Roof foam insulation!

sam1970

In 2017 we had a full house refurbishment which included a loft conversion. We contracted a small company to do the work. We went away on holiday for two weeks while they were working on the loft (We wanted the kids to be away from home during the messy phase of work) and when we came back they had already finished most of the loft conversion including insulation. They handed me a certificate from the company which did the insulation stating they used open cell foam insulation with 25 years warranty. I did not think much of it then but now Iam hearing a lot of bad publicity about foam insulation and possible inability to sell or remortgage. 

My questions are..
1- how bad is the problem? or is it just media hype?
2- Do I have any redress against the builder or the foam installer?
3- Being open cell foam, is that better than the closed cell and less likely to be a problem for lenders?
4- How do I find out if there has been any damage to the roof tember? The loft has been converted and no access to the timber or the insulation.
5- Considering loft is already converted into living space, how can lenders (surveyors) find out what insulation has been used underneath the plaster boards?

Jonboy_1984

Did the original plans and/or contracts state the type of insulation to be used?

user1977

What did the specification you agreed to say about insulation?

(this seems to be the only consumer rights point - you might be better asking on the House Buying board about the other issues, given it usually comes up at the point of a sale/remortgage).

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Best posting on the DIY board OP, I've suggested the thread be moved, so the mods are likely to do so for you  

stuart45

sam1970 said:

In 2017 we had a full house refurbishment which included a loft conversion. We contracted a small company to do the work. We went away on holiday for two weeks while they were working on the loft (We wanted the kids to be away from home during the messy phase of work) and when we came back they had already finished most of the loft conversion including insulation. They handed me a certificate from the company which did the insulation stating they used open cell foam insulation with 25 years warranty. I did not think much of it then but now Iam hearing a lot of bad publicity about foam insulation and possible inability to sell or remortgage. 

My questions are..
1- how bad is the problem? or is it just media hype?
2- Do I have any redress against the builder or the foam installer?
3- Being open cell foam, is that better than the closed cell and less likely to be a problem for lenders?
4- How do I find out if there has been any damage to the roof tember? The loft has been converted and no access to the timber or the insulation.
5- Considering loft is already converted into living space, how can lenders (surveyors) find out what insulation has been used underneath the plaster boards?

1
Lenders don't like it. It's not guaranteed to cause problems, it depends on the structure. When it first came over from the USA, it was promoted as being good  for nail sick roofs as well as insulating them.  Unfortunately when the roof needs stripping it makes slates really hard to remove. 
You are less likely to get problems when the roof space has been converted, is well heated and ventilated with a breather membrane over the rafters.
2
Depends on what was agreed at the time.
3
Not sure if it makes a lot of difference to the lenders.
4
You can't really tell unless you notice any leaks and the roof gets renewed.
5
 A surveyor won't be able to tell.

fimacdoodle

Found this thread - surveyors now recommend to mortgage companies to give a nil property value offering, rightly or wrongly - this happened to me recently when I was selling a rental property. I had to remove it all at great cost. Closed or open cell - surveyors seem not to care.

There was no damage to timbers - but there COULD be over time I was told - and if I had my time again on selling - I would plasterboard out the whole loft and just hide the issue - it is cheaper than removal which can cost 6k minimum.
Beware !