Roof survey

[Shift]

Although I'm not keen on the idea I'm having a free roof survey for the buyers of my house done next week ,I think every thing is ok but without climbing on the roof I can't be certain.
I have a couple of questions.
1.Will the surveyor climb onto the roof or will he inspect from the ground using binoculars !
2.If inspecting from the ground there are some areas that are not visable what will he do about those !
3.Will he he inspect the underside of the slates via the loft.

 

[big-all]

free survey in what respect!!!!!!!!!

free usualy means a sales person looking for work
so they are going to be looking and trying to convince you[them] to buy there products
oooo your gutter looks dirty best renew it rather than just clean it out

or you have a loose tile up there best replace the whole roof incase somemore need nailed in


ok ok i could be completly wrong but the usual motives are money or work

 

[Darkrob_DIY]

could it be that the surveyor is a friend of the buyers and therefore is doing a free survey??

In any case most surveys will be from ground level using binoculars etc and they should inspect the roof from the loft aswell.

R Critchley

 

[Shift]

Nice one so you read my other posts.
I'm very sceptical about free surveys also, but it is being done by an indepandant firm who I know will be trying to find fault to get some work but surely they can't say things need doing when they clearly don't, in any case I think I will tell the roof surveyor I'll be doing any work myself.

 

[big-all]

well it depends on whose getting the report

wording like "the roof will need attention in the future" or
"this sort of roof has a limited lifespan"

both true statements but worded to be negative


"the roof will need attention in the future" could be in the next 5 to 10 years or even more

"this sort of roof has a limited lifespan" could mean this sort of roof with general maintanance may only last another century

 

[Shift]

Just got word from the estate agents and the so called FREE report says the main roof was ok (he couldn't say anything else really) but that my front bay roof needs refelting (this was done less than a year ago and is in excellent condition) plus the rear kitchen flat roof needs refelting (£590 for both).I pointed out to the conman that the roof was actually concrete under the felt so I couldn't understand why felt was over the top (maybe the old bloke who owned the house before got conned),does anyone have any ideas why they felted over concrete as nextdoors is concrete and looks ok.

 

[Static]

Why are you worried about the report? It was done for your buyer, its his problem to look at what it says and decide if he wants to buy the property or not (or offer less money-which you can refuse).

 

[bendylow]

flat concrete roofs can become porous over time,they can also start to break down.usually due to the concrete being poured in inclement weather when originally installed,but your neighbour's roof is a good indicator as to the condition of yours,if his looks ok then yours probably was too.ask him if you can look at the underside of his,and see if there are any signs of damp or water ingress,by the same token take a look at yours for the same signs.

 

[bendylow]

oh by the way,£590 seems a little to cheap for both roofs to be done properly,either that or the roofs are not very big,concrete needs to be primed before it is felted otherwise the new felt won't stick.

 

[Shift]

Static,So you think a so called FREE report done by a person who has quoted in total £2500 for various jobs and recommend unnessesary work and possibly jeopordize the sale off my house is not worth worrying about.

bendylow, the flat roofs in question are very small, the front and rear are 9'x 3' so I think £590 plus VAT is way over the top as I could do the job myself for well under £100.

By the way I just received copy of the report and they have also recommended that 4 roof vents are fitted to the main roof to allow "a free flow of air" this is on a slate roof with no under felt that has been like that for over 100 years with no rot to the timbers,so why do I all of a sudden need these 4 vents at a cost of £300!! oh I've just answered my own question MONEY.