Purlins/corbels

[amfisted]

Hi All

I've also posted this on general building, but without the pictures. I've had some excellent responses on there, and my only reason for posting it here is to invite any roofing specialists to give an opinion, so if anyone who responded to my original post comes across this, please don't shoot me for posting the topic twice.

I'm selling my house, and my buyer, who is a surveyor, reckons there's something awry with the purlin ends and corbels in my roof space. Yes, there are signs of historic damp but this has long been cured, and after heavy rain all timbers remain dry. I asked the surveyor who is making a report on my purchase to comment, and his brief reply indicated that he can't see anything that needs significant repair. For info, the house is 117 years old and the roofline is dead straight, with no sign of any structural failing. Just wondered what, if anything people made of the pictures.

Cheers.

Purlin/corbel 1

• amfisted
• 20 Mar 2014
• 1

Looks damp, but aint, the patches probably dating from a time prior to the last roof...

Purlin/corbel 2

• amfisted
• 20 Mar 2014
• 1

Another view of 1, showing tile used as a wedge underneath purlin

Purlin/ corbel 3

• amfisted
• 20 Mar 2014
• 1

Different purlin end to 1 and 2. NB: what looks like a crack underneath is in fact shadow from...

Purlin./corbel 4

• amfisted
• 20 Mar 2014
• 1

Same purlin as 3.

Purlin/corbel 5

• amfisted
• 20 Mar 2014
• 1

Same one as 1 and 2, slightly different shot. Again, the damp patches have been dry for nigh on...

 

[Burnerman]

Sound as a pound, that roof - seen loads like it! The underfelt seems in good nick too, so he should be grateful its actually there
Crumbly mortar and lots of soot usually abound, but there's nowt wrong with it.
John

 

[amfisted]

Thanks, John.

Thinking back, I'm beginning to realise that when he pointed out the so called issues with my roof structure, I really had no idea what he was on about. In my own mind I was pretty sure that there was nothing wrong, although on the day I may have been intimidated into silence by his display of surveying expertise. I just needed to ask you guys for an opinion, in order to be sure.

Presumably he thought that bringing some surveying equipment to the house and banging about in the loft for half an hour would be enough to persuade me that I should accept his opinion on the state of my roof timbers without question, and give him a hefty chunk of dosh off the price.

Chances are, that may not happen.

 

[catlad]

Nothing catches my eye, but hey I am not the expert.

 

[tony1851]

Just to add one point to the other comments; from the few pics taken around the purlins, the brickwork of the party wall looks to have been take up to the underside of the roof finish.

This suggests that the whole of the party wall is built up to the roof - right?
Many terrace houses as old as yours don't have complete party walls in the roof space, so your surveyor/buyer is fortunate that yours does.

As others have said, don't be put off by the surveyor's apparently negative comments.

 

[amfisted]

Yes Tony, the party wall between us and the neighbours is built right up to the roof finish; although just to reiterate, its a semi rather than a terrace.

Thanks for your encouraging observations, and yours too, Catlad.

I have to say the more comments about the condition of our purlins that I read on forums like this one, the less I understand what my buyer was on about when he communicated his "concerns" to me.

 

[RogerBoyle]

There is Nothing wrong that I can see..

The Cynic in me would probably think that your buyer is simply trying it on to try and lower the price

 

[amfisted]

That seems to be the general consensus, Roger.

Whichever way you look at it and whatever letters my buyer has after his name, it was hardly what you might call an "impartial" survey.