Any roofing experts here?

Ace Modder · 16 Aug 2018 at 15:30

Hi guys.

My felt roof is damaged and there is sag on the roof too. (water is running down into the wall in the room/kitchen below when it rains)

Will this need a full new roof and total new felt ?

samcat · 16 Aug 2018 at 15:51

Until the existing roof is up, who knows. Some/most of the roof boards might be alright. Or they might not.

fastwunz · 16 Aug 2018 at 16:22

How old did is the roof?

Ace Modder · 16 Aug 2018 at 16:23

fastwunz said:
How old did is the roof?

I don't know, cos I only bought the house 2.5 years ago

#Chri5# · 16 Aug 2018 at 16:33

Our flat garage roof went at the corners. Can't remember if the company we used to fix it put new boards in the corner or not, but with new felt and sealed up it was fine until we sold that house.

paintguy · 16 Aug 2018 at 18:29

I'd certainly prepare yourself for a full re roof. We had ours patched a few times in the past but it only lasted a few years so eventually ended up replacing the lot.

At the very least they'll need to strip back the felt in that area to change the damaged board. If you're really lucky and the rot hasn't spread then they could just replace that section but then it means splicing layers of felt into the existing, which is where the issues seem to lie.

A complete re-felt and changing only the damaged boards is a good option, but it may not be too much extra to put all new fresh ones in.

Bear in mind that in any scenario lifting the old boards may disturb the joists thus causing cosmetic damage to the ceiling below. We had a few nails pop the plaster which would have meant patching and redecorating, but since we were having the kitchen extended and the ceilings insulated and re-plasterboarded, it wasn't a problem.

Iron-man · 16 Aug 2018 at 18:43

Just depends if the roof is rotted underneath, prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised if its cheaper

samcat · 16 Aug 2018 at 21:22

paintguy said:
A complete re-felt and changing only the damaged boards is a good option, but it may not be too much extra to put all new fresh ones in.

Probably end up being this, but dont go for felt. Get a good rubber stuck up there (EPDM or similar). Its one piece so NO seams to leak, very weather/sun proof.

Ace Modder · 17 Aug 2018 at 00:04

I've been told the full roof removal and reinstall is £1200 - not too bad actually.

Ace Modder · 17 Aug 2018 at 00:08

paintguy said:
Bear in mind that in any scenario lifting the old boards may disturb the joists thus causing cosmetic damage to the ceiling below. We had a few nails pop the plaster which would have meant patching and redecorating, but since we were having the kitchen extended and the ceilings insulated and re-plasterboarded, it wasn't a problem.

The reason I noticed the roof was cos I did this to my kitchen (the room the felt roof is under)

I noticed this damp on the wall.... here

And thats when I investigated the roof and saw the condition and the rip.

The new kitchen designs are cool though once the roof is sorted.

robj20 · 17 Aug 2018 at 04:02

If your having it redone why not get a proper roof put on.

paintguy · 17 Aug 2018 at 07:43

Ace Modder said:
The reason I noticed the roof was cos I did this to my kitchen (the room the felt roof is under) ~

Ahh, a little bit of retouching on the ceiling is hardly going to be a problem then

EDIT: Might be worth looking into upgrading the insulation in there while they have the roof off. We went from 100mm of fibreglass type stuff to 100mm kingspan lined with 25mm insulated plasterboard, same as the new parts of our extension. It has made a world of difference.

samcat · 17 Aug 2018 at 08:37

Ace Modder said:
I've been told the full roof removal and reinstall is £1200 - not too bad actually.

Sounds about right.

Got the job done right and it will last.

Ace Modder · 17 Aug 2018 at 09:44

paintguy said:
Ahh, a little bit of retouching on the ceiling is hardly going to be a problem then

EDIT: Might be worth looking into upgrading the insulation in there while they have the roof off. We went from 100mm of fibreglass type stuff to 100mm kingspan lined with 25mm insulated plasterboard, same as the new parts of our extension. It has made a world of difference.

I don't think that needs changing, it's the warmest room of the house, even in winter. (excluding cooking time)

samcat · 17 Aug 2018 at 09:51

Ace Modder said:
I don't think that needs changing, it's the warmest room of the house, even in winter. (excluding cooking time)

South (ish) facing?
The reason its the warmest may well be solar gain (heating by the sun, flat roof and all that). Insulating it as well as possible will make it the most stable temperature house in the home. Less gain in the hot weather, less loss in the cold weather.