Repointing ridges - waste of money?

[mustar]

Hi can anyone give some advice, my mothers 50 year old ex council house roof needs some work - the cement on the ridges have come away and there is some loose tiles with some damage to the laths.


She been given a few options by a couple of builders

A new roof with facias at 6k

Remove the ridges and install dry ridge system £1500 ( but the roof is old)

Repoint the ridges (not remove them) and resit the loose tiles and repair the lath for £300 - £400 -

Only a new roof the builder said would guarantee it to be water tight due to the age and condition of the roof.

He said to remove the ridges and re-bed them would require scaffolding which will cost £800 alone and would not be worth it but does repointing ridge without removing them actually do anything apart from cosmetically?

Was going to try the home insurance as the last couple of days damp patches have appeared on her bedroom roof and on the internal wall due to the heavy rain but the excess is £250 and dont think they would stretch to a new roof or system.

If she was staying it would be a new roof but she is looking to sell possibly in the next 18 months due to her age ( the house needs a lot of work) and does not want to go to the expense of a new roof especially when all the properties in the area are being gutted and rebuilt with loft extensions.

Any ideas?

 

[^woody^]

Never repoint on a roof

 

[Bouy]

Never repoint on a roof

Bloody hell woody I spent a few weeks crawling over my roof last year digging out the loose mortar from my ridge tiles and making good, all to no avail. They do look nice though.

 

[datarebal]

Woody is correct . Pointing ridge is a waste of time . The ridge are loose so re bed or in this case as the roof has batten damage strip and retile

 

[robinbanks]

If the roof is knackered now, then come selling time in 18 months it's likely that it will be :

* more knackered
* blatantly obvious to a surveyor that it's knackered
* used as a tool to negotiate a lower sale price so she's paying to reroof it anyway (and "enjoying" 18 months of leaks and stress)
* even more costly to do then than it will now

 

[^woody^]

Bloody hell woody I spent a few weeks crawling over my roof last year digging out the loose mortar from my ridge tiles and making good, all to no avail. They do look nice though.

You should have posted here first

 

[Bouy]

You should have posted here first

 

[bbjc]

I say point them. Done it a good few times before and nine times out of ten have lasted for years.

I think the reality is not many people have over a grand to chuck about on rebedding ridge tiles. In an ideal world its the correct way to go about it. But pointing can see you good for years....as long as the ridges are solid anyway.

I know what one i,d be picking in your mums position anyway. I,ll be honest....if you go out there nowadays a lot of people arent interested in paying a grand to get ridges rebedded. A lot of people on here a lot more skilled with a higher living customer base than me tbf. I,ll be honest tho i,ve pointed ridges quite a bit before and the only ones that seem to fail are hip ridges. Its a means to an end....in that your just trying to get them ridges to the end of the roof life. Done it many times before....and its worked many times before.

As long as the ridges are solidly fixed anyway.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I elected to have mine just repointed, by a local. They are fine, five years later. It cost me around £80, as a combined job with next door.

 

[datarebal]

Pleased for you....

 

[datarebal]

* used as a tool to negotiate a lower sale price so she's paying to reroof it anyway (and "enjoying" 18 months of leaks and stress)

Less inheritance...