tegwin
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 01:05 PM |
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Fitting a loft window to access chimney
Any thoughts on this?
2 storey semi detached house with a mid roof chimney. 1970s concrete ribbed tiles. Loft space is not habitable so good access to roof.
The roof structure seems to be solid when inspected from inside although I can't see the batons due to the felt. The outside has quite a lot of
moss growth on it.
I am getting water dribbling into the loft around the chimney, suspect the moss growth is enabling water to get around the old flashing.
I would like to be able to scrape off all the moss on the entire roof and repair the flashing.
Cost of scaffolding on one side of the house looks to be around £1200. This would be the ideal solution apart from the cost.
I considered using ladders but I hate ladders!
Other option I am thinking about is getting a loft window (velux type thing) and installing it from the inside in the middle of the roof such that I
could then use the hole to get out onto the roof and access the chimney. I could rig a safety rope from inside the loft space across to the chimney to
make it safer for me. Window and flashing is £110...
The roof is not insulated so I can't see any thermal/damp issues associated with replacing some of the tiles with a piece of double glazed
glass?! Perhaps might get condensation on the glass? On the flip side I could open the window to ventilate the loft particularly when its hot!
Anyone done similar?
[Edited on 31/1/23 by tegwin]
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nick205
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 01:18 PM |
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No, but our regular window cleaner offers a gutter cleaning and roof de-mossing service. They did it for me just before Xmas all in for £180.
2 storey semi-detached house, no chimney.
Already got a Velux in a bedroom where the roof slopes over the room. Could climb out through that (roof is a shallow 15 degree pitch as well). Just
not up for clambering about on the roof though.
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James
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 04:34 PM |
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Surely a scaffold tower isn't £1200?
Think I paid £50-£100 for a weekend last time (about 8(?) years ago).
[Edited on 31/1/23 by James]
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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lsdweb
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 05:13 PM |
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You could get a local drone 'pilot' to give you some decent photos / video so you'd get a better idea of the problem. Probably
shouldn't cost you too much. I do some 'professional' drone stuff but I'm too far away!
Regards
Wyn
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 06:18 PM |
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I had a (non-habitabale) velux installed when I did my extension. It is to access a small section of dflat roof where two roofs meet. I can clamber
out and clear it easily, even a tower would be difficult to use to access it.
Installing such a window will take a little more time than putting a tower up and down, but not masses and is a useful addition. I would go for it as
a solution.
[Edited on 31/1/23 by cliftyhanger]
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jacko
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 06:18 PM |
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Hi it sound like my roof problem water getting though where the chimney stack is
I had a roofer have a look at it and he told me it is the top of the stack that the cement has cracked and water is getting through the bricks .
All the flashing is ok
He took photos to show me £75 to replace the cement
Graham
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tegwin
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 06:28 PM |
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I did only get one quote but to build a tower and bridge across to the chimney was £1200 Inc vat. May be able to get a better quote but things are a
lot more expensive than they were 8 years ago 😞
I’m fortunate that I build and test fly drones for a living so a drone inspection was the first thing I did. What I really need is a drone with arms
that can clean the roof for me.
I don’t really want to be climbing out of a window and traipsing around on the roof but there’s water getting in and I can’t afford to pay anyone to
sort it for me
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lsdweb
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 06:40 PM |
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Well that was me teaching my grandmother to suck eggs!!
You can hire towable access platforms for not a huge amount of money (last time I looked it was about £200 a week plus you'd need hired-in
insurance).
My neighbours hired one of these - https://www.niftylift.com/uk/products/trailer-mounted/nifty-120
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I’m fortunate that I build and test fly drones for a living so a drone inspection was the first thing I did. What I really need is a drone with arms
that can clean the roof for me.
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JoelP
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 08:41 PM |
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Rather than getting scaffolding, just get a roofer in to sort it. They'll just run up a ladder without a care in the world. Velux sounds like a
real faff too.
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tegwin
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| posted on 31/1/23 at 10:55 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by lsdweb
Well that was me teaching my grandmother to suck eggs!!
You can hire towable access platforms for not a huge amount of money (last time I looked it was about £200 a week plus you'd need hired-in
insurance).
My neighbours hired one of these - https://www.niftylift.com/uk/products/trailer-mounted/nifty-120
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I’m fortunate that I build and test fly drones for a living so a drone inspection was the first thing I did. What I really need is a drone with arms
that can clean the roof for me.
Apologies, I didn’t mean to be quite so curt. Your recommendation was an excellent one.
I saw quite a nice bit of kit advertised that’s a tracked device that can fit through a normal doorway with long reach arm. Annoyingly I have an
awkward front garden and no rear garden access so anything on wheels is a problem.
Il perhaps ask a few roofers for quotes before I resort to roof tarzanism. 
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nick205
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| posted on 1/2/23 at 08:41 AM |
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Some further thoughts....
Genuine Velux window kits aren't cheap (had to replace an existing 20 year old one in our house as the frame was rotten and the flashing kit
around it was failing).
Cutting more holes in your roof adds the potential for more leak points in the future too.
Scanning through the rest of this thread a roofer (with chimney experience) or hiring in a scaffold tower would be my route.
[Edited on 1/2/23 by nick205]
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SJ
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| posted on 1/2/23 at 09:21 AM |
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It's certainly a very easy way f getting access to the roof. We had a loft conversion on our old house and accessing the roof via the velux was
great for sorting out the TV aerial.
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jacko
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| posted on 1/2/23 at 09:25 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
Rather than getting scaffolding, just get a roofer in to sort it. They'll just run up a ladder without a care in the world. Velux sounds like a
real faff too.
That’s what I did . and you never know cash in hand 😎
Just wait until there is a roofer working down your street and ask them
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mark chandler
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| posted on 1/2/23 at 11:19 PM |
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When I had to change my chimney pot I hired a cherry picker for the day, cost £120, cannot say I enjoyed it!
It was 4WD, very heavy so left deep tracks in the grass.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 2/2/23 at 12:16 PM |
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I use a product called Mosgo which you spray onto you roof. Within weeks the moss and lichen are coming off (you'll need to keep the gutters
clean) and I've found it lasts about 2-3 years, however not much grows after that. I use a backpack pressure sprayer with a homemade extension
(ali boom) and soak the roof from the top down, fitting a pair of bicycle stabilisers to the end of the boom makes it a lot easer to maneuver.
Don't use a power washer on the roof as it knocks the hell out of roofing tiles and slates, causing way more damage than anything.
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tegwin
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| posted on 2/2/23 at 12:28 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I use a product called Mosgo which you spray onto you roof. Within weeks the moss and lichen are coming off (you'll need to keep the gutters
clean) and I've found it lasts about 2-3 years, however not much grows after that. I use a backpack pressure sprayer with a homemade extension
(ali boom) and soak the roof from the top down, fitting a pair of bicycle stabilisers to the end of the boom makes it a lot easer to maneuver.
Don't use a power washer on the roof as it knocks the hell out of roofing tiles and slates, causing way more damage than anything.
Thank you - That looks like a good product.
I had been resisting the temptation to pressure wash the roof - it would make it look very clean - but as you say, probably perforate it in the
process...
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