Spray on insulation removal

[233sqn]

Hello all

I'm handling the sale of my Mother in Law's 3 bed semi ex council house in West London. The buyer's surveyor has picked up that it has foam spray on insulation in the roof (done in 2004) and we need to have it removed and re inspected before the buyer can get their mortgage.

As far as I can determine the foam is open cell type has been sprayed directly onto the tiles as the felt was pretty non existent.

I'm looking to get a contractor to do the rectification .... and am getting budget quotes of around £3-£4K. This would be for very laborious hand scraping. I understand there is also an option for Dry Ice blasting.

Any thoughts on the best route to go here?

 

[blup]

Or alternatively, the buyer's lender can make it a condition of the mortgage that the foam is removed, and an appropriate retention will be made. You will have no comeback against the company removing the foam if anything goes wrong, but the buyer might against you. So consider that option.

Blup

 

[The Makie]

Or alternatively, the buyer's lender can make it a condition of the mortgage that the foam is removed, and an appropriate retention will be made. You will have no comeback against the company removing the foam if anything goes wrong, but the buyer might against you. So consider that option.

Blup

Most mortgage companies wont touch a house if it has spray foam on the roof.

 

[blup]

Put it back on the market for cash sale.

Blup

 

[cdbe]

Take a week off work, get a mask, Noddy suit and a multi-tool and whizz it all off. Wait till it cools down a bit or you'll melt!

 

[opps]

I think you could probably remove it using a decent scraper (without the dust)

eg https://olfacutters.co.uk/Olfa-Scrapers they sell flexible non sharp blades as well as sharp ones
.
I suspect that it will damage the membrane though,

 

[datarebal]

It's pretty tough stuff.
A real bugg er to get off

 

[^woody^]

How much would a re roof be?

If the foam is holding the tiles and they are at life end, that may be better.

However, the foam may only need to be removed adjacent to the timber, not all of it. 25mm strip or so will suffice.

 

[JohnD]

I wonder if there is a non-toxic chemical that will attack the foam. or maybe UV light?

AFAIK the usual solution is cutting and scraping.

I'd want a powerful dust extractor too

BUT

if it enables you to sell the house, I'd take the £4 offer

 

[Nige F]

I wonder if there is a non-toxic chemical that will attack the foam. or maybe UV light?

AFAIK the usual solution is cutting and scraping.

I'd want a powerful dust extractor too

BUT

if it enables you to sell the house, I'd take the £4 K offer

W. London - £4k is a drop in the ocean. Come to that it's only 1% of places here in Sussex

 

[JohnD]

yes, in everyday life £4k might seem a significant amount that you might hesitate to spend

but when selling a house, buyers might offer ten times that amount above or below an asking price without turning a hair.