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Original poster

Can't afford £20,000 for a new roof

59 replies

Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:06

Hi everyone, I'm really panicking and don't know where to turn. I bought a 1910 flat with loft conversion 18 months ago with a budget of £20k to do it up, much of which has already been spent. There's been consistent problems with damp seeping in across both sides of the house since the start. I've had various people out to look at since it started (most of whom were quite dismissive it wasn't anything to worry about) and when it got much worse recently I got 5 roofers out to look in the last week. Each one has said something completely different ranging from £650 for a few small repairs to a full roof replacement for £20,000.

The roofer who says it needs to be replaced seemed very genuine. He said it had been a cowboy job and is at risk of caving in within a few years. He was the first and only roofer to actually look at the eaves and showed me how the timber was being affected by the damp. Assuming he's right, what can I do? The roof had been replaced recently before I bought it and no problems related to it was flagged when I got the survey done (the most comprehensive one). I don't have £20,000. I bought this house alone so its solely my responsibility to pay although my partner is moving in. I'm in my 30s and about to start trying for a baby but there's no way that will be financially possible if the roof really does need £20,000 of work. Does anyone have any advice? Feeling pretty devastated.

OP posts:
Choux · 05/04/2024 15:36

You saw 5 roofers. One said £650 and one said £20k. What did the others say?

Original poster
Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:38

Choux · 05/04/2024 15:33

If the work was substandard then it may be that either there is a guarantee that can be used to get the repairs done. Or failing that, potentially the survey should have picked it up and you can use that to get some money to help cover it.

Have you already checked the lease to see who is responsible for the roof?

I'm responsible for the roof according to the paperwork. There's no formal guarantee for the roof unfortunately, it states that in the paperwork from the sale. I was just relying on no problems picked up in the survey and it having been so recently done. I might have to pay for a formal report which details the issues with the roof and then try and challenge the surveyors that they should have picked it up

OP posts:
Original poster
Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:40

Choux · 05/04/2024 15:36

You saw 5 roofers. One said £650 and one said £20k. What did the others say?

The third is about £3k for repairs connected to the attic windows.
Fourth said it was due to the join between my roof and neighbours - haven't given formal quote yet but around £3k mark.
Fifth I'm actually still waiting on assessment and quote.

OP posts:
sleekcat · 05/04/2024 15:40

This seems crazy if you had a full survey 18 months ago. You can go back to the surveyor if such an oversight has been made, surely? I would be a bit suspicious that an entire new roof is needed - it can't be leaking to the extent that everything needs replacing. When we got a new roof it was only about £3k but it was about 17 years ago now. However, they used all the same roof tiles again. I don't know what a dry ridge system is, maybe you don't need that?
Also, surely the roof comes with a guarantee and ideally you should have been passed the paperwork for that.

Linedbook · 05/04/2024 15:42

I think there's a high probability your £20k "genuine" roofer is just the one with the best chat, especially if you had a survey done and others are telling you it can be fixed for much less.

Original poster
Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:44

Linedbook · 05/04/2024 15:42

I think there's a high probability your £20k "genuine" roofer is just the one with the best chat, especially if you had a survey done and others are telling you it can be fixed for much less.

I would really like to believe this but he's from the most reputable company and was one of the most thorough in looking around the property.

OP posts:
CJ0374 · 05/04/2024 15:46

Do you know the downstairs neighbour? Can you ask them if the previous owner mentioned any leaks/issues and when the current roof was replaced?

IsadoraQuill · 05/04/2024 15:53

Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:44

I would really like to believe this but he's from the most reputable company and was one of the most thorough in looking around the property.

Show quote history

The most reputable roofing company by me quoted double all other roofers to replace my roof. They can charge that much because some people like to go with a trusted company and so they can get away with it.

Get a surveyor in to do a full assessment of the roof and outline what needs to be done. It might be that a small repair can be done now whilst you save up for a full re-roof.

Linedbook · 05/04/2024 15:55

My friend had a similar experience, they went in the roof, very convincingly "showed" her everything that was wrong, but a friend who works with builders, but is not a roofer got a friendly roofer to have a look and told her there was nothing wrong that couldn't be easily fixed.

If the "reputable" company is a household name, all the more reason to be wary IMO.

