Spray foam loft insulation removal, likely cost?

TELLIT01

Our next door neighbours looked at downsizing.  A small 2 bedroom bungalow in poor condition is not much cheaper than a 3 bed semi in good condition in our area.  By the time they had done the necessary improvements and upgrades to the bungalow, they would have had nothing left from the sale. 

I agree that moving to a small flat would release money but we wouldn't want to go small anyway.  Ideally we would sell the garden to a developer, but that's not practical. :-)

WIAWSNB

TELLIT01 said:

Our next door neighbours looked at downsizing.  A small 2 bedroom bungalow in poor condition is not much cheaper than a 3 bed semi in good condition in our area.  By the time they had done the necessary improvements and upgrades to the bungalow, they would have had nothing left from the sale. 

I agree that moving to a small flat would release money but we wouldn't want to go small anyway.  Ideally we would sell the garden to a developer, but that's not practical. :-)

Oooooh!

You have a garden ripe for development? Why not get outline PP, and surely that will add considerable value to your 'portfolio'?!

How much is a building plot in your 'hood? Does this idea have potential? For simplicity, you'd sell it all as one lump, but it could interest developers, or folk wanting to build an annex.

Yes, it's surprising how relatively costly bungalows are, but I guess it's for the same reason as you - demand!

But still worth exploring alternatives? I picked up a geetar from a flat in the below property a few months back, and it was wow. Not only the entrance to it, but the inside was bright and spacious, super-comfy, lots of lovely old features, and very cosy. I surprised myself by realising I could quite consider such a place in a few years time. Yes, there are maintenance costs - £3k pa in this case - but that includes heating (it was cosy...), and insurance, which must be worth around £2ks in anyone's money. The fact that this place was originally a home for fallen women, well...

Anyhoo, it sounds as tho' you have looked at the other options.

victor2

It could be that the foam is actually holding together many damaged tiles and they would need replacing if the foam is removed. Assuming matching style tiles are still available, new ones will still stick out like sore thumbs. Another reason to consider a full replacement. Could the neighbour be interested in replacing theirs too? Might give you the opportunity to strike up a deal with a roofer, and you'll end up with matching roofs.

sheenas

I would personally get at least one professional quotes for a re-roof and felting the property. I suspect this will be less expensive than trying to hack off the foam from the inside. Most companies understand that not everyone want to proceed and its just the cost of doing business if you don't take up their quote.

FreeBear

TELLIT01 said:

 At this stage I'm just trying get some sense of costs.  The research I've done on foam removal indicated that some companies use a freezing method which supposedly gets the insulation to come off much more easily.  If that did work, and the tiles and battens didn't need replacing it would seem a great option.  Much more research required :-)

With no felt under the tiles, the battens would be removed as part of the stripping process. Once the foam has been removed and any damaged timbers replaced, new felt would be put on and new battens nailed down.

The old battens wouldn't be in any fit state to be reused, and new battens are not that expensive.

TELLIT01

Thanks for all the comments.  Unfortunately selling the garden isn't a practical proposition.  We are on half of a pair of semi detached houses and the site is too narrow to develop as a single entity.  The current house would have to be demolished, and I think the owner of the other half of the semi would have something to say about that.