Advice needed

[coops1975]

Hi

I have had two roofers in to look at solving the moisture within the loof space. We moved in about 2 years ago and have about 8 months on the NHBC.

The second roofer has said that it would a good idea to get a building control inspector in to look at the loft space and the lack on ventilation on each side of the house at eaves level.

The second roofer also said that it can be fixed by installing a plactic type tile within the roof to give ventilation, he said he would not quote me for this work as he felt I should claim under the NHBC cover as it is a building fault.

He said the cost would be from about £500 to £1200 no cheap.

Does this sound correct?

Does anybody have an idea have much it would cost to inspect?

help needed


Cheers


Coops

 

[justlead1]

Hi. My first port of call would be the NHBC. I'm sure they would quote you on any fees payable. Good Luck

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Do you mean theres is 8 months left of the NHBC warranty? I'd be amazed if NHBC would be interested in sorting out an issue of condensation in a roof. Did the roof have condensation before you moved in? Condesation problems can often be put down to how the occupants live and their lifestyle. What, if any ventilation does the roof have at the moment? If it turns out additional ventilation is required a few tile vents each side would probably sort it out though. Only getting a few written quotes (not estimates) can tell you the price. //www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses

Edit: they even state they don't cover it now: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Homeowners/Homewarranties/ResidentialHousing/Buildmarkwarranty/FAQ/#d.en.34711

 

[coops1975]

Hi

Yes, 8 Months left on NHBC cover.

Currently there is almost no ventilation at the eaves. The Bricks touch the wood. The gap (where there is gap) is smaller that the thickness of a standard 30cm ruler and even then I have to apply some force to make it slid past the brick / wood to gain access to outside.

When we bought the house our survey said that there were plenty of ventilation and that the moisture reading was fine. (We bought the house in the summer).

We have the report and the photographs that show evidence that the previous owners must have had the same issues in the winter. But it was not picked up by the surveyor. Who we have used in the past once before.

The roofer today said that adding ventilation to the roof by adding tiles to the top of the roof would not do anything as you would still need to have some ventilaton from each side of the house (eaves).

I believe this link is for new houses built after 2007

Edit: they even state they don't cover it now: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Homeowners/Homewarranties/ResidentialHousing/Buildmarkwarranty/FAQ/#d.en.34711

Coops

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Ventilating at the eaves would be ideal but I suspect its gonna be a lot more work to get vents in that position as the top of walls appear to meet the underside of the roof. Theres nothing wrong with positioning tile vents fairly low down on the pitch. I don't really see the difference between having a vent at the eaves and a few tile vents a foot or 2 above the eaves level. Your still going to get a draft across the rooof space to extract the damp air. With regards to NHBC unfortunately I suspect that they're just a being a bit more honest about it on their website since 2007. NHBC is really there for the major problems that can occur such as subsidence. Nowt wrong with contacting them if you like though. theoretically there should be an NHBC insurance policy document within the paperwork you got when you bought the house. It should state in there what is and isn't covered.

Edit again: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Homeowners/Problemswithyourhome/Whatiscovered/FAQ/ scroll down to My property is more than two years old. What does my policy cover ?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

When we bought the house our survey said that there were plenty of ventilation and that the moisture reading was fine. (We bought the house in the summer).

We have the report and the photographs that show evidence that the previous owners must have had the same issues in the winter. But it was not picked up by the surveyor. Who we have used in the past once before.

I hope you let him know his schoolboy error and don't use him again. He probably just poked his head up into the loft.

 

[danielroofer]

It sounds like ventilation at eaves level is not an option.

I fitted four vent tiles to a house a few years ago but I cant recall how much the cost was.

Im gonna guess at around £30-40 per tile (materials cost) They take 20mins per tile to fit.

If you have only two sides to your roof then you will need 2-3 per side.

Condensation is common during winter months. Lifestyle changes can prevent it. Simple things like opening a window after having a bath or when putting wet clothes on a radiator can allow the moisture to escape rather then condensating within your home.

I had a flurry of phone calls during the snowy weather all from customers with condensation/damp problems, so you are not alone. I had one lady contact me after mould apperared on every external wall and on every ceiling in her home, it was easy to find the cause- snow outside, new born baby so the house was kept warm and wet clothes on every radiator. That coupled with poor ventilation and non existant cavity wall insulation led to condensation on a massive scale - the worst i have ever seen