Roofers: do they usually stand inside the loft?

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Advice/opinion on plastering job.

Beeblebr0x

Excuse me for jumping in, but I'm having a new roof this year. Is it common for roofers to need to stand in the loft area? Very little of the loft has been boarded over.

Boohoo

Beeblebr0x said:

Excuse me for jumping in, but I'm having a new roof this year. Is it common for roofers to need to stand in the loft area? Very little of the loft has been boarded over.

My old man had his roof redone 2 or so years ago.

He has a hipped roof and 2/3rds of the attic space was boarded and the 3 spaces by the lower parts of the roof had all his stuff along side it.

Before the roofer started my partner and I put tarpaulin and sheets all over the items and boarding as protection.

A water work had finished we went back and it took us 15 mins to open hatch as it pushes up and was weighed down by broken tiles and c**p from under felt to roof battens.

The roof was 70 odd years old and it took nearly 4 hours and 8 large rubbish bags of debris which was on the sheets and taps and lots of vacuum ingredients.

I hate to think what it would of been like if we had not covered it.

They done a really good job of the roof, facias and soffits and guttering but if I was you empty the loft and cover everything as a precaution.

Beeblebr0x

I've spoken to my roofer and he said there's no reason to be in the loft.

Aylesbury_Duck

Beeblebr0x said:

I've spoken to my roofer and he said there's no reason to be in the loft.

That's not very helpul. How would he know about OP's project and circumstances?

Beeblebr0x

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Beeblebr0x said:

I've spoken to my roofer and he said there's no reason to be in the loft.

That's not very helpul. How would he know about OP's project and circumstances?

It's helpful insofar as he was referring to my roof. Whether that's true for other lofts, who knows?

stuart45

They need to if they drop their pick hammer into the insulation.

Eldi_Dos

stuart45 said:

They need to if they drop their pick hammer into the insulation.

Surely any well prepared roofer would have a suitable magnet attached to some blue rope to retrieve the situation if that occurred.

stuart45

I'll pass on the suggestion to them. Might be handy for the Thatcher as well, as even with red tools they can be hard to find on the scaffold. Traps are hard to spot as well.

diveunderthebonnet

stuart45 said:

I'll pass on the suggestion to them. Might be handy for the Thatcher as well, as even with red tools they can be hard to find on the scaffold. Traps are hard to spot as well.

Fantastic photo stuart45 ,as a townie can i ask what stops birds ,insects and vermin from nesting or eating the roofing material also how come the rain does not soak thru the thatch and penetrate the house. 

stuart45

Some people have the roof netted to help prevent birds, or squirrels. Insects are more difficult. Thatch is about a foot thick, so as long as it's packed tight enough the water runs down the reed. The thatch comes in bundles, which are laid on the battens, starting from the eaves as you do with tiles. You overlap in the same way.