On 7 Jan 2004 23:52:24 -0800, (SuzySue)
wrote:

If a terraced house had a slate roof with no underfelt, would this be
something that most people would want fixed immediately i.e. taking
off all the slates, and installing underfelt and replacing all the
slates again.

Or is having no underfelt on a roof not a major problem, and something
which can be lived with i.e. not usually considered an "urgent"
problem.

It's very common indeed in older properties and is not a problem in
itself. Having felt provides a second line of defence in case a
slips out of place. Not having it means that you need to be a bit
more vigilant with keeping an eye on the roof from the outside and the
inside, since a slipped slate may mean water starting to come in.
Even then, if it is only one slate, the overlapping of the slates
would mean that that is not usually a major issue for a few days until
it can be fixed.

If the roof is in generally good condition, then it is reasonable to
leave it alone. On the other hand if the slates appear crumbly at the
edges or if you experience a lot of them slipping because the nails
have rusted, then it can make sense to have the roof relaid. This
involves taking the lot off, and the battens and then laying felt,
battens, probably re-using some slates and replacing others with
second hand good slates.

I would see what happens over the course of a year or so and then
decide. Obviously if there are any signs of water coming in or
slipped slates, these should be fixed.




..andy

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