InfoComet · 05/04/2024 15:57

This was what was included in the 5k we spent for reroofing. We'd got 3 quotes and all were in the same sort of ballpark

"Strip off existing roof tiles, fascias, soffit and guttering.
Renew with new breathable felt, 2x1 tannerlised latts, new concrete tiles and ridge.
New dry ridge system. New 12" LED to chimneys. New pvc fascias and soffits, new black guttering, downpipes and fitting. Scaffold, skip, materials and labour included."

I'd be surprised if you needed a complete reroof and if nothing was highlighted on survey I'm sure you'd have some comeback if that were the case. If you actually did, the costs seems very high.

When we bought our house, the roof was marked as red on the survey - urgent repairs required and roof replacement likely needed imminently. We actually didn't replace the roof for 10 years.

KitKatChunki · 05/04/2024 16:00

I would look at the survey again, check what was said about the roof and call them to explain the issue. If you are questioning their work they may send someone out for you to look again and you'll get a more honest answer than from a roofer. IME a reputable roofer is a very very hard thing to find!

Original poster
Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 16:07

This was what the Building Survey said about the roof:

The roof is weathered externally with artificial slates laid with a modern breathable waterproof membrane underneath. The slates and the dry-fixed ridge tiles are generally in good condition, the roof coverings should be maintained as normal.
The rear offshoot roof is weathered with older artificial, these appear to be in fair condition and should be maintained as normal.
The flashings appear to be in good condition.
There are no indications internally of any recent water ingress through any of the roof coverings.

OP posts:
KitKatChunki · 05/04/2024 16:22

Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 16:07

This was what the Building Survey said about the roof:

The roof is weathered externally with artificial slates laid with a modern breathable waterproof membrane underneath. The slates and the dry-fixed ridge tiles are generally in good condition, the roof coverings should be maintained as normal.
The rear offshoot roof is weathered with older artificial, these appear to be in fair condition and should be maintained as normal.
The flashings appear to be in good condition.
There are no indications internally of any recent water ingress through any of the roof coverings.

It does sound as though there is nothing wrong with the roof and it was indeed thoroughly checked. Call your solicitor and ask for the roof paperwork - you said it had been done recently and they had seen the papers - and ask your solicitor for the guarantee. You can then call the people who did the roofing work out to check if there is a specific issue you are worried about, eg an area you have been told is an issue in the roof.

Damp can be caused by a lot of things and it's not always the roof - guttering, improper circulation, rising damp for example.

SmudgeButt · 05/04/2024 17:58

Think you're better off with the replies you get on MSE.

willWillSmithsmith · 05/04/2024 18:08

I have a quote for a new roof and it’s around £5.5k. This is for a four bed detached house. I would strongly advise getting an unbiased surveyor before you commit to anyone. The ‘nice’ roofer might just be a good talker.

isitbananatimealready · 05/04/2024 18:12

Go back to the surveyor and tell them that you have had a £20k quote to replace the roof that they said was absolutely fine when they surveyed the property only x months ago.

Ask them for their opinion.

SwedishEdith · 05/04/2024 18:23

Have you got vents in the roof felt? That's a big cause of condensation and damp after a new roof replaces an older tiled one. And they are not expensive to install.

housethatbuiltme · 05/04/2024 18:40

Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 15:06

Hi everyone, I'm really panicking and don't know where to turn. I bought a 1910 flat with loft conversion 18 months ago with a budget of £20k to do it up, much of which has already been spent. There's been consistent problems with damp seeping in across both sides of the house since the start. I've had various people out to look at since it started (most of whom were quite dismissive it wasn't anything to worry about) and when it got much worse recently I got 5 roofers out to look in the last week. Each one has said something completely different ranging from £650 for a few small repairs to a full roof replacement for £20,000.

The roofer who says it needs to be replaced seemed very genuine. He said it had been a cowboy job and is at risk of caving in within a few years. He was the first and only roofer to actually look at the eaves and showed me how the timber was being affected by the damp. Assuming he's right, what can I do? The roof had been replaced recently before I bought it and no problems related to it was flagged when I got the survey done (the most comprehensive one). I don't have £20,000. I bought this house alone so its solely my responsibility to pay although my partner is moving in. I'm in my 30s and about to start trying for a baby but there's no way that will be financially possible if the roof really does need £20,000 of work. Does anyone have any advice? Feeling pretty devastated.

What possible reason could the person telling you to pay them £20k have for lying? (I can think of about 20k of them)

If the roof was done not long before you moved it can't be the roof, most roofs last a human lifetime and even a badly done one should make 20 years.

