do I need to replace my roof?

[oldgirl]

my problem started during this horrible weather. Water dripping in thru ceiling on 1st floor of 3 storey old house due to wind n rain. Roofers identified problem with valley. Cost £1600 for replacement with lead. However I went in the loft and to my horror I discovered that roof timber work is damp. Never had that problem b4. I believe that roof is original. We have Bn here 20 yrs. When we first bought the house my husband got someone to check the roof and put right things incl missing, loose tiles etc. I had last Bn in loft spring summer last year. Didn't see any thing. I hold on to timber as I walk so would hv felt dampness. Bcause of attic rooms it is not possible to access the whole of roof from within. I was able to s see light coming thru in one place. I do feel that the wind had made water come in. But I'm worried.
Don't know what to do so have asked roofers to quote for roof replacement. See pics. The area that I can access from loft are some parts of front of house n some side. That's all. Every thing I touched was damp.
Also given the weather is this the right time to do work? In the meantime I've to decide now wether I get the Valley repaired as that's making water come in the house.

 

[Blagard]

My impression is that the roof does not look that bad. However you do have a serious issue in that valley as there are quite a few tiles missing. What is the valley made of at the moment? I would have expected it to have been lead originally. The trimming of tiles to the valley is not as neat as I would expect to see. Perhaps the work of a bad roofer?

I don't think the valley material itself is likely to be the problem. The missing tiles are enough to make it leak there.

To show pictures in your post:
Select Edit
then below the text box click "Show my Images"
Select the images from the album - you will see a link appear in the text for each one you do
Click Submit
Done.

 

[oldgirl]

Thank you for that. Much appreciated. I don't know what's Valley made up of now. I'm led to believe that b4 we moved in some one had done bad job.
Tks for tip re how to attach pics.i spent long time trying to do that then gave up. Will try now.
However if it's just the front Valley how come my roof timbers are all damp? Any idea?

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• oldgirl
• 3 Jan 2014
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full side elevation

• oldgirl
• 10 Jan 2014
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side elev close up

• oldgirl
• 10 Jan 2014
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side elev close up

• oldgirl
• 10 Jan 2014
• 1

The entrance to loft faces the side elevation in the 2nd pic.

 

[Blagard]

If the roof space is not properly ventilated, a possibility with the alterations, then it could be condensation.

 

[oldgirl]

Tks for that. Unfortunately I don't know how to tell or identify re roof ventilation. Also we did not have any problem with dampness in their until now. I'll b v happy if I don't hv to replace roof obviously but just need to b sure.
Any suggestions re what to look out for re ventilation. A few years ago(8yrs I think) someone put down insulation (fibreglass or similar) could it b that?
None of the roofers went in the loft so may b i can call them bk for their opinion.
What do you think?
Thank you so much for that tip for inserting photos. Worked like magic! !!!

 

[Blagard]

One thing to check is that the loft insulation does not block the eaves as on an old roof it is the flow of air from one side eaves to the other that keeps it ventilated.

If an attic room is added, (its not clear to me if it was an original feature or not) that can also interrupt the flow of air if not done properly.

With a tiled roof the only time you really need to think about reroofing is when the old tiles start to perish in such numbers that regular replacement becomes necessary.

Out of interest I wonder if the roof has any underlay like roofing felt. If not you will be able to see the underside of all the roof tiles. An old tiled roof with no underlay would not usually be a ventilation problem

 

[Burnerman]

Much better pics of that valley, and I completely agree with Blagard - get the tiles sorted over the valley and that problem will go.
Now - the dampness within.....certainly not trying to be patronising here, but are the timbers damp, and not just cold?
Is there a layer of felt between the rafters and the roof tiles, looking from within?
You'll get plenty of people jumping at the chance to do the entire roof, but although quite elderly I've seen much worse!
Re your extra insulation......its only the ceilings of the rooms that should be covered. That doesn't include a great wedge of the stuff in the soffit (overhang) area which may impede ventilation. Old properties like these didn't have the soffit ventilation thats required now - the more air blowing round in there the better!
John

 

[oldgirl]

Thank you
No there is no felt.i can see the tiles from inside.
Yes,at first i thought that may b it was the cold making me think timber was wet. I'll hv to go 2moro n check again. I know for sure that where the valley is, it is wet. Right along the length of Valley.
I've to admit that this upset me a lot and just can't bear to go in there again.wish my hubby was well. I never had to worry about anything. Oh well. Just hv to deal with it. So yr help much appreciated.
Yes waiting for builder to come. Didn't come today despite promise. Hoping he'll come 2moro.
The attic is original. Two attic rooms.i don't think loft extends much around attic room. Loft is pretty small. Headroom not good.

