Loft felt in tatters. How to resolve?

[Live&Learn]

Hi all. I heard dripping on the ceiling of the first floor when it was raining outside so I went into the loft the next day to take a look and I think I may have a leak somewhere.

Do the pictires indicate a requirement to repair from inside the loft or from outside the roof?

Also, is that a wasp nest??? I thought they were only active in summer and are abandoned in autumn.

Thanks.

 

[Loofah]

Yes it is the start of a wasp nest but unless you see activity it's probably dead.

Is anything wet in the loft?

 

[Mottie]

We had our loft felt in tatters - it was a sort of waxy paper type of felt. I waited until we had had a good storm and claimed on my house insurance. Had the roof stripped off, refelted and battened and the tiles refitted. I could have had new tiles but Mrs Mottie said she didn’t want the roof to stand out like a sore thumb(!) so we had the old tiles refitted. While it was being done and scaffolding was up, I took the opportunity to have the chimney stack removed (it was literally only for the original boiler that was fitted in the kitchen and had long been replaced and moved to the loft) plus I replaced all my soffits, facials and guttering etc with UPVC.

 

[Loofah]

We had our loft felt in tatters - it was a sort of waxy paper type of felt. I waited until we had had a good storm and claimed on my house insurance. Had the roof stripped off, refelted and battened and the tiles refitted. I could have had new tiles but Mrs Mottie said she didn’t want the roof to stand out like a sore thumb(!) so we had the old tiles refitted. While it was being done and scaffolding was up, I took the opportunity to have the chimney stack removed (it was literally only for the original boiler that was fitted in the kitchen and had long been replaced and moved to the loft) plus I replaced all my soffits, facials and guttering etc with UPVC.

What excuse did you give to the insurers? Asking for a friend

 

[Mottie]

What excuse did you give to the insurers? Asking for a friend

Storm damage. Was about 20 years ago.

 

[pcaouolte]

Insurance fraud can get you into a whole heap of trouble. How would you explain to a loss adjuster, when they turn up to have a look at the damage, how the felt got shredded but the tiles stayed intact?

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Also, is that a wasp nest??? I thought they were only active in summer and are abandoned in autumn.

The nest still being there fits in with the idea of it being 'abandoned'. They don't take it with the when they're finished. If you go near it with a hoover you'll find it shatters into dust [my loft had at least 5 of them].

 

[Loofah]

Insurance fraud can get you into a whole heap of trouble. How would you explain to a loss adjuster, when they turn up to have a look at the damage, how the felt got shredded but the tiles stayed intact?

That's what I was wondering and if there was a good answer!

 

[Mottie]

Insurance fraud can get you into a whole heap of trouble. How would you explain to a loss adjuster, when they turn up to have a look at the damage, how the felt got shredded but the tiles stayed intact?

Because the wind blew underneath them and ripped the 'felt'. It wasn’t even felt. It was a flimsy type of 50 year old flimsy, rotten, crumbly paper sagging down between the rafters. Some of the tiles had shifted (but not broken or missing) too. It was after one of those storms when many people had roofs blown off. Insurance bloke didn’t even query it - just popped his head in the loft hatch with a torch and said to get a quote - didn't spend more than 20 seconds looking at it. I did that and they authorised it with no problems.

 

[Live&Learn]

Yes it is the start of a wasp nest but unless you see activity it's probably dead.

Is anything wet in the loft?

Hi. Thanks for your reply. The loft is part boarded but empty. I touched a bit of the insulation and it did not feel damp but it may well have been further below.

 

[Loofah]

Unlikely to have heard dripping water onto fibreglass insulation and not have it wet. The felt condition doesn't mean it will leak (mine has no felt at all), so look for evidence of water ingress. Also consider the dripping may have been from guttering or similar onto an external window sill perhaps.