Spray foam under roof on purchase

phey708

Hi,

I am in the process or purchasing a property and still awaiting draft contracts. I have already organised a house survey however and this has come back with a few potential reds such as window fittings and no gas/electricity certificates which I think is understandable for a property of its age (1946).

One of the issues found however was that the underside of the roof has been sprayed with foam which it mentions is recommended to be removed but may cause damage to the timber if done so and that there was no immediate issues found with the roof structure.

having a quick read this looks to be a negative point for potential buyers and some suggestions are flying about for getting a quote for a replacement roof or knocking down the asking price. What are people’s thoughts on spray foam in the underside of the roof and is this something we should be negotiating as part of a house purchase?

canaldumidi

Every time this comes up, the more expert posters here explain what a no-no it is, how it can hide issues, how expensive any roof repairs are and even more so the cost of roof replacement. The advice seems to be either find another property or budget £5-10K+ for possible removal. 'Budget' either by having it in your back pocket, ot reducing the price.

FreeBear

canaldumidi said: The advice seems to be either find another property or budget £5-10K+ for possible removal. 'Budget' either by having it in your back pocket, ot reducing the price.

There is growing evidence that a number of lenders are refusing to provide mortgages with spray foam in the loft (or significantly reduce the amount they are prepared to lend). Having dug in to BBA certification for one type (Icynene open cell), it is not certified for installation between the rafters of an unheated loft space. And despite the claims that this stuff is breathable, there is no peer reviewed evidence to back this up.

If you do go ahead with this purchase, negotiate a good reduction in price. If there is felt or sarking boards under the tiles/slates, your removal costs should be relatively low (£6-10K). If the foam is stuck to the tiles, then budget £20-25K and cross your fingers that no rot has set in.

If the vendor is not prepared to reduce the price, then walk away.

breaking_free

...and I'm someone who pulled out of a purchase a few weeks back after asking the same question on this forum. I did quite a bit of research and this is the best information I found on the subject.

Find another place to buy and best of luck.

canaldumidi

breaking_free said:

...and I'm someone who pulled out of a purchase a few weeks back after asking the same question on this forum. I did quite a bit of research and this is the best information I found on the subject.

Find another place to buy and best of luck.

Broken link.....

breaking_free

^ whoops! Fixed that now. Cheers Canaldumidi.

phey708

Thank you for that link it was an interesting read and an eye opening one at that. I am more confident now how much of an issue that buying a house with spray foam applied can be and armed with information from my surveyor I have gone back to the estate agent and explained I would like the insulation to be removed or I will adjust the offer with a quote for a worse case scenario (replacing some rafters which may have become rotten).

I am 75% sure I know what the answer will be and it may be that I have to pull out of the house.

canaldumidi

I'm 95% sure of the answer, but it's probobly the right thing to do.

Hope you find another attractive property soon.

robatwork

I was close to buying a house that had this foam insulation. I got in a roofing expert who I knew personally so trusted completely - he was in the industry but not doing roofing himself any more so nothing to lose or gain.

I pulled out of the deal as he advised the roof was pretty old anyway, but the foam was a real show stopper and I should budget for a new roof. Seller wouldn't negotiate so that was that.