theres not much you can see properly from looking up at the loft hatch from the landing.

Oh, and depending on when you looked and what the light was like from the outside, and if they had lined the rafters over the window, it could possibly look like it was a hole as opposed to the window.

G_M

there is a hole of about 10 tiles missing (clay tiles). When mentioned to the EA, he had no idea and said the vendors hadn't told him about any issues with the roof. We had another look in the loft hatch (couldn't go into the loft as no ladder left out by vendor), and there are tarpaulins in the loft space,...

it was there when they moved in 17 years ago

:rotfl: Haven't laughed this much for.....

Yorkie1

I think you need to double check whether it is a hole without anything in it, or a gap with a glass pane in it.

phoebe1989seb

Our last-but-one house, a 6 bed Victorian detached built in 1888, had a flush skylight-type metal-framed window in the roof that was positioned directly above a large obscure glass window in the ceiling above the very grand stairwell in order to let light in. When we had the roof replaced in 2004 we had to have the roof window repaired as it had minor leaking issues that had impacted upon the window in the ceiling below. The actual loft hatch was situated in a completely different part of the house on the top floor.........

If it's just a hole, OP it does seem rather strange! More likely that there's a window there but leaks have required a tarpaulin to be affixed......

marshall666

surely if this was an actual hole that had been there for 17 years the rest of the house would be showing it by now!