Am I being ripped off?

[hippygirl]

Hi hope someone can help.
Live in a semi with a pitched, concrete tiled roof. Started getting water through so called a builder. Was told that there wasn't enough overhang between each row of tiles which was letting water in. Because there are a couple of holes in the felt underneath (about halfway up the roof), this was where the water was getting through. Builder said that the whole roof needs refelting. This means putting scaffolding up, taking all the tiles off and replacing felt with a porous? felt. He thinks it would be about three days work and is sending me an estimate. As my insurance company will not pay (as there were no 'adverse' weather conditions when it was first noticed!) this is going to cost a fortune. Is there any way of replacing the length of felt that is damaged without all the expense?

 

[joe-90]

Well the best way is to do it all as suggested but if funds won't allow then you can do it as a repair.

Use an access platform if you can as it's loads cheaper than scaffolding.

Then place wooden wedges about three rows above the damage under the tiles and you'll be able to remove the tiles below that - say 5 rows.

Remove the tile battens and lay a new strip of felt making sure you slide the new stuff under the old stuff at the top and over the old stuff at the bottom.
Renew the old battens and replace the tiles. Job done. Price? About £250.

If money is incredibly tight you may be able to get inside the roof space and simply fix flashband over the damaged section making sure it is completely dust free first. If it doesn't work - you've lost less than a tenner.

 

[Deluks]

where exactly was the water coming though and how old is the house?

If the tiles were laid incorrectly then it should have been leaking from day one. So the 'not enough overlap' thing could be wrong. Also the felt is not there to waterproof the roof, otherwise we wouldn't need tiles. The felt is a backup in case tiles get damaged/lost, and to prevent wind from getting in the roofspace.

I'll wager that your leak is caused by damaged flashing, overflowing gutter, or a missing/slipped tile.

 

[corrie]

Doesn`t sound right. I have heard similar ones like this. Ask him how much cover tiles have actualy got. Minimum should be 3 ". Many years ago roofs were done to 2" on some houses in an attempt to save a course
foolishly. If anyone suggests stripping an old concrete tile roof off and putting the same tile back on.......beware!

Any decent tradesman would suggest putting new tiles on after going to all that bother. Unless tiles were only 10- 15 yrs old.

I could be wrong but Caveat Emptor anyway.

Corrie

 

[hippygirl]

Thanks for replies....
House built in mid 80s, and the builder did say what the overlap was but I was too worried to take it in. I have never had a problem before with leaks,Deluks, but I am assuming that the felt must have only just worn, I looked in the loft after they had gone and there are definately a couple of holes. He has now given me a quote of £550 to replace the felt where the holes are or £1500 to do the whole back of the roof, this is for scaffolding, taking off the tiles, replacing felt/battens and replacing tiles.
I have just had the guttering replaced( this week in fact!) and the builder said that there were no slipped/broken tiles!?...

 

[Deluks]

I take it the leaking didn't happen after the gutters were done

Does the neighbours roof have the same tiles at the same pitch? If so then they should be having identical problems. If it does need doing and the tiles need replacing then they won't 'line up' with the neighbours as you'll have an extra couple of rows. unless you have parapet walls.

 

[hippygirl]

Hi...only had gutters done a couple of days ago and it has only just started raining so it will be interesting to see if the leak still happens. Yes my neighbour has the same tiles so replacing mine would be out of the question, but I will ask him about his roof when I see him as thats a good point, thank you.

 

[corrie]

Well at 20 yrs old your tiles should still be good. As guys have said he is not finding solution by replacing felt. Put him on hold and get a few other opinions. Post on forum the pitch of roof and cover of tiles.. ie lap.

Corrie

 

[decopete]

we have recently coated a roof that had the same problem. Yes the felt overhang was only 3" this saves the builder a few quid on an estate build. The problem occured because of a third party fiting extra insulation to the loft. whilst pushing the felt into place near the narrow end, they had opushed the felt forward and next time the rain came sideways in a storm, in cam the water that would normally run down into the gutter.

 

[noseall]

felt overhang, over fascia or into gutter that is, needs to be no more than 2.5 inches. this applies to standard guttering.

concrete interlocking tiles however need a minimum of 75mm headlap or a maximum of 100mm. marley, redland or russels tiles subscribe to this.

 

[Nige F]

a pitched, concrete tiled roof. . Was told that there wasn't enough Overlap between each row of tiles which was letting water in. there are a couple of holes in the felt underneath , this was where the water was getting through. Builder said that the whole roof needs refelting. This means putting scaffolding up, taking all the tiles off and replacing felt with a Micro-porous breathable felt. . Is there any way of replacing the length of felt that is damaged without all the expense?

A new section of felt can be nailed internaly to duct the water out BUT the headlap of the tiles is the issue My son`s flat was leaking like a sieve the whole roof of the block had to be re felted,battened tiled and a dry verge system fitted...cost just under a grand .to him ( me actually ) but that`s because it was shared by all the Owners of the 10 flats in the complex Yes folks it`s a Commonhold setup.....You think I`d let him buy a Poxy Leashold place SO you`re looking at a roof slightly larger than a pair of semi`s NEW tiles and the lot cost about £9k...the other block is exactly the same but not leaking yet It will , and he`ll be gone by then, because there will be another £1k to pay each for that block

 

[hippygirl]

Hi all, thanks for replying...
After getting another builder out to have a look he said that it is not the roof at all!! Over the last 4 months I have had my kitchen and bathroom replaced, including the old original leaking taps. This has changed the pressure in the pipes and the water tank is now staying full. The builder found that a seal had gone in the tank which was letting water out into the loft causing it to leak through the ceiling. Sorted for a lot less than originally thought!! I still have the problem of a couple of holes in the felt but I can now just get them patched up instead of a total refit and there is no rush...once again thanks for your help