Flat roof and rot question

[BobbyBreakit]

My 1966 house has a flat roof area and the fascia boards are looking worse for wear, the other day i got up there and noticed the fascia literally falling off, so I helped it on its way. Behind I found the main 6"x2" joist which goes between the wall and flatroof badly rotten, it feels dry but was covered in woodlice and very crumbling. I'm assuming this is dryrot
I am looking at ripping out the rotten section plus a bit more, but the question is
Whats good for the existing wood to stop any further rot?
Could I claim on my buildings insurance? As this is surely not normal rot due to the fact it's come from the inside out
and
I am going to need to patch the edge of the roof so what's best to seal the roof felt to the existing roof and also to the new plastic fascia I will be putting up all round?

Thanks in advance

 

[Nige F]

Not necesarily dry rot and I hope it isn`t any chance of a picture ..........E or W Sussex?

 

[BobbyBreakit]

East Sussex, I will take a picture when the weather improves

 

[joe-90]

I'm pretty sure that it is wet rot. The end grain soaks up water and the rot does its thing. Dry rot creeps around and looks like a house that Dracula might live in.

You can get a carton of stuff from Screwfix that you can spray or paint on.

Your Insurance company won't be interested as they will say its lack of maintenance.

 

[Nige F]

was asking because I know good roofers in E.Sx. and heard of loads of bad ones ......if it comes to it and you need a pro good chippies too.........anyways 1960`s isn`t that old to be rotting any idea who the builder was, just being nosey again

 

[BobbyBreakit]

I'm pretty sure that it is wet rot. The end grain soaks up water and the rot does its thing. Dry rot creeps around and looks like a house that Dracula might live in.

You can get a carton of stuff from Screwfix that you can spray or paint on.

Your Insurance company won't be interested as they will say its lack of maintenance.

Mine does have a load of holes in it, I assume this is the Dracula bit

Yes it could be wet rot soaking in from the end, but the wood is very dry, but then again woodlice like the damp don't they?
Yes it is a definate lack of maintenance, my dad pointed that out with a 'told you so' comment.
Who built the house, to be honest I don't know, Federated homes comes to mind. But the mortar in beween the bricks consist of mainly sand with the odd grain of cement, the ants love it..
Thanks for your help anyway folks

 

[Nige F]

Fe**rated Not Manor Park is it I was a nipper when they threw them up .......The MOD bought half the estate........the smallest terraced 2 beds were about £3k then

 

[mifty12]

I think its safe to assume that its not dry rot, if it were you would see loads of tiny hairlike filaments creeping over the timber, if it just crumbling then i would say its will be wet rot caused by ingress of water from out side.

You need to establish where this is coming in. Is it coming in through a crack in the felt, does tha fascia board have a hole in it allowing driving rain in, is it getting past your leadwork at the flat roof/house abutmentment.

If it is only the joist on the very out side edge as you suggest I would consider ripping it out completely, as long as it is not a structural element of the roof, otherwise all you can do is scarf in a new piece cutting back at least 300mm past the last sign of rot and then treat with something like Ronseal rot Killer/hardener, you can get this in most decorators merchants like Brewers.


Justin.

 

[big-all]

if your flat roof is traditionaly made from tar and felt and is more than about 15 to 25 years it will need replaced

rather than trying to patch it up for another year or two and wasting money best do a temporary repair for the winter until you can get the money together fot a new roof

 

[BobbyBreakit]

Sorry for my delay in posting. But lets answer a few questions
Yes I'm in Manor Park,
The flat roof mentioned covers the front doorway, downstairs loo, and what was the garage, now my boys bedroom..
As far as the roof is conerned there are no leaks visable and the tongue and grooved roof looks fine as well...
The rot is funnily enough in the least rain affected area.
The effected wood is in the north west corner, which made me wonder why it got so bad as the rear of my house is directly south facing looking over the downs so when the wind blows it pelts the back of the house with a vengance. the flat roof area is all in the front (north) and the land rises up after it, so a northly wind wouldn't get to it because also there are trees in the way. Presumably it rotted due to the lack of sunlight and a drying wind
I have a feeling the roof was replaced around 1981, so could be due for renewal, but as I said generally it looks fine and there are no tears. the roof drains to the east and west and so there is a ridge along the front of the house.

While you're there, If I want to replace all the fascia boards with UPVC, why do all the Fascia baords have the lip for the soffits, my board butt up against the wall so I just need ordinary flat boards

 

[big-all]

rot isnt realy relevent untill the protection breaks down [paint film broken or leak from other source]

often the source off the leak is remote from the rotten wood
drain pipes shedding water onto the roof can cause havoc or where the flat roof drains into the drain pipe can leak without you noticing


you can replace the facias and soffits with 9mm upvc providing the origional wood is reinstated to support it

or you can use 18mm structural upvc and remove all the old wood first

whatever option you choose youll need to repair the joists if they are badly dammaged you will need to remove the roof or the ceiling underneath to replace the joists or gain access to join old to new

 

[Nige F]

Manor Park ........How about that.........I was down among the plebs in Church Coombe .......in the Drive ....we left in 1968 and I`ve not been back since The town`s twnned with Quickborn .......Stillborn and Quickborn together Yep. I rode on steam powered trains to the County town too ..............happy days, I`m 1954 vintage .......and was there from then to `68.....bloody froze my pre pubescent nuts off in 1963 Winter Houses had only one coal fire and no loft insulation ........the school behind the church wasn`t much better.......one coke stove in the corner of the (Victorian) classroom.......the flicks was good tho` One shilling and sixpence in the front row matinee .......

 

[Nige F]

Try Shepherds in Westham near Eastbourne for your PVC stuff

 

[BobbyBreakit]

Manor Park ........How about that.........I was down among the plebs in Church Coombe .......in the Drive ....we left in 1968 and I`ve not been back since The town`s twnned with Quickborn .......Stillborn and Quickborn together Yep. I rode on steam powered trains to the County town too ..............happy days, I`m 1954 vintage .......and was there from then to `68.....b****y froze my pre pubescent nuts off in 1963 Winter Houses had only one coal fire and no loft insulation ........the school behind the church wasn`t much better.......one coke stove in the corner of the (Victorian) classroom.......the flicks was good tho` One shilling and sixpence in the front row matinee .......

Well I was bought up in Walworth, South London and then Norbury then West Croydon, believe me Uckfield is a breath of fresh air to my previous abodes

 

[Deluks]

Well I was bought up in Walworth, South London and then Norbury then West Croydon, believe me Uckfield is a breath of fresh air to my previous abodes

I'm in Croydon, he's right about that fresh air.