Mid purchase - roof needs replacing - what would you do?

MikeJXE

Taking off tiles re-felt, lath and re-tile is the easy bit and cheapest. 

If there is a sag in the ridge line you have a bigger problem, it will be structural that re tiling will not cure 

propertyrental

northernlass29876 said:

LegallyLandlord said:

What would I do?

I’d get a roofing company to do a proper quote and try to negotiate it to come off the purchase price.

It’s worth going in the loft yourself (if it’s accessible) to see what the problem is. Can you see daylight? Is there signs of water getting in? Are there tide / water marks on the ceiling? What are the joists like? Is the insulation dry. If it’s spray foam insulation, run a mile!

It’s an old house (1920s). 

Got one quote coming in tomorrow for a strip and recover (same tiles) with added membrane, lath, chimney flashings, re bedding of verge and ridge tiles plus upgrading of insulation. It’s basically just a 21st century modernisation of an old roof that’s clearly never been touched since built.  I’ve been given a ballpark figure for this work over the phone.

A family member (also property developer) says he will put the quote to his roofer once and I get it to see if he can get it for slightly less. 

The heat loss with this roof will be extensive in an already poorly insulated house, so getting the roof upgraded from the get go would be pretty much a must for us. 

It's really unclear what the problem is and why (or how soon) the 'roof is going to need replacing".
Yes, as pointed out, all roofs are going to need replacing sometime. Maybe in a year, or 10 years, or 50. If your 'professionals' mean "need replacing urgently" ie it leaks or is structurally unsound/dangerous, well, they should be making that clear to you.

"a strip and recover (same tiles) with added membrane, lath, chimney flashings, re bedding of verge and ridge tiles " suggests nothing urgent.
The tiles are obviously good (or why recover/re-use) but maybe some are loose, slipped maybe a few cracked. No need to replace the whole roof, just fix the dodgy ones.
Add membrane? A nice-to-have, not essential. 000s of houses (mine included) have no membrane. Unless you actually have a problem of driving wind causing water ingress/damp, it's not an issue. Is the attic damp....?
OK, so some flashing, ridge tiles etc need some work. That does not necessitate a re-roof!

So budget for a few new tiles and some cement work on the ridges and verges. Or, if you insist, throw several thousand £s at a complete new roof but don't expect the seller to contribute unless you can show a much better reason than you've stated here so far. Re-roofing, membrane etc is your choice.I understand you want to upgrade your new home but tat's exactly what you are proposing- an 'upgrade', not an essential repair.

"The heat loss with this roof will be extensive in an already poorly insulated house, so getting the roof upgraded from the get go would be pretty much a must for us. "

This makes NO sense at all. Insulation, which is cheap (see here ) goes on the attic floor and stops heat rising into the attic. The attic space itself does not need keeping warm (other than insulating any pipes etc up there. Indeed the attic space needs to be well ventilated to avoid condensation and damp, so should not be heated/kept warm, Unless of course you plan to make it a living space in which case you have a major project which must comply with Building Regulations.

Upgrading the roof itself is not a solution to an "already poorly insulated house."

FreeBear

user1977 said:

northernlass29876 said:

LegallyLandlord said:

What would I do?

I’d get a roofing company to do a proper quote and try to negotiate it to come off the purchase price.

It’s worth going in the loft yourself (if it’s accessible) to see what the problem is. Can you see daylight? Is there signs of water getting in? Are there tide / water marks on the ceiling? What are the joists like? Is the insulation dry. If it’s spray foam insulation, run a mile!

The heat loss with this roof will be extensive in an already poorly insulated house, so getting the roof upgraded from the get go would be pretty much a must for us. 

Adding loft insulation is pretty cheap and easy, if that's a main concern. I wouldn't expect the age of the roof covering itself to make any noticeable difference to insulation.

Late 1920s build here - The roof indeed adds very little to the heat loss. Whack in 300mm or so of fibreglass insulation will do wonders in cutting heat loss. Also worth checking the windows and ensure any gaps around the frames are well and truly plugged. With scaffolding up, checking & resealing is prudent.

Had DG windows dating from the mid 70s here. There was always a nasty cold draught coming in around the wooden trim on the reveals inside in most rooms. On replacing them, found a 25-40mm gap along the top, and just a bit of mastic on the wooden trim plugging the gap...

jimbog

I’ve never heard of a ‘roofing surveyor’ (are they different from a surveyor or roofing professional? (aka roofing company?))

Not enough info in your post to go on but with a Victorian house I bought in 1994 I was told ‘needed a new roof’ and it has sold twice since and a new roof was only put on 26 years later 

Noneforit999

I would be doing everything I could to be 100% certain that the roof actually needed replacing before committing to spending any money.

An electrician would probably tell me our house needs a full rewire due to its age but it doesn't, the wiring is fine. Would it benefit from one to meet current regs? Sure but that doesn't mean it needs one. 

JuzaMum

I bought my 1905 build house 2004. The survey said it would need a new roof in the next five years. It was 2021 when we got round to replacing it. In that time we had a small leak around the chimney. The original roof lasted over 100 years and I'm sure could have lasted longer. 

Yenwah

Currently in a similar situation - existing roof on a house we're buying looks to be long overdue a replacement and shows signs of leaking in a few places, plus many slipped and broken tiles all over. So we have got a quote to replace all roof coverings and asked for 50% of this quote to be knocked off the price.

born_again

northernlass29876 said:

Just in the middle of a purchase and we’ve been told by multiple parties (roofing surveyor and several roofing professionals) that the roof (very old but decent tiles) is going to need replacing. I trust what I have been told by the professionals as it been double/triple sourced. 

What would you do in this situation?

Are you the purchaser or seller?

Did this come up in mortgage valuation/surveyor report?

Section62

propertyrental said:

 

"a strip and recover (same tiles) with added membrane, lath, chimney flashings, re bedding of verge and ridge tiles " suggests nothing urgent.
The tiles are obviously good (or why recover/re-use) but maybe some are loose, slipped maybe a few cracked. No need to replace the whole roof, just fix the dodgy ones.
Add membrane? A nice-to-have, not essential. 000s of houses (mine included) have no membrane. Unless you actually have a problem of driving wind causing water ingress/damp, it's not an issue. Is the attic damp....?
OK, so some flashing, ridge tiles etc need some work. That does not necessitate a re-roof!

I agree, furthermore if the roof is being stripped and redone then the flashing, ridge and verges will need redoing anyway. The wording of the proposed work doesn't (by itself) confirm that there is anything wrong with the existing flashing/ridge/verges.

diystarter7

Hi OP

If they have told you that. If you go ahead and buy, the first thing is get the roof redone ie watertight and then the other bits.

I've noted that newer tiles, ones I've seen are not as good as some old tiles and the property on our road had the original tiles removed, new battens/underlay etc/etc and then old tiles put back on and once cement dried, they were washed and the house looks orginal compared to those with new tiles.

Always, try to ensure property is watertight - small leaks you may note could have been there for yonks and caused rot etc.

If/when getting new roof, contact building regs

Thanks