Strategy: Renovation

Article 5 – June/July 2010

Dr. Dennis Coote

Dennis has renovated over four hundred properties mainly Victorian over the last thirty years.

Roofing

I start with roofing because if the roof is unsound and letting in water, the rest of the house will soon become an expensive proposition to develop. One small leak in a roof, which is not dealt with promptly, can result in hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

There are many kinds of roofing in the British Isles and I will detail those that are commonplace (and therefore cheaper to put right) and those that are expensive.

Slates

Many houses have slate roofs, originally constructed of Welsh slates. A slate roof has a life expectancy of up to 100 years.

A good slate roof, see picture, will be complete, no missing slates, no slates hanging off, or cracked.

A roof that needs repair will vary from a few missing or damaged slates, to huge holes in the roof itself, which obviously let in rain. Minor repairs are inexpensive but roofs with extensive damage can be time and money consuming.At this stage watch for defects such as:

Lamination where the slate separates rather like flaky pastry
Slates where the nail holes elongate and the slate slips
Broken slates
Slipped slates
Badly repaired slates

An original slate roof in Dorset

Cement Asbestos Slates

This is a very popular roof covering in many parts of the country. The ’slates’ are made from cement-asbestos, now correctly called fibre-cement. The slates have square edges and are very easy to lay. The life expectancy is less than genuine Welsh slates but nevertheless they are a good alternative. They also weigh less than genuine slates.

They look well and if the roof is covered with these, they are very satisfactory. They are also much cheaper than genuine slates if a large area is to be covered.

They cannot be mixed with genuine Welsh slates however – it’s all or nothing!

A roof covered with Fibre-cement slates

Thatch

Thatchers at work on a cottage

A thatched roof is picturesque, as well as warm in winter and cool in summer. However, unless the thatch has recently been replaced and there is a good guarantee, you would be well advised to avoid buying a thatched house.

The cost of re-thatching a property is prohibitive as there are very few professional thatchers in the country, most originating from Norfolk, where the best thatching reeds come from.

Clay Tiles

These are the most common type of tiles used on roofs in Britain.

There are many patterns, from the simple plain tile (or Rosemary as it is called in some parts of the country and is slightly different to a plain tile) to pan tiles and Double Roman. Visitors to Italy will have seen clay pan tiles on almost every roof in that country. The design dates back to Roman times.

Samples of Rosemary Plain Tiles (Courtesy Redland tiles Ltd)

A property with Rosemary tiles and ornamental bullnose tiles on the upper walls;

All of these are easily available from Builders Merchants.

See the full range at: http://www.lafarge-roofing.co.uk

An example of Pan tiles (Courtesy Jim Woods Roofing Contractor)

Rosemary plain tiles are also often used vertically on walls and look most attractive. Individual ones are fairly easy to replace, as well as being easy to purchase.

These tiles are modestly priced and even if you have to replace the whole roof, which is unlikely, you will not find the cost astronomical.

Concrete Tiles

Nowadays, modern tiles are made from concrete and coloured in a variety of shades. In many cases they imitate the shape of the earlier clay tiles, such as pan tiles, double-roman and so on. It is important to remember that although they look similar they are not a replacement for the clay versions. The profile is slightly different so they are not interchangeable.

The above examples of concrete tiles are just two from a large range made by Redland Tiles for the UK market. You can see the full range at:

http://www.lafarge-roofing.co.uk

Picture: Renovation

A roof over a horse's stable completed with Clay double Roman tiles: very attractive and reasonable in price.

Types of Roofing to Avoid

Here are a few examples of roofs to be avoided.

Surveyors are knowledgeable about difficult roof coverings and the mortgage valuation will probably be reduced by a substantial margin.

Picture: Renovation

These bright blue tiles are, in my own opinion, ugly and would not be allowed on a modern roof. It would be very expensive to buy any new ones.

Picture: Renovation

This is another slate that is virtually impossible to purchase, at least in my part of the country (if anyone knows better, please let me know!) These are called Red Diamonds and were popular in the thirties. Avoid them like the plague! They are made of asbestos and painted with red oxide.

You will almost certainly need to replace these slates with something more popular, such as the black cement asbestos ones mentioned on page 38.

Do remember, the old phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Ignore roof leaks at your peril.

Best wishes,

Dennis

If you would like to ask Dennis a question click here