Roof help please ?

SuseOrm

I have a couple of odd questions if I may hoping that somebody might have been in the same boat as me so I’ve just bought a mid terraced property. There’s a budliah tree growing out of the back chimney I appear to have two.

there appears to be some damp in the second bedroom the ceiling paint is flaking away but that’s nowhere near where this chimney is with the tree.

given that the house is got to be at least 120 years old and that I would like to do a loft conversion in 2 to 3 years time would you just bite the bullet and get a new roof ?

or if I’m going down that road do we think it would be possible to just get the new roof done and install a dormer at the back while they’re at it with a view to put in the electrics plus plastering, plumbing  etc at a later date when I’ve got more money ?

additional strange question to me and the kids need to move out while this is happening ?

thank you

FreeBear

You need to get rid of the Budleia asap. If left to grow, it will push all the bricks apart, and the chimney could eventually collapse - A tonne of masonry coming through the roof will cause a lot of damage and could kill someone (and no, insurance wouldn't cover the collapse/repair).

Get a local roofer in to deal with the Budleia, and while he is up there, make good any slipped tiles/slates - That is the likely reason for the ceiling being damp. Although, if you have any water tanks up in the loft, there might be a leak from the tank or pipework.

I'd get the other issues fixed before worrying about a loft conversion - Assuming this is the 2 up 2 down you were looking at back in March, you have your hands full with windows, doors, and insulating. If you do go for a loft conversion, retiling can wait until then. Scaffolding is a big expense, so you might as well do it just the once (and do anything else at the roofline & externally while it is up).

SuseOrm

Thank you I wonder if they could just take the whole flipping chimney off while they’re up there it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose

FreeBear

SuseOrm said:

Thank you I wonder if they could just take the whole flipping chimney off while they’re up there it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose

Is it shared with next door ?

If you want to fit a (small) wood stove, having a functioning chimney will make it a fairly simple job and keep it affordable (£1200-1500 plus stove).

SuseOrm

No I definitely do not want any log burners and all that nonsense.  I’m more a minimalistic underfloor heating kind of gal.. it is shared with Next Door by some miracle this bloody tree seems to be growing out of my side and absolutely nothing on hers which seems a little odd.  But luckily it’s at the back of the property so they can get up there with ladders.  

SuseOrm

Oh the joys so the roofer came round and replaced the lead flashing that was causing the immediate issue and pulled out one of the butler trees he couldn’t get to the other but he didn’t seem to think that was causing too much of a problem however. 

He did take some photographs of my slate roof Wally was up there and to be fair I seem to be the only one in the street with the original slate roof left everyone else’s replace theirs with concrete.  

So two quotes so far one for 12 grand and one for six.  

The guy that did this little piece of work I accidentally let slip that I’ve been quiet to 12 grand and he said yeah I should be able to knock a bit off that … like 50% ??? 

I’m just not sure if the 12 grand is the right price and the other one is just pie in the sky or a bunch of Cowboys aren’t gonna do the job properly.  

It’s not a big mid terraced house.  

Any further thoughts please or words of wisdom ?
 Thank you 

FreeBear

Do you have many slates that are broken or slipping ?

If not, I'd be inclined to leave well alone and just concentrate on the flashing - Decent slate will last 200 years or more. It is usually the nails that fail... Replacing the slate for concrete tiles can be problematic. You need to ensure that the roof timbers and upper wall can take the extra weight. If not, the rafters will sag and possibly push the top of the walls out.

Slate from overseas (particularly from Spain or Brazil) is too soft for the UK climate, and I have heard of it needing replacing after only five years... Artificial slate should last 40-50 years, but still well short of Cumbrian or Welsh slate (150-200 years). Cumbrian/Welsh slate will be eyewateringly expensive though.

Depending on what roofer #1 is proposing, £12K could be very cheap using new slate of questionable quality. Roofer #2 at £6K may well be hoping to reuse much of the original slate - But you'd need to be careful about the choice of any replacement slate.

theoretica

If you are the only one of houses built at the same time with the original roof then I would take it as a fair sign replacement may well be genuinely needed - or you have bought into a street of people who love building works for the sake of it...    As above - you need to know exactly what materials the quotes will be using and that can significantly affect the cost.  And also decide what you want, no point discounting quotes for being in the wrong place among the choices of cheap, durable, looks the same when you could have asked for a quote for what you wanted.

Friends who are going through it at the moment found doing roof and loft conversion at the same time was the best route for them. 

tacpot12

You should also consider whether you will ever want to install external wall insulation on the house. If there is a chance that you do want to do this, planning the new roof so that it extends the correct distance AFTER the wall insulation is added will make a much better job of the wall insulation. 

SuseOrm

tacpot12 said:

You should also consider whether you will ever want to install external wall insulation on the house. If there is a chance that you do want to do this, planning the new roof so that it extends the correct distance AFTER the wall insulation is added will make a much better job of the wall insulation. 

Do you think that something that I should do with the mid terraced I had a friend who is a surveyor who is very much against stay on the basis of the walls don’t get to breath … traps the moisture in ? 

Thank you 

stuart45

Are the walls face brick or rendered?