felt shingle roof relacement

looops

hello everyone . . .

sorry, i've posted this previously - but in completely the wrong place!! better luck this time!!

. . .basically i am trying to buy a house which is in need of a total overhaul, it's very dated and needs re-wire, boiler etc . . it turns out it has a pitched felt roof. (looks like slates in a terracota colour) The house was built late 60's - early 70's, although the roof doesn't appear to be that old. It's in exceptional condition, no moss, tears, cracks, bumps or bulges and there is no sign of deffect from outside or signs of leaking or problems on the inside.

The problem is the survey has gone back to the mortgage company dictating that the roof is replaced . . ." the roof coverings are substandard and require replacement with a more durable material. Quotations for this work should be obtained from reputable roofing company" they will not give us the money until the seller replaces it completely, they wont let us do it retrospectively once we move in.

this seems very odd to me as it is in really good condition . . . is a felt roof like this particulary bad, if so why?? - or have i got a very anal surveyor??? this property had a previous survey in November 07 and nothing was noted.

If this does have to be replaced - what sort of costs am i looking at??

guys - sorry for the length of this post, i just can't explain in any less!!

Thanks in advance

Lee

TJ27

I would have thought that they'd just stick a retainer on it??

If I was living there I'd probably wait for it to start leaking and replace it then.

Never mind. Wait for a year or two and buy it at half the price.

WillowCat

These roofs are very common in other parts of the world - the US, and some parts of Europe. I have Finnish asphalt shingles on the roof of my summerhouse and they are the same ones that are used on houses over there.

Unfortunately they are almost unknown in this country, and mortgage companies want to take on houses of "traditional" construction - i.e. tiles or slates on the roof.

The shingles only have a life of about 15 years - hence the requirement for more durable.

If you (or the vendor) were to replace them, the biggest cost might be in strengthening the roof timbers to take the weight of tiles or slates, as the asphalt shingles are so light. To be sure you'd need to get some quotes in.

Your only other option is to try to seek out a mortgage company who will consider a property of non traditional construction. (or pull out......)

tbs624

Have you talked to the surveyor about this since the report was produced?

Have you talked to the vendor?

AFAIAA since 6 April 2006 a Build Regs Application is needed if you intend to re-cover a roof on your property, and there are specific thermal requirements that have to be met ( See Building Regs Part L 2006). Where the roof is being redone with a heavier material the BC surveyor would need to check out the roof support structures, plus the thermal insulation issue, and there are obviously fees involved. You could talk to the local Buildings Control Officer for further info and a reputable local building/roofing firm to get an idea of the costs and then negotiate on the price, and as TJ27 said you could also maybe discuss with your Lender the possibility of a retention until the work is done. Or look for another property.

ukjoel

I have one one of these roofs on one of my properties and had the same concerns you had originally.

The roof is pitched but covered with felt instead of tiles.
We had it replaced in 2001 (as neighbour was doing theirs) and it cost about £2k and came with a 10 year warranty.

Previously it had been done 16 years previously and when we got it checked the feedback was that it would need doing in next 3-5 years or at least patching.

Biggest issue we had was insurance (as its considered non standard) but to be honest that was just a case of making 6 or 7 calls instead of 2 or 3 and price was fairly competitive - think it was Zurich at that time.

Certainly wouldnt let it put you off a house. As previous poster says - this is the way its done in most of the world.

looops

thanks guys - really appreciate all the comments and help. . .

it's a tough one this - it was the last thing i thought would be a problem when there is so much other stuff that could have been picked up on the house. . . it problem came up on friday 13th - DAMN DAMN DAMN !

i don't really want to lose the sale (don't think i could go through finding another or buyer for ours) If the mortgage company had put a 50% retainer so we could negotiate with the seller and have the work done along with everything else after purchase i'd have been fine - it's just we can't now move on this until the work has been carried out by the current seller - our mortgage advisor reckons the over cautiousness is purely down to the current climit, especially as its only for a mortgage of 60%

i will speak with the surveyor tomorrow and try and get some additional info on this (thanks tbs 624) but think i will bat this directly back to the the estate agent and seller to sort out between themselves (get some roofers to get quotes) and play hardball! we are buying and selling with the same agent and if this chain fails they stand to lose a lot - seeing as the market is on it's knees - i wonder if they'd stump up some of the cash??????

will let you know,

Lee