Foam spray removal help!

Husslebee84

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction? I need to get my mums spray foam removed she has had done many years ago in loft but I am overwhelmed by where to start really. She has had ALOT of cold callers and I just want someone to do a good job and not be a cowboy!

My main questions are:
1) How do I find a reputable company
2) Once its removed, do I have to replace it with something else and if so what?
3) should I get paperwork from them for future sale of the house of needed?

bjorn_toby_wilde

What kind of roof does she have? Is it slate or tile and was there felt or other underlayment beneath the tiles? Rough age of the property would give an idea.

Locally I know a couple of people who used a roofer and had the tiles, lath and underlay replaced. Essentially a new roof.  That might be cheaper than some of the options from the cowboys.

WIAWSNB

Could you add some photos, please - of the outside roof, and also inside the loft, showing the insulation. 

When was the 'insulation' added, and is the company still going?

What are your reasons for wanting it removed?

Thanks. 

Albermarle

Although spray foam insulation gets a bad press ( quite rightly in many cases) if it was done years ago and has not caused any obvious problems, it might be easier to leave it.
Has it caused any problems, or is she maybe wanting to move house as spray foam can make it difficult to sell ?

TELLIT01

Albermarle said:

Although spray foam insulation gets a bad press ( quite rightly in many cases) if it was done years ago and has not caused any obvious problems, it might be easier to leave it.
Has it caused any problems, or is she maybe wanting to move house as spray foam can make it difficult to sell ?

The problems arise if she wants to release capital from the house or to sell it.  We had our roof undersprayed well over 30 years ago because it had no felt beneath the battens.  There is absolutely no problem with the roof, but we will have to get it stripped off if we want of release capital.  Ridiculous, but that's the way it is.

Husslebee84

bjorn_toby_wilde said:

What kind of roof does she have? Is it slate or tile and was there felt or other underlayment beneath the tiles? Rough age of the property would give an idea.

Locally I know a couple of people who used a roofer and had the tiles, lath and underlay replaced. Essentially a new roof.  That might be cheaper than some of the options from the cowboys.

She has a slate roof  which had felt underneath i believe. We are west midlands based.

Husslebee84

WIAWSNB said:

Could you add some photos, please - of the outside roof, and also inside the loft, showing the insulation. 

When was the 'insulation' added, and is the company still going?

What are your reasons for wanting it removed?

Thanks. 

Its a slate roof, the company installed it maybe 8 to 10 years ago and are no longer in business. Attached a pic of the inside and reading.

Husslebee84

Albermarle said:

Although spray foam insulation gets a bad press ( quite rightly in many cases) if it was done years ago and has not caused any obvious problems, it might be easier to leave it.
Has it caused any problems, or is she maybe wanting to move house as spray foam can make it difficult to sell ?

Unbeknown to us, it hasn't caused any problems but want to remove it to ensure there is no issues will refinancing or selling it.

WIAWSNB

Thanks for the pics.
Yes, I can see the insulation very clearly - it's the soft fluffy stuff on your loft floor. That's what's helping to keep yer hoosie cosy.
The stuff sprayed on the underside of the roof is doing precious little, or even zero, to 'insulate' the house - that's the most galling thing about it, the 'lie'.*
Anyhoo, they are out of business - a shame, but no surprise.

(*Think of it like this - you are outside and your head is cold. Do you therefore put on a wooly hat, or do you get your brolly and line its underside with foam, and hold it above your head?)

WIAWSNB

What condition is the actual slate roof in, from the outside?
I fear it'll cost £ks to remove that foam, but probably not much extra to completely strip, refelt, re-batten, and refit the slate, thereby making it a 'new' roof - quite a selling asset. 
Is it a terrace? If so, see if any neighbours wish to join in - that should reduce the cost even more.

If it costs, say, £3k to de-foam, it'll still come up in surveys that it was done, and be considered off-putting to some. So they'll have lost the £3k, and still carry some stigma.
If it costs, say, £6k to recover the roof, then it should add house value - surely at least £3k - and/or make it much easier to sell compared to other similar properties; all the timbers will have been examined and checked to be good for another 50+ years.

bjorn_toby_wilde

If there is felt then that should make removal much easier for a roofer because the foam won’t be stuck to the slates and battens.

If it were mine I’d get some quotes from roofers as well as removal companies so you can compare.

Having had a new roof last year (also West Mids) I’d say WIASWB is in the right ballpark at £6-7k.