Near Sittingbourne · Spray foam removal

Spray foam removed and roof re-slated for a house sale, near Sittingbourne

The owners were selling, and spray foam had been applied to the underside of the roof at some point in the past. It had to come out before the sale could go ahead. We stripped the roof, took the foam off the rafters, and re-covered both main slopes and the front gable in new slate over new breathable membrane. About three weeks on site, and the customer had a written report of the work for the sale.

Property: Semi-detached, with a front gable
Reason: Spray foam removal for a house sale
Foam: Removed from the rafters with the old felt
Rafters: Checked once bare, sound, none replaced
Underlay: New breathable membrane
Covering: New slate, both slopes and front gable
Ridge: Original ridge tiles cleaned and refitted
Report: Written report for the sale
Time on site: About three weeks

Why the foam had to come off

Spray foam stuck to the underside of a roof is a common problem when a house goes on the market. It hides the condition of the rafters and the old roof covering, and lenders and surveyors often want to see it gone before they will go ahead. Here the foam had been sprayed straight onto the old felt and up between the rafters, so the only proper way to remove it was from above, with the roof covering off.

Stripping the roof and getting the foam out

The old slates and battens came off first, which is where the strip-out photo below comes from: the foam is still clinging to the old felt and battens between every rafter. With the roof open, the foam was cleared off the rafters and the old felt it had been sprayed onto went with it. Once the timbers were bare we could see them properly, and the rafters were sound, so nothing needed replacing.

Putting the roof back

New breathable membrane went over the rafters, then new battens, then new slate on both main slopes and the small gable at the front. The original ridge tiles were kept, cleaned up and put back on, so the ridge still matches the other half of the house. The neighbours' half of the roof was left as it was, which is why the photos show the old tiles right up to the party wall line.

Paperwork for the sale

For a sale, the paperwork matters as much as the roof. The customer had a written report of what we removed and what went back on, to pass on for the sale.

The job, in order

Moss-covered roof of a semi-detached house near Sittingbourne before re-roofing, front gable in view — Before, from the front. Our customer's half is the one with the gable; next door's half has the ribbed concrete tiles.

Rear slope of the same roof before work, covered in moss and lichen — Before, the back slope.

Spray foam insulation applied between and over the rafters inside a loft near Sittingbourne — Inside the loft. The foam had been sprayed between the rafters and straight onto the back of the old roof.

Spray foam partly scraped back to the old bitumen felt on the underside of a roof — Where the foam had come away, the old felt it was stuck to is underneath. That felt came out with it.

Roof stripped to the battens with spray foam visible between every rafter, chimney behind — Stripped from above. The foam is still between the rafters and stuck to the old battens, which is why it has to come out with the roof open.

Finished new slate roof on one half of a semi-detached house near Sittingbourne, original ridge refitted — Finished. New slate, the original ridge cleaned and refitted, and next door's half left as it was.

Close view of new slates laid up to the party wall line beside a neighbour's older tiled roof — The new slates finishing at the party wall line against next door's tiles.

Top-down drone view of the finished slate roof including the rear slope and front gable — From above: both main slopes and the front gable re-covered.

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