ROOF refit.

[Adrian-wales]

can any one help witht his problem we have .

Just bought an old house in wales. about 100 yrs old. double bay fronted detached. behind an old coal mine

Think it has original welsh slate on roof but some are slipping 10 approx and about 10 broken from what we can see. there is not felt in the attic as we can touch the slates from inside...

Will we need the the whole roof retiling.?

we have some slate tiles in our shed about 10

The wood inside the attic looks good no signs of damp.

Will they fall through the slates trying to fix the broken ones ?

how can we insulate the roof?

What approx cost will it be? my partner says about 8 to 10 thousand quid. *cough* *cough* *splutter*

adrian

 

[JohnD]

you can patch it up but:

yes, people working on the roof will break some more

if it is 100 years old then the fixing nails are probably all rusted away so all the other slates will fall off soon. Have any new work done with stainless or bronze nails and washers (but I am on the coast, it may be different where you are).

When you can afford it, it will be best to have it felted and reroofed. This will cost some thousands but you will have to ask around locally for prices. See who locally has had a similar house re-roofed in the last 5 years, and have a look to see if it is a good job. The longer you delay the worse it will get, the more it will leak and the more damage you will have to the ceilings where water gets in.

Although natural slates are expensive, if you have to cut corners, buy modern fake slates (which will not look quite right) and put them at the back of the house where they are less visible. Don't try to use tiles, especially concrete ones, as they are heavier and you roof timbers will have been made in thin weak sections to hold the light slates. they will also look disgusting and take many thousands off the value of your house.

Do not be tempted to have the underside sprayed with foam, as this will make the timbers rot, and will double the cost of reroofing since the roofers will have to scrape it all off and will not be able to re-use any of the slates.

A felted roof is a lot cleaner inside, and more resistant to driven rain and leaks, and slightly better insulated.