It says a lot to me that MULTIPLE different experts have told you repetitively there is nothing wrong including an independent one you choose and paid for (which hold liability so wouldn't lie) but you have kept getting more and more until one agreed with your worst case paranoia... seems a bit like your desperately looking for drama.

Winter2020 · 05/04/2024 18:42

I agree that you should get an independent opinion - unless you have friends or colleagues who can recommend someone that they trust/have used for years and willing to do small jobs as well as big.

We had a roof leak caused by a few tiles being replaced with different tiles in the past. It was very difficult to find someone because no one wanted to fix - they were only interested in bigger jobs - quoting to replace the roof at that end of the house minimum - they didn't want to come back for a repair.

In the end a chap fixed it for us who was the relative of a friend and not a roofer but an all round handy type of person. It needed scaffold to work safely but was only a couple of hundred for the fix on top of the scaffold. It has been fine for years now (touch wood).

Also I would be very wary of replacing a fairly new roof on the say so of one chap and giving him 20k!

GasPanic · 05/04/2024 18:43

SwedishEdith · 05/04/2024 18:23

Have you got vents in the roof felt? That's a big cause of condensation and damp after a new roof replaces an older tiled one. And they are not expensive to install.

Possible.

IMO you need to figure out where the damp is coming from. It could be coming from outside the roof leaking in.

Or it could be coming from excess humidity generated below that cannot escape properly due to the new roof construction.

It may be that when it was surveyed there were no problems because no one was living underneath, or the person underneath was not generating high humidity.

What is the humidity in the rooms below ? Have you tried running a dehumidifier ?

housethatbuiltme · 05/04/2024 18:44

willWillSmithsmith · 05/04/2024 18:08

I have a quote for a new roof and it’s around £5.5k. This is for a four bed detached house. I would strongly advise getting an unbiased surveyor before you commit to anyone. The ‘nice’ roofer might just be a good talker.

£5.5k is standard price but will be for re-felting, new batons and retiling (confusingly often called a new roof but its just tiling really).

An actual new roof means a new roof structure (rafters, joists, trusses, perlins etc...) it can be a huge job that involves demolition, moving a prebuilt structure across country and cranes to place it (Its basically worst case scenario).

A 'new' roof can easily be £20k but I highly doubt OP needs a whole new roof.

SophiaElise · 05/04/2024 19:17

I had something like this when I bought my 30s house several years ago.

A highly recommended reputable roofer told me the roof had to be replaced, and quoted a similar amount. I also got several other quotes (all lower).

In the end I trusted my gut and went with the much cheaper roof repair another company suggested. The roof has been fine ever since.

My neighbour spent around £12K getting a new roof and it leaks into their loft bedroom every time it rains heavily. The company that installed it gave them a 10 year guarantee but don't seem to know how to fix the problem, not helped by the success/failure of each repair not being evident until the next storm. The new roof is worse than the old one!

Startingagainandagain · 05/04/2024 19:44

OP the best way to find trusted tradespeople is always to go by recommendation.

Try talking to neighbours, local friends or see if there are any local Facebook community group for your area so you can get a recommendation for someone who can be trusted.

Go back to your surveyor and solicitors and see what they have to say about this.

As people have said the damp could be caused by guttering, the chimney rather than the roof if the roof is recent and the surveyor did not find any issues. Or if this is a terrace could the water be coming on from something happening on the roof next door?

20k sounds mad to me...

UpsideLeft · 05/04/2024 20:02

You will never need a whole new roof unless all the tiles have fallen off that's just ridiculous

Original poster
Fluffyelephant · 05/04/2024 22:42

housethatbuiltme · 05/04/2024 18:40

What possible reason could the person telling you to pay them £20k have for lying? (I can think of about 20k of them)

If the roof was done not long before you moved it can't be the roof, most roofs last a human lifetime and even a badly done one should make 20 years.

It says a lot to me that MULTIPLE different experts have told you repetitively there is nothing wrong including an independent one you choose and paid for (which hold liability so wouldn't lie) but you have kept getting more and more until one agreed with your worst case paranoia... seems a bit like your desperately looking for drama.

Show quote history

Well there's water coming into my flat in almost every room and it's got progressively worse over the 18 months so there's something wrong! I definitely don't want the drama

OP posts: