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Buying Old Property, first Roof Defects
By arlene | November 22, 2008
Let us go back to the property you are considering buying and look at what you are getting for your money:
Roof: A home is basically a roof over your head and if you will be renovating on a limited budget it is a good idea to ensure that this essential and very expensive item is sound, free of leaks and unlikely to blow off unexpectedly.
Check what the roof is made of — corrugated iron, asbestos sheets, cement or asbestos tiles, shingles, slate or thatch. If the house was well built and reasonably well maintained, these materials should last for decades but look carefully for rust, loose or missing tiles and check anyway whether replacements are available in the size you would need if repairs were necessary. Many materials are unobtainable in old imperial sizes since the advent of metrication.
An unsound roof can cause hidden problems like settling damp, plaster separating from brickwork, rotting rafters and damaged ceilings. Never feel harassed by the owner of a property or an agent when inspecting a home for purchase. You are the customer and will probably be obliged to buy `voetstoots’ or ‘as it stands’ at the time of signing the Offer to Purchase and in most circumstances, you will have no recourse to anyone for any defects which you might not have noticed when you inspected it.
It is your right to spend as much time as it takes checking every aspect of the building, so ask where the roof inspection trap is and look at the inside of the roofing material as well as the rafters which should be free of beetle infestation and rot. Sometimes to cut costs the roofing timbers are too widely spaced and this could lead to a sagging roof which leaks and one which is likely to suffer from wind and storm damage.
Check the gutters and downpipes which in most old houses were iron. The guttering is an important part of the drainage system of any building and should be sound and kept free of leaves and dirt. If guttering is rusty and corroded it will have to be replaced or damp will inevitably become a problem. Modern guttering such as PVC or asbestos lasts forever and is maintenance free, but for a really authentic restoration, you will want to scour the junk yards and demolition sites for just the right replacements.
When you have inspected every aspect of the roof, look inside for signs of previous leaks which could have damaged the internal structure, such as damp patches on the ceilings and walls and even stains on the floors. If you are househunting in dry weather, look for signs of old mildew and loose plaster which can be detected by knocking on the wall with your knuckle. A hollow sound will almost certainly mean that plaster has become separated from the brickwork, thus creating a gap which will become an ideal breeding ground for damp. Check also for peeling paint. Ceilings can also give away old leaks. Old wooden ceilings were usually made from tongue-and-groove Oregon pine and even if they have been painted, you can normally pick out rough patches where water damage has occurred. Plasterboard ceilings will show bulges if they have been stretched by a build up of water.
A new roof for an old house will cost at least as much as for a new one.
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Topics: Property |
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