Request advice on roof repair please

Grizebeck

Why does the OP not accept they are being had and just act accordingly

pseek1

The guy who did gutter cleaning came again today and climbed to the roof to show the hole photo he showed. He did video call to me and showed. It’s in fact behind the tiles. He removed tiles and showed the hole. There was a piece of felt placed (not fixed) on top of the hole then tiles fixed that is why I can’t see it from inside. He says he can patch only that location with a new piece of felt and battens and quotes £500 for that. For entries roof though says £8000.
we are thinking to wait and see when it rains to know if it leaks and it needs urgent replacement. The felt we got is actually brittle. If I give a bit of force I can tear it like paper. Is it in urgent need of replacement if the felt is on that state? Kindly share your suggestion on this please

FreeBear

As has already been mention, many houses do not have felt under the tiles - Mine didn't until recently. As long as the tiles overlap properly, water won't get in.

The felt is there as a backup just in case a tile slips - Make sure the tiles are put back as they were, and you can have a think about a reroof 5, 10, or even 20 years down the line.

anselld

pseek1 said:

The guy who did gutter cleaning came again today and climbed to the roof to show the hole photo he showed. He did video call to me and showed. It’s in fact behind the tiles. He removed tiles and showed the hole. There was a piece of felt placed (not fixed) on top of the hole then tiles fixed that is why I can’t see it from inside. He says he can patch only that location with a new piece of felt and battens and quotes £500 for that. For entries roof though says £8000.
we are thinking to wait and see when it rains to know if it leaks and it needs urgent replacement. The felt we got is actually brittle. If I give a bit of force I can tear it like paper. Is it in urgent need of replacement if the felt is on that state? Kindly share your suggestion on this please

Please stop talking to that guy, he is winding you up!  Out of interest how much does he charge to "clean" gutters?

firsttimeever

Hi . I worked for a roofing company for many years and my family runs a large roofing company in West country.

Why is he saying ' you need a new roof tiled ' and then saying ' They can repair area ? ' . This is a tricky situation. Also why didn't he slip the tiles over until you get another quote ? . 

The fact the roof is now exposed and the felt underneath is broken could lead to very serious problems if you have a down fall. I'm talking about water collecting and possibly damaging ceilings and structures. 

My strong advice. Ring him and ask him to do it on Monday or ASAP .  Scaffolding is outrageous prices and if he wants to do it off a ladder then that's up to him. We wouldn't  ( H&S rules ) so your saving money indirectly. 

Then organise for 2-3 roofing companies to inspect the roof . You should be offered free no obligation quotes . They will write a report based on there findings . If they do suggest a new roof some may want a deposit to play for the scaffolding as this is often sub contracted. Look at Google reviews. 

In the meantime get it done !.

ThisIsWeird

stuart45 said:

Took me 2 minutes to slide up a tile and show a hole in the eaves felt just now, and put it back.

I know someone who can fix that for you.

anselld

firsttimeever said:

The fact the roof is now exposed and the felt underneath is broken could lead to very serious problems if you have a down fall.

I don't think the OP is saying they left it like that.  I think they slid the tile up to photo the felt hole and then slid it back down.

As others have said a felt hole is irrelevant whilst tiles are in place so does not even necessarily need repair let alone a new roof.  Contractor is on job creation.

firsttimeever

anselld said:

firsttimeever said:

The fact the roof is now exposed and the felt underneath is broken could lead to very serious problems if you have a down fall.

I don't think the OP is saying they left it like that.  I think they slid the tile up to photo the felt hole and then slid it back down.

As others have said a felt hole is irrelevant whilst tiles are in place so does not even necessarily need repair let alone a new roof.  Contractor is on job creation.

I understand .  Its usually double romans but those heavy concrete ones do turn up on odd occasions . 

If the tile is down and covering the felt then should be OK. Some older roofs didn't have any felt. Either way get 3 quotes from various roofing companies . No need to do anything as long as it covers in the short term. 

ThisIsWeird

pseek1 said:

The guy who did gutter cleaning came again today and climbed to the roof to show the hole photo he showed. He did video call to me and showed. It’s in fact behind the tiles. He removed tiles and showed the hole. There was a piece of felt placed (not fixed) on top of the hole then tiles fixed that is why I can’t see it from inside. He says he can patch only that location with a new piece of felt and battens and quotes £500 for that. For entries roof though says £8000.
we are thinking to wait and see when it rains to know if it leaks and it needs urgent replacement. The felt we got is actually brittle. If I give a bit of force I can tear it like paper. Is it in urgent need of replacement if the felt is on that state? Kindly share your suggestion on this please

Pseek1.

