Is this old tar paper roofing felt?

Harnser

Harnser

Harnser

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South coast
In our loft theres a 6ft area with this nailed under the rafters. The tiles have roofing felt directly under them so I want to take it down

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Its stiff in the current 3 degree cold and tears when pulled.

I dont recognise what it is so checking this is unlikely to contain asbestos before i take it down?
 
How olds the house? Any particular reason your wanting it removed?

It looks like some sort of resin/tar I'd guess. Wonder why it was applied in the first place though...

I'd be worried that ripping it off could potentially uncover other issues.
 
sja360 said:
How olds the house? Any particular reason your wanting it removed?

It looks like some sort of resin/tar I'd guess. Wonder why it was applied in the first place though...

I'd be worried that ripping it off could potentially uncover other issues.
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The house was built 1930s with a slate roof and reroofed in 1989 with tile and new felt.

Reason I want to remove this bit is its blocking access to the rafters and they have woodworm.
 
Woodworm is associated with raised moisture levels in the wood, begging the question when they got in there and why they weren't dealt with at the time of the re-reroofing if they were present then.
The underfelt was obviously put there for a reason, and perhaps the roof was leaking at that spot leading to the re-roofing being carried out?

Once moisture levels fall woodworm finds it difficult to colonise wood, so you might be seeing a previous attack and thinking it is still active.

https://www.petercox.com/blog/top-ten-tips-for-dealing-with-woodworm/

I would suggest you buy a wood moisture meter so you will know the moisture content of the loft timber, if it is high then you will need to bring it back down by finding the cause instead of relying on treatments, which won't work if excessive damp is present.
 
Flake87 said:
Woodworm is associated with raised moisture levels in the wood, begging the question when they got in there and why they weren't dealt with at the time of the re-reroofing if they were present then.
The underfelt was obviously put there for a reason, and perhaps the roof was leaking at that spot leading to the re-roofing being carried out?
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It's on the prevailing wind side so Id agree with that. Possibly damage in the hurricane of '87 leading to a reroofing 18 months later? And this was part of a quick "patch me up" to control the leaks.

Once moisture levels fall woodworm finds it difficult to colonise wood, so you might be seeing a previous attack and thinking it is still active.
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These are active, within the last year or two as there's frazz present. We had the woodworm treated before we moved in but they couldn't get to all areas like behind this sheeting. The cause looks to have been a lack of loft ventilation which we quickly fixed. It is now... breezy up there so fingers crossed they will disappear.

There's a small bit of water coming in through the flat front of the gable above the bay window (the gable is wood with felt behind) but it only dampens a 9 inch length of timber. On the list to be fixed, what is the right trade to do this given they'll need scaffolding up to roof height?
 
That's normally used as a sarking/membrane back in the day. If it's been fixed to the underside of the rafters, they may have been trying to deal with a leak, as it's normally installed between the tiles and rafters.

I would take it off the underside as it would cause the timber to sweat, allowing the wood infestation to occur. Dry the timber out and it will stop.
 
Harnser said:
There's a small bit of water coming in through the flat front of the gable above the bay window (the gable is wood with felt behind) but it only dampens a 9 inch length of timber. On the list to be fixed, what is the right trade to do this given they'll need scaffolding up to roof height?
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Difficult to picture what you have described. Am I right in thinking the gable end of the house is timber clad ? How is the water getting in ?
 
Flake87 said:
Difficult to picture what you have described. Am I right in thinking the gable end of the house is timber clad ? How is the water getting in ?
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I know I can't find the term for this part of the roof. Here's a photo of the outside. It is a single skin of timber with lining behind.
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Inside the loft, showing the damp patches when it's raining + some of the woodworm frazz

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And more inside this part of loft

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Note a bit of frazz on the timber in the foreground. These timbers have the tar paper in the original photo tacked onto the back of them.

This south facing apex/gable/whatever its called had no ventilation, and we've had 4 soffit vents and a tile vent added to it, plus more in the rest of the loft.
 
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I think this might be condensation collecting on the membrane and trickling down to the wood. If in Summer there is no damp then you will know that it is not damp penetration. If that membrane is plastic as it appears to be then it's not breathable and will certainly attract condensation.

Frass should be swept away with a dry paint brush then if there's any more you will know it is still active.

I have velux windows in a loft which is not converted, and the amount of condensation is difficult to believe. we live in a part of the world where high humidity is just something we have to live with. There are some areas where there is no insulation, this might be deliberate because of the overhang ?
 
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