Rafter Insulation — Remove or Keep?

stuart45

Google ice dams for a sleepless night.

paperclap

Why oh why! 

thegreenone

We lived in our bungalow for 20 years with no roof felt and glimpses of the sky through tiny gaps in the tiles.  We put everything in the loft into plastic boxes and occasionally had a few drops of water on them.  

We had it completely re-roofed six years ago (when we could afford it!) with super-duper insulation.  It will see us out and beyond.  Those very knowledgeable people on Page 1 have said remove.

paperclap

Thanks thegreenone!

Do you know why water was making its way in occasionally? Was it lifted tiles, or during heavy winds water was finding it’s way upward?

paperclap

Thought I’d update you all.

Started removing the insulation and board today.

Look at the state of that felt! 

FreeBear

Can see why someone would have put polystyrene boards between the rafters.

I'd be looking at getting some quotes to strip the roof & put a breathable membrane in. It is not an urgent job - Perhaps sometime within the next 5 years or so.

Bendy_House

laurencewhymark said:

Thought I’d update you all.

Started removing the insulation and board today.

Look at the state of that felt! 

That's in a state all right!

Provided no (excessive) rain gets blown in, that just shouldn't be an issue. Are you planning any work to the roof - or a loft conversion - in the future? If so, I'd personally just monitor that - say have a gander after any storms/heavy rain and wind - and see if water has got in to the loft.

If you aren't planning any roof work, then I'd personally just ditto!

Unless there's a good reason, why would you spend multi-£ks on stripping a roof just to add a layer of Tyvek...

paperclap

Thanks both.

It angers and saddens me that the previous owner hadn’t had this felt redone already… especially as he had already had leaks prior. This felt has clearly been bad for quite some time now! It’s almost 70 years old for goodness sake.

But anyway, yes, think I’ll monitor it over this winter.

Depending on the quantity and severity of the leaks, I’ll silicone up at the time. Then, come next year I’ll strip the roof, refelt, rebatten and maybe even retile (you’re up there anyway!). Hoping to do this myself. But, then again, I’m no pro roofer. Doesn’t seem a hard job though 

Was quoted £4,000-£8,000 just to refelt and rebatten. Using the same tiles. Quite a wide bracket, but guess depends on any issues with tile breakage, rotten wood, etc. Same company said tiles are around £1 (or a little more) each.

Had maybe planned a loft conversion with 2-3 dormers in day 5 years… but, it is a lot of money, after all. So, not sure if we will.

It’s light rain right now, and my heart is just sinking 

Bendy_House

Light rain - even heavy rain - just shouldn't be a problem. The waterproofing of your roof doesn't rely on the felt - it's only there in case water gets blown in under unusual circumstances, or if a tile falls off.

The gaps of light are a 'good thing' - that's ventilation...

Even if some rain does get blown in, it'll almost certainly not be an issue - provided it isn't so intensive that it causes actual problems. A few drops here and there are nothing - they'll get blown dry.

Personally, if that were my roof and there was a fair chance I'd be doing a loft conversion in 5 years time, I'd simply (a) monitor it and (b) not worry about it. I'd only go to the expense of redoing the roof to add felt if there was a solid reason for doing so - actual rain coming in.

Meanwhile, rain shouldn't be coming in - your roof is tiled!

paperclap

Thanks for the words of wisdom Bendy_House. Always appreciated 

I’ll do just that. Remove all the insulation, “tidy it up” up there, and simply monitor when it pours!