What keeps the top of your house weatherproof is the tiles or slate covering. Underneath the slates/tiles is a 'felt', traditionally a bitumen-based material which does harden and deteriorate over time, and now a synthetic sheet such as made by Tyvek. 

I understand that this sheet has two purposes; one is that it acts as a secondary barrier to rain should a tile slip or fall off, and the other is that it helps guard against the force of an updraught that could lift the tiles when, say, a house door is opened suddenly in a strong wind.

The latter is a very unlikely scenario, and the former ain't an issue as long as you have a full deck of tiles. So, provided you don't have any missing tiles, the tatty felt you (may) have is a minor issue.

The Q is - do you actually have any missing tiles? Yes or no? If no, then chill. If yes, then ask a proper roofer to come out and sort this, because your current gutter-cleaner has given enough cause for you to be very very wary.

If there are no missing tiles, then that begs another Q - what the heck was this gutter-cleaner doing pushing/lifting your tiles to peek underneath them?

Ok, I am not going to state that this guy is a charlatan out to exploit you, because there remains the possibility that he's bona-fide, adequately skilled at recovering roofs, and spied some tatty felt under the bottom edge of your tiles whilst cleaning your gutters, and so - with complete and considerate sincerity - pushed a few tiles upwards to expose the greater issue with this felt underneath so he could let you know.

That is possible.

But, if there is an issue with your roof, then you really really need a 'roofer' to sort it.

If, on the other hand, all your interlocking concrete tiles are actually present and correct, then relax.

Either way, there is no valid reason to entertain this guy a moment longer, 'cos he seemingly is not a roofer, and is extremely unlikely to have valid insurance to cover any work that he does.

The next time he pesters you, just say, "Thanks, but I realise I do know a roofer, and I'll ask them to come out for a look..." And do so, to put your mind at rest.

firsttimeever

ThisIsWeird said:

pseek1 said:

The guy who did gutter cleaning came again today and climbed to the roof to show the hole photo he showed. He did video call to me and showed. It’s in fact behind the tiles. He removed tiles and showed the hole. There was a piece of felt placed (not fixed) on top of the hole then tiles fixed that is why I can’t see it from inside. He says he can patch only that location with a new piece of felt and battens and quotes £500 for that. For entries roof though says £8000.
we are thinking to wait and see when it rains to know if it leaks and it needs urgent replacement. The felt we got is actually brittle. If I give a bit of force I can tear it like paper. Is it in urgent need of replacement if the felt is on that state? Kindly share your suggestion on this please

Pseek1.

What keeps the top of your house weatherproof is the tiles or slate covering. Underneath the slates/tiles is a 'felt', traditionally a bitumen-based material which does harden and deteriorate over time, and now a synthetic sheet such as made by Tyvek. 

I understand that this sheet has two purposes; one is that it acts as a secondary barrier to rain should a tile slip or fall off, and the other is that it helps guard against the force of an updraught that could lift the tiles when, say, a house door is opened suddenly in a strong wind.

The latter is a very unlikely scenario, and the former ain't an issue as long as you have a full deck of tiles. So, provided you don't have any missing tiles, the tatty felt you (may) have is a minor issue.

The Q is - do you actually have any missing tiles? Yes or no? If no, then chill. If yes, then ask a proper roofer to come out and sort this, because your current gutter-cleaner has given enough cause for you to be very very wary.

If there are no missing tiles, then that begs another Q - what the heck was this gutter-cleaner doing pushing/lifting your tiles to peek underneath them?

Ok, I am not going to state that this guy is a charlatan out to exploit you, because there remains the possibility that he's bona-fide, adequately skilled at recovering roofs, and spied some tatty felt under the bottom edge of your tiles whilst cleaning your gutters, and so - with complete and considerate sincerity - pushed a few tiles upwards to expose the greater issue with this felt underneath so he could let you know.

That is possible.

But, if there is an issue with your roof, then you really really need a 'roofer' to sort it.

If, on the other hand, all your interlocking concrete tiles are actually present and correct, then relax.

Either way, there is no valid reason to entertain this guy a moment longer, 'cos he seemingly is not a roofer, and is extremely unlikely to have valid insurance to cover any work that he does.

The next time he pesters you, just say, "Thanks, but I realise I do know a roofer, and I'll ask them to come out for a look..." And do so, to put your mind at rest.

Totally agree with comments above.  
It seems odd he can magically look through tiles and notice broken felt . Unless storms  caused heavy tiles to blow off ( possibly but unlikely). Either way its not worth the arguments and energy .

If tiles are covering felt then relax. Contact specialist roofing companies and get 3 quotes .They can inspect internal and external roof . It's free of charge and a credible company should give you a written report .