advice needed on sagging roof on house I am buying

[jwoair23]

Hello,
This is my first post, I am inquiring about a house I am buying in a couple weeks. I am concerned about a sagging ridgeline in the roof, and would like opinions and advice. I really like the house and want to buy it, its the most I can afford, but I want to make sure the roof want fall in anytime soon.

As you can see in the picture, there is a sagging in the middle of the roof as you look across the ridgeline. The attic is finished in the house, and there is a main beam that runs across the interior ridge line, that rests on the two walls. The beam is something like 4x6 or so. The house had a new roof put on three years ago, so the shingles are all really new.

Should I be worried about this? Why is it like this, especially with the main beam in the middle? The beam inside does not appear to be bent or sagging at all.

Please let me know any opinions soon, I will really appreciate it!


I should also say the ceiling follows the slope of the roof, there is no space to go look at in between the ceiling and roof of the room. But there is two corners of the rooms that are built out a little and you can see the roof from in the small (storage?) rooms.

 

[noseall]

is there a dormer on the back, and if so, are they part of the original construction or later re-modelling additions?

 

[Nige F]

How much $$$ if you don`t mind me asking .......y`see were a Brit site and pay a bloody fortune for our houses

 

[jwoair23]

There is no gable in the back, and the house is around $51,000.

 

[^woody^]

Has that dormer been put on afterwards, and the loft converted to a room?

In any case, it looks like the ridge beam is in distress- possibly undersized, and the weight of the dormer is pulling the centre of the ridgebeam down.

Whether this has settled now and is OK, or whether it is ongoing is another matter.

I would get this looked at professionally (surveyor or engineer) and see what they say. You will not get any definitive answers from a forum.

It may be nothing, but if there is a structural issue, then you are looking at significant remedial work

 

[Nige F]

we couldn`t get a Park Home (trailer) over here for that in £......and a house like that would be £150K.................Oh yes. we get free NHS health care don`t we so that makes it all right .......well my friend I wouldn`t worry in your shoes ....PS. our min. wage is under £6.oo per hour.........I`ve done the math and I`m emigrating PS I`m sure a carpenter would be able to tell you for less $ than a engineer.....given that many of your houses are timber