 

[oldgirl]

Meant to say burnerman, you do make me feel better by saying you hv seen worse.When I discovered wet/damp timber, I was filled with horror. Really felt sick.
Not so bad now.
So thank you all.

 

[oldgirl]

Sorry meant to say that the insulation is on the floor of the loft n goes all the way to the soffit.

 

[Burnerman]

Expect to find the insulation soaked below the valley, sure enough - but that will take care of itself once the valley is sorted. If its really soaked its probably best to chuck it out and put new stuff in. The timbers will be wet too - but don't fret about that.....it will take take care of itself.
If there's no felt in the loft, ventilation is usually adequate - thousands of roofs are like this still......thats why I suggested the timbers may be just cold rather than wet.
Now, chin up!! This will all get sorted in due course, and the rot doesn't set in overnight!
John

 

[oldgirl]

Latest developments. As I mentioned b4 I had a quote of £1600 for valley repair. This was from the only roofer who bothered to come and give me a quote. I have to say that in my panic after finding""wet timber""in the loft I gave him a call and asked him to give me a quote for the whole roof. He came very next day, measured up. But after yr responses I was and am quite relaxed about everything(mind you still afraid to go in the loft). I was just curious about the price for re roofing. To my surprise the price is v reasonable in comparison to one valley replacement. Ok I went for big concrete tiles redland 49. Less tiles to place less money. The price is extremely reasonable.and I'm v tempted. So now I'm thinking, are these good tiles. Will they go with my house? Will it be a good investment. We were in the process of putting the house on the market (down sizing) when my husband became ill. Now I'm reluctant to move as it is not in his best interest. Can't tell how long we will b here.
So I'm quite uncertain what to do.
Any comments appreciated.
Thank you
Ps roofer is a member of nfrc and checkatrade.v good a write up.

 

[Burnerman]

This is a very difficult scenario and all we can do is to offer our thoughts, support and perhaps recommendations for the future, near and far.
I guess at the end of the day it depends on how long you intend to stay in the property......if it was going to be long term, say 10 years or more, then expensive improvements may well be worthwhile because at least you'll be getting some of the benefit - rather than getting the work done and then moving out.
If you think that your time there could be limited, then personally I'd go for a quality valley repair and concentrate on your next home - bearing in mind that you are getting older too and a house as large as this may come to be a bit of a burden, especially as you have the role of carer.
Naturally enough you and your husband would have to endure the considerable upheaval when the work progresses, even moving out for a while.
Its a very difficult decision to make but as your husband is getting perhaps less mobile then maybe more suitable accommodation is a fair idea - one level or lift to floors etc.
It is possible that a new roof may enhance the desirability of the property on the market, but I would doubt if it would increase its value a huge amount.....thats not for us to say!
Best wishes
John

 

[oldgirl]

Really Appreciate yr honest reply. I'm going into loft today to investigate timber. B4 that I had no thought of new roof. Also now that the wind has gone , there has Bn no water ingress and it has rained several times.
According to my husband ,The estate agent said (jan 2013) that there would b no problem selling the house. In fact we even had a couple knocking on the door saying They were looking for a house on our Rd! We have no double glazing. My husband refurbished all sash windows. Ours is one of the very few with original roIof n windows. But everything is dated. But estate agent said that won't b a problem. He said that's good as new owners can decorate to their taste.
I've no idea how long we will b in this house. My husband is now totally bedridden and has Bn diagnosed hving dementia (march last yr)which is progressing rapidly in a v short time. So don't want to move him from the home he knows.
Sorry I'm rabbiting on.
Due to yr support I'm not in a panic mode. So am taking my time. Will think hard. It's just that repair cost comes to 1600 and total roof replacement cost quoted is 9000 using big tiles called Redland 49. Seemed like a good idea and permanent solution with no recurrence.
Thank you n will post progress.
The valley in trouble is at the front of the house. What you see v clearly on 2nd pic is another valley on the side. See pic below.

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• oldgirl
• 14 Jan 2014
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• oldgirl
• 14 Jan 2014
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• oldgirl
• 14 Jan 2014
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[oldgirl]

Sorry. The above pics are all of the front valley. The side valley is on pics posted on 10th Friday.