rot in roof - any ideas of costs/getting quotes

mrs_deadline

I'm confused about the costings here - the roof issues were already estimated at £4-6k, are you saying the dry rot can be sorted out at the same time for no extra cost?

emujuice

roof estimates include sorting out the dry rot. if we were just to tackle that it would be around £2.5k, full roof £5k. Flat roof a seperate job at £1.7k - but we might get away with not doing that.
will put £4k into doing full roof as felting is torn and doesn't have adequate overlap so wants doing anyway in the near future. scaffolding is going to be around £800 so might as well do whole roof for £5k.
not made a final decision yet though

poppysarah

So it's a mid terrace? So if the dry rot extends into the neighbours roof (or to go the right distance away you have to cut into theirs) how much will that cost you?

Without wanting to be rude it's a very "average" house and I can't believe there's nothing else you like nearby,

emujuice

I can see from the photos it looks average, but the size of it is much bigger than other local terraces which are victorian, the size and the location make is special. but appearance-wise it needs updating.
I'm concerned about your point about spreading to the neighbours - would we be liable? should we let them know now, before we've even bought it that there's dry rot up there. it's very close to the neighbour's house.
Thanks!

poppysarah

How far did the builder say you need to cut out? 1 m? 2 m?

I'd go and speak to the neighbours and ask them to check in their roof.

I don't know how liability works but if it's been caused by a problem which originated in the property you're buying them potentially yes they could claim for their repairs too.

If it was just a lick of paint needing doing, or a new bathroom then I really wouldn't be having a hissy about it but this is pretty serious.

I know you'd lose money on the survey but tbh losing a few hundred quid is the least of your worries if you go ahead and buy this.

"How far can dry rot grow away from its food source? Anecdotal figures suggest around 2 metres."


I'd get the current ownerto do the work now. What if buying the house takes 6 months because of legal complications etc?

mlz1413

emujuice I'm completely with poppysarah I think your mad but mainly for going ahead without getting the full amount of the estimate off.

This job is only going to get more expensive, no one is predicting £6k or less so I would really urge you to stick it out and say the full £6k as asked for OR he does the work himself (which is the option I would really urge you to take) unless of course your purse is bottomless and you can easily fund any costs - coz remember you will not be insured for any of this work as it is exsisting when you bought it.

You may have spent legal fees and searches but that is a drop in the ocean to what you could spend AND seller is also in for fees and time, losing you will be hard on him too - please stick your heels in and say the work is done / full value of estimates off or you walk away.

Gorgeous_George

I'd walk away from dry rot.

GG

emujuice

hi guys, I really appreciate your comments. Obviously it's hard to hear people saying walk away, when it's a house we really want, but i appreciate your advice.
What the estimates say is that the cost of treating the dry rot and doing the repairs will come to around £4.2k - BUT whilst they've got the scaffolding up etc... we could have a whole new roof for £2.5k more - which to be fair to the vendor - why should he pay for a new roof when the rest of it doesn't leak, it's just 40 years old. None of the other 9 terraces has a new roof yet - so it's not urgent, but like we say, whilst doing repairs we might as well get a new roof at the same time.
Where the rot is there has been some repairs to the roof (old flue taken out) and so this is where the dampness has gotten in to allow the rot to take hold. It's in 2 pieces of wood - which would obviously be replaced at a minimum - but the roofers have included this in their estimates.
Going to get more people into look at this.
If anyone else can find a 3 large bedroom, large dinning kitchen, 2 14 foot + lounges/dinning room plus storage room in S6 that doesn't need work for £150,000 and isn't in a rat run of terraces I'd be pleased to hear about it!

Aside from losing the cost of the survey - (not so bad) - we'd lose the mortgage rate we've secured and also have to pay for a new valuation and survey at full instead of half cost. Over the 5 year term of the mortgage even a small rate increase would add a fair amount to what we're paying. We have to take this into account when considering whether to walk away.

mlz1413

I appreciate this house has your heart BUT why should you buy this house at the vendors asking price when you know it needs work - be it now because some of it is urgent or be it in a years or 2's time.

The roof needs replacing, the flat roof needs repairing rather than ronsealing every year AND it had dry rot.

If the vendor is placing hard ball fine, let him find someone else who wants to buy a house with dry rot at asking price - then in 3 months time when everyone has offered him less than he is asking (in a falling market) go back and say you are still willing to buy BUT when the work is done.

You are in the best position to say I will exchange to prove I will go ahead but the dry rot and flat roof needs doing at his cost and you will pay for re-roof 'whilst scaffold is up' price is £x, completion will be when work is finished, has a certificate and builder paid.


What ever you decide good luck, i'm signing off now as it's a bank holiday :beer: be good to know what you decide and how you get on.

ken_and_dot

I'm amazed that a house of this age has dry rot. It isn't normal in my experience. How do you know where the source of the rot is. It could have originated from your neighbours house or even further. Replacing your roof and addressing the rot problem to your property is no guarantee it isn't spreading from a neighbours. My understanding of dry rot is that once established it can spread through cavity walls to anywhere, it doesn't need timber to spread. It can then infect furhter timbers which were previously unaffected. I may be wrong but you need to consider this and get an opinion from an independent specialist. Be very, very careful.