Ceiling joists in the lower third of roof slope are missing

[nfoley]

Hi All

We're in the process of purchasing a house built in the 1980s. Our surveyor advised that there are no ceiling joists in the lower one third of the roof slope in a section of the attic which was converted into bedrooms 15+ years ago. The existing owners did not build the house and cannot confirm that any additional support was put into this section of the roof in absence of these ceiling joists.

The existing owner's engineer has confirmed in writing that there is no sign of decay with the roof at present. However, the roof does not meet current building regulations as the standards set back in the 1980's were obviously less stringent.

My question is - would you consider this a substantial issue which should deter us from purchasing the house given the roof is not 'as it should be' based on today's standards?

 

[noseall]

Hi All

We're in the process of purchasing a house built in the 1980s. Our surveyor advised that there are no ceiling joists in the lower one third of the roof slope in a section of the attic which was converted into bedrooms 15+ years ago. The existing owners did not build the house and cannot confirm that any additional support was put into this section of the roof in absence of these ceiling joists.

The existing owner's engineer has confirmed in writing that there is no sign of decay with the roof at present. However, the roof does not meet current building regulations as the standards set back in the 1980's were obviously less stringent.

My question is - would you consider this a substantial issue which should deter us from purchasing the house given the roof is not 'as it should be' based on today's standards?

Is there a ridge beam in place?

Without seeing the roof or fully understanding the statement "no ceiling joists in the lower one third of the roof slope" and its context, it's not possible to comment.