Not sure what to do with a bad roof

I have an IP in Brisbane with a bad roof. It was flagged during the B&P and so we obtained a quote from a roofer to have it repaired. The property is quite old (1960) and the roof is original and so it may be nearing it's end of life. However roofer 1 is confident that a repair will keep it going for 10 years and the roofer has a 10 year guarantee on his job.

My PM ended up getting a quote from a second roofer and this roofer doesn't think the suggestions from roofer 1 will do much and is instead advising to replace the roof within 5 years.

Should I be getting a third, fourth quote and opinion on the roof? I do like the confidence and 10 year guarantee provided by roofer 1, but it seems like he runs the company by himself so I'm not sure how reliable he is.

 

What material is the roof made of - terracotta tile, concrete tile, asbestos, tin??
Is it leaking presently?

 

It's corrugated iron.

It seems like there is a leak in one part of the house. The second roofer mentioned that there is some ceiling water damage in the laundry only.

Would an isolated leak like this warrant a replacement of the entire roof?

 

If this was pre-purchase I'd say get a 3rd (or 4th even) then negotiate with vendors.

For that age its prob nailed down (even if tek screws the rubber washers deteriorate), sheets move in wind etc, holes around nails get bigger, lets water in as it runs down sheets, not big time though.
Sealants around vents, antennas etc also deteriorate so prob need replacing/maintenance.

Full roof replacement will be expensive, I'd go with repair (better for tax), install a whirlybird and eave vents so it sucks out ceiling moisture (& heat), patch/paint the ceiling so the tenants don't have to look at it.

You could possibly use a handyman (with experience) for all this, cheaper hourly rate etc.

Well... speculative but he may be the type that puts others down hoping he'll get the job, either way he said 5yrs, anything could happen in that time.
Wonder if the PM told #2 about #1 before or after his report.

 

Repair was $3000 for roofer #1, $1500 for roofer #2. Replacement was around 15k from #1 off the top of my head.

#1 said probably better to repair now, keep it for ~10 years and then replace later down the track. He seemed confident he could repair it properly and he provides a 10 year guarantee.

 

NO, not in my opinion. Unless ALL the roof is rusty and holey, I'd go with the repair for now.

 

Unfortunately it's already been settled. It was negotiated with the quote from #1 as that was the roofer used by my BA.

Thanks for the suggestions for a whirlybird + eave vent. I might look into it and suggest it to the roofers.

And yes, I think the PM told #2 about #1 before hand.

 

Double the price difference? ($1500 for warranty?)

Saying the leak is over the laundry I'm thinking "maybe" there's a vent over it that needs resealing.

Unless you can DIY I'd get a handyman to have a look at the roof, may end up ~$500. If he comes in just under #2 I'd get him (#2) to do it, any issues over winter get him back to fix it.

 

Hi FirstTimeBuyer

Out of interest, is the current roof condition precisely the same as its condition as at the time of the building inspection report ? I am wondering whether storm activity which has been plentiful in Brisbane lately may have degraded the condition of the roof ?

 

Thanks Wiley. There's only some minor rust but #2 has said that the screw heads have fallen off.

 

It's hard to say as I'm based interstate. You could be right as the initial quote was provided about a month earlier than quote #2; though if the condition has deteriorated that much over 1 storm it may be a sign to replace.

I'm currently inclined to get it repaired with roofer #1; although more expensive the 10 year guarantee gives me a little more peace of mind.

 

Hi @FirstTimeBuyer

I'd compare the current findings with the information on the building inspection report. Just in case storm damage can be blamed. Maybe it is something that could be claimed in insurance. Just a thought.

 

Tha

Thanks JacM! That's actually a pretty good point you bring up. I'll confirm with the roofer when I schedule the repairs.

 

We had a 60s house with a tile roof which was leaking. We spoke to a lot of roofers and the General consensus was that the tiles were becoming porous and moisture was seeping through. It cost about 3 grand from memory for a roofer to seal it with an undercoat and then repaint and repoint the roof. Not sure if this would be any benefit to you.

 

A little off topic, but are there Brisbane roofers that anyone has used and would recommend?