Advice re disastrously unsafe roof

born_again

Zimm190 said:

Thanks everyone for your responses. There are some useful things here for us to think about, particularly around going back to the surveyor and not panic-agreeing to a ton of work.

We had another builder come to look at it yesterday, who had a similar response (never seen something so terrible in 12 years, it'll be down with a strong wind or heavy snowfall, etc..) but they have quoted £6.5k. 

My father-in-law, a retired builder, thinks this is suspiciously cheap and has given us some questions to clarify. It's so hard to know what to do for the best!

I certainly don't like to be pressured into making a quick decision when so much money is involved, which I felt the first set of builders were trying to do.

I'm pretty sure it needs doing, and we'll get a third quote if possible, but I'm now hopeful that's it's not a £15k-move-out-due-to-imminent-collapse job. I'll post the pictures if I can.

Has he had a look to give you a opinion of someone who is not looking for work?

pinkshoes

I think a third opinion will be sensible!

Zimm190

Sorry it's so large -- this is the area of concern. It's not a part of the loft we actually use as it's the extension void and not boarded but certainly visible to a surveyor up there to look at the state things are in. 

Aylesbury_Duck

Good grief....I don't know what to say.  My shed has a more substantial roof support system than that.  The brickwork is interesting, too.

Just to be clear: That is a tiled roof on a domestic residence??

Alderbank

All that I see here is a small area near the apex of a what architects call a couple roof. The only thing that I can actually see that is wrong is there is no strap fixing the roof to the gable wall near the apex.
I am sure there is more wrong but we would need some dimensions and more pictures.

• What is the rafter spacing?
• How deep are the rafter timbers (they look suitable thickness of 47mm but the insulation hides the depth)?
• How wide is the roof span (the pitch looks about 30degrees to me)?
• Could you photograph the whole of the gable wall, separate pictures are fine.
• Could you photograph the bottom of the rafters where they are notched into the wall plate

Thanks

PS Those 75mm square bits of timber on the gable wall are not a structural part of the roof.

Aylesbury_Duck

Alderbank said:

All that I see here is a small area near the apex of a what architects call a couple roof. The only thing that I can actually see that is wrong is there is no strap fixing the roof to the gable wall near the apex.
I am sure there is more wrong but we would need some dimensions and more pictures.

• What is the rafter spacing?
• How deep are the rafter timbers (they look suitable thickness of 47mm but the insulation hides the depth)?
• How wide is the roof span (the pitch looks about 30degrees to me)?
• Could you photograph the whole of the gable wall, separate pictures are fine.
• Could you photograph the bottom of the rafters where they are notched into the wall plate

Thanks

PS Those 75mm square bits of timber on the gable wall are not a structural part of the roof.

Phew!  I thought they were loosely nailed to the vertical timber to prop it up!

Alderbank

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Alderbank said:

All that I see here is a small area near the apex of a what architects call a couple roof. The only thing that I can actually see that is wrong is there is no strap fixing the roof to the gable wall near the apex.
I am sure there is more wrong but we would need some dimensions and more pictures.

• What is the rafter spacing?
• How deep are the rafter timbers (they look suitable thickness of 47mm but the insulation hides the depth)?
• How wide is the roof span (the pitch looks about 30degrees to me)?
• Could you photograph the whole of the gable wall, separate pictures are fine.
• Could you photograph the bottom of the rafters where they are notched into the wall plate

Thanks

PS Those 75mm square bits of timber on the gable wall are not a structural part of the roof.

Phew!  I thought they were loosely nailed to the vertical timber to prop it up!

Look at the timber at the very top of the roof where the rafters meet. It looks the same single thickness as the rafters. It is called the ridge board and its job is to keep the rafter pairs lined up. It doesn't carry any weight and doesn't need to be supported.

There are some styles of roof where that timber does need to be supported because it carries some of the weight of the roof. That is a ridge beam and is easily recognised by being very substantial, often several layers thick. That style does require an equally substantial vertical support.
I don't see a ridge beam here.

Zimm190

Here is another view; I only have these two currently. The builders took the photos, came down from the loft, and showed me.

It's definitely not good, is it? To answer the above query, yes this is a tiled roof on our house. It's over the hall, stairs, landing, and spare bedroom.

It's not anywhere near the chimney stack (so not hidden behind it); it would have been visible to the surveyor. You'd have to try hard not to see it really.

Alderbank

That looks to me like a temporary support to hold the ridge board in place while the rafters are fitted.
Again no sign of a strap tying the first rafter to the gable wall.
I look forward to seeing how the rafters are notched on to the wall plates

Ectophile

PS Those 75mm square bits of timber on the gable wall are not a structural part of the roof.

That's definitely true.  But were they supposed to be a structural part of the roof?