Damp rafters in loft

Jeepers_Creepers

Why tile vents?! What are your soffits made of?

Assuming them to be 'normal' - ie with a void behind leading directly to the loft space - then sticking in a row of round soffit vents would be my personal preference, along with - of course - clearing away the insulation for the eaves gap. Good chance they are PVC - do you know? (I guess if they are asbestos-cement, he might be wary...)

Why start messing about with removing tiles it is ain't necessary?

Oh, and vents on both sides for a through-flow?

Smithy99

They look like pvc. I remember the survey we had done when we brought the place said they couldn't be sure if the pvc ones had just been installed over rotted wood ones. I'm not sure why they thought that might be the case though. 

He didn't say which side etc for the vents. 

Davesnave

I would vent the soffits first and go step by step to see how much is condensation. Concrete roof tiles last a lot longer than 50 years....or I imagine they do, because mine were fine at 45 years, when I replaced battens and membrane and I'm not expecting sudden deterioration in the next 12 months!

Jeepers_Creepers

Smithy99 said:

They look like pvc. I remember the survey we had done when we brought the place said they couldn't be sure if the pvc ones had just been installed over rotted wood ones. I'm not sure why they thought that might be the case though. 

He didn't say which side etc for the vents. 

Cladding over existing timber soffits/fascias was sometimes done as a cheap cosmetic option. I've heard it can cause rot due to trapped moisture between the two layers, but don't know if that's true.

Doesn't matter if there's timber behind it - hole-sawing is still a breeze. This is an EASY, semi-skilled job. The vents are cheap.

Please do check the quant and spacing they intend to use - and on both sides.

Does your extension have vents in its soffits?

EssexExile

Concrete tiles last for ages, our last house was a 30s house and that had the original roof on.
There's nothing wrong with PVC cladding over timber fascia and soffits, it doesn't cause damp.

Smithy99

No, we have two extensions and neither appear to have ventilation in the soffits either.

Smithy99

Hi Jeepers,
i came to give you an update on what the insulation people said. They recommended some soffit vents and a couple of tile vents. Said they wouldn't worry about the roof felt too much at this point as it's a secondary defence and the roof tiles all look fine.