Roof repair, under the tiles

[GlasgowDave]

Hi All,

My house is 55 years old and there is a bit of degredation of the roof that can be seen from the loft. The roof construction is as follows:

- Foil backed plasterboard on top of the rafters
- Roofing felt on top of the boarding
- Tile battens
- Tiles

This is a cold loft which is used for storage.

The problem is that, on the windward side of the roof, the plasterboard is sagging quite badly and has come down in places. In addition, there seems to be a run of felt that overlies the run above meaning that any moisture will run into the loft space rather than onto the lower run of felt. Finally, there seems to be some felt missing at the eaves level.

Now the loft seems dry and in good shape. I replaced the flooring last year so I would have noticed if there was water ingress. However, condition is not ideal and the falling plasterboard is a nuisance.

I'm looking for a pragmatic course of action to improve the condition. Or, at least stabilise it. As I say, I am watertight and insulated so I don't have the appetite to strip the tiles off and redo the roof.

So, any ideas?

Dave

 

[Alastairreid]

Its not plasterboard, cant remember what you call it off the top of my head, it degrades and sags over the years because of the moisture which inevitably enters the attic.

Tidy up the loose, sagging sheets with strips of batten and keep the loft well insulated at ceiling level as well as making sure any soffit vents etc are kept clear.

There are millions of lofts up and down the country like that which function quite happily.

 

[GlasgowDave]

Tidy up the loose, sagging sheets with strips of batten and keep the loft well insulated at ceiling level as well as making sure any soffit vents etc are kept clear.

There are millions of lofts up and down the country like that which function quite happily.

Thanks Alastair. I have friends who have had similar problems as me. They did as you suggested (and was my fall back option) of securing the sagging boards with battens.

Should the loft be well insulated at roof level though? I have very good insulation at the loft floor level. It was my understanding that I should then allow the loft to be cold and ventilated.

Dave

 

[Alastairreid]

Ceiling level being from the room below to the attic floor

Cold and draughty makes for a healthy roof space.

 

[GlasgowDave]

Ceiling level being from the room below to the attic floor

Cold and draughty makes for a healthy roof space.

Ah, yes. 'Ceiling', not 'roof'. That makes sense. I misread.