when is it worth replacing versus repairing a roof

[dominoman]

The roof on my semi-detached Edwardian house is old and tiles are slipping fairly regularly. 2-3 fell off this year. There are no leaks so far (as far as I can tell), but it can’t be long. It’s a 100 year old roof with no lining.


The problem with any repairs is the house is high (its on a slope) so needs lots of scaffolding.


I am renting the house out for 2 years while I work overseas so I would rather not do any major work while I’m not there to make decisions. I can imagine this work spiralling in cost if I’m not there because the chimneys may need repointing at the same time, flashing may need doing etc.


I need to do something though, as the tenant is not happy about the thought of one of his kids being hit by a rogue tile.


What would you advise. Is it worth trying to get it repaired. Or once the cost of scaffolding etc is included should I just bite the bullet and get it all replaced?


Any advice or thoughts would be really appreciated.

 

[bobsuerita]

do it once and replace all just dont go cheap like the neighbour has

 

[^woody^]

You have a duty as a landlord to keep the house in good repair, and it is implied that you carry out reasonable inspections to determine when things should be replaced and have a plan for future work.

The roof is at its life end and if anything does happen as a result of a slipped tile, then you will be liable for injury and damage caused.

Appoint someone to specify the work and over see it, and get the roof replaced. It wont cost any more for scaffolding because of that slope.

 

[dominoman]

do it once and replace all just dont go cheap like the neighbour has

How can you tell they've gone cheap?

I don't know much about roofs. But I think mine looks nicer. I assume that's just the style of the tiles?

 

[dominoman]

I know it's hard to tell from a single photo like that - but very approximately how much would a new roof like that cost?

Is it possible to reuse the existing tiles - or is that a bad idea?

 

[dominoman]

Streetview of the side of the house: https://www.google.ae/maps/@51.3331...4!1snnvT0uVEYKbbuYvTi1zuWg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

To my untrained eye it appears to be in generally OK condition. Is it definitely not worth repairing?

 

[Doggit]

You need to get a couple of roofers in there to give you an idea of both the problems, and the solutions. The neighbours have gone for a cheap tile, and it doesn't suit the look of the house, but it'll be your choice at the end of it.

 

[dominoman]

You need to get a couple of roofers in there to give you an idea of both the problems, and the solutions. The neighbours have gone for a cheap tile, and it doesn't suit the look of the house, but it'll be your choice at the end of it.

Thanks. I agree. I much prefer my original clay tiles.

Are these type of clay tiles generally reusable? I have plenty of spares from when the Velux was put in - and they've lasted 100 years so far so I guess they could last another 100?

 

[Doggit]

It will purely depend on what's causing the slippage. Unfortunately, it may well be the nibs that are breaking, and that means that unless every one is nailed, then they'll continue to slip, so it'll be extra labour to nail every row, as opposed to the cost of new tiles. Although something at the back of my mind may say that every row has to be nailed nowadays.