Loft Issue (leaks caused rot and perished bricks)

[jetsetwilly58]

Hi all,

Just had the loft decked out at the cost of £1000.

I moved into the house last year, the previous owner having done a refurb.
Part of this was a new roof.

Now that I can access the loft, I was shocked to find a slight leak at eaither end of the roof (mid terrace) where it meets the wall to the next property.

Even more worrying is that one of the short beams is now very rotten, having obviously beene exposed to this small leak for at least 1 year (probably more).
The brickwork at either side is not in a good state. The stuff nearest to the floor of the loft is fine, but as you get closer to the roof, the bricks are crumbling on touch. It seems to go about 1/2 inch into each brick, as once this crumbling is removed, the rest of the brick is solid to touch.

My first problem is to fix the leak (hopefully covered by home insurance), but replacing the small beam and then attending to the bricks is another matter.

I don't have lots of spare cash, so unless the insurance covers it, I will need to have a go myself.

Does the brickwork need to be totally replaced, or can it be patched up if I remove the crumbling and stop the leak?

Any advice more than welcome on what I should do, the approx cost if I paid to get it done, and how likely an insurance company would be to pay out.

Thanks

 

[big-all]

lack off maintainance is not covered by insurance i am afraid
it would have been picked up in a full structural survey
its more likely to be several years as timber that gets wet then dries out doesn't rot very quickly unless the damp is held against the wood

 

[jetsetwilly58]

Yes, that was my suspition.

So, to fix the problem.......

Thanks

 

[jetsetwilly58]

Another part to this question.

Just been told that I could easily repair the damaged bricks and mortar myself 1 brick at a time.

However, no idea what kind of brick to use.

The advice so far is....

1. Get a roofer in, to fix the leak and broken beam.

2. Replace brickwork

However, someone else says I should just cover over the damaged brickwork.

Advice please.

Fixing the leak is obviously an urgent, but the brickwork is more a long term DIY project I suspect.

Thanks

 

[big-all]

can you get a picture off the damage

yes stopping the water is the first thing to do

what sort off tiles are on the roof

the roof may have sagged if the timber and bricks have crumbled a clue would be a gap above the timber in the brickwork that would be the same size as the drop

 

[jetsetwilly58]

Will upload some photos when I get home tonight (might be tomorrow).

The roof appears to have moved maybe 2cm in the area where the beam has rotted.

Good news (I think) is that all the other beams away from the walls are solid and no leaks.

It looks to me like the broken beam may be part of the problem, but maybe that the seal around the edge of the tiles (flashing?) is not done correctly?

 

[jetsetwilly58]

What sort of tiles? Erm, not sure sorry. What types are there?

 

[big-all]

thick heavy concrete very thick heavy wavy concrete or relatively light slate

 

[jetsetwilly58]

One of the last 2, will have to have a look tonight and let you know. Pretty sure its the wavy tiles kind

 

[jetsetwilly58]

Uploaded some pics.

First is the roof from outside so you can see type of tiles and the lead thingy (flshing?)

Then are a series of pics to show the brickwork in the attic and the damaged beam.

Any advice on repairing the brickwork etc much appreciated.

The leak is miimal and seems to have only affected the wood with tiny drips onto the insulation below.

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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
• 1

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• jetsetwilly58
• 18 Nov 2010
• 1