Does this property need a new roof? Feedback welcomed

moneysavingrules

Hi there,

My partner and I are interested in buying a property, but we are concerned about the state of the roof. Before paying for a survey and making our final offer, we wondered if any of you think the property needs a new roof?

We think it's a slate roof?

Hugely grateful for any comments.

Karl

youth_leader

It looks as though it's been patched up in a few areas, and there is one small hole. With the storms we seem to be experiencing nowadays I wouldn't be confident those larger tiles won't be lifted.

I would ask the vendor via the EA if you could invite your own roofer to have a look at it.

Phil4432

Definitely new tiles, hard to know if new roof required without seeing the rafters.  If they are in good condition, new tiles and a good clean may all that's required.

But if that tile has been missing for a while, ingress may have cause a section of the rafters to be damp and need replacing.

Get pics of the rafters, few opinions/quotes from roofers.

If they've been neglecting the roof, I'd be thinking what else they've been neglecting.  They appear to have looked after the chimney though at least.

Check the gutters when raining.  If they are leaking, I personally would walk away as you may inherit a damp issue or worse. 

njkmr

it certainly looks tired compared to the ones either side. Which have been replaced by the look of them.
I would be getting a quote for replacement and see if you can barter on price to reflect new roof price.
Good luck.

stuart45

Because there's a relatively new roof each side it makes this one look worse. However, even though it's much older the slates are probably Welsh, whereas the ones either side are possibly a cheaper Spanish slate. The cheaper ones don't sit as well as the better quality ones. With Welsh slates you usually find that it's the nails that go first, causing them to start slipping down the roof. You can often reuse a lot of them on a re-roof. 
It looks like the ridge was re-bedded not too long ago, so a roofer might tell you he can replace a few of the broken and missing slates and you get a few more years out of it. 

mexican_dave

If these are Welsh slate, then there could be lots of good slates on that roof. When I had my roof striped my architect arranged for the best Welsh slates to be retained, the others to the skip. The retained slates were put back on one elevation and new slates on the other. We managed to save 50% of the original Welsh slates, saving money on the whole job. I wonder what the rear elevation looks like? One side could be more exposed than the other. Obviously we don't know what slates you have there!

Bigphil1474

I'd say that roof looks okay other than needing a chunk of TLC. There are a few slipped tiles and a few that look off colour so maybe replacements, but no noticeable tile clips which is often a sign of multiple repairs in my experience. Probably just needs a good roofer to give it a good going over rather than a new roof - obviously subject to any internal damage. The roofs with dormers on tend to suffer more than ones that are full roofs. We had a quote to replace our purple slate tile roof retaining 70% of existing tiles and it was around £10k, but that included work on the dormer at the front. 

propertyrental

The ridge tiles and mortar at the top look good, as does the flashing round the chimney.

The tiles are old and discoloured (esp when compared to the neighbours) but that does not mean they are past their life. As others have said, Welsh tiles can last for decades whatever colour they become! A couple have been replaced, and a few more might need replacing. The test is probably a good look round the attic. Any signs of damp/water ingress indicate repair/replacement needed, and you'd need to check the joists hadn't got wet/rotted.

But if the attic is dry/sound inside, then the roof is doing its job!

Albermarle

Maybe you could ask the neighbours why they had theirs replaced. It may highlight any issues to be on the lookout for.