Buying a house with potential roof issue

Yes, it does look like fire damage, you should be able to check records to see if there was a fire at that address in the past.

 

Pretty sure if you put a bit of similar timber in a fire, then put it out with water, it will look the same as that, so......

Mr. HandyAndy - Really

 

Deffo fire damage.

 

...and it looks like that chimney breast has been cemented/rendered AFTER the effect.

Mr. HandyAndy - Really

 

The roofing felt looks old though so the fire must have been a while ago, when did breathable membrane start being used?

 

Fire service might still have records, or Bristol county record office,should have old newspapers, long time since I been in Bristol record office, so not sure how you can search them now.

https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-record-office/
records may be at
Also no idea where you are in Bristol, but there have been boundary changes,sosome records maybe at Gloucestershire Archives Office.

Also Western Daily Press paper.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1950-01-01/1999-12-31?newspaperTitle=Western Daily Press

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive....rtitle=western daily press&sortorder=dayearly

 

If the fire service haven't got copies of old records, the local library might have news paper stories on file.

 

Not sure what Bristol Archives have available on the Western Daily Press, a bit out of touch with Bristol.

I would start at 1980 onwards looking at the felt.

 

That black coating is dried out preservative.



Only joking - you're on FIRE man .

As pointed out above, tho', it was clearly a fair time ago and the timbers have barely been affected. That felt has been replaced, and that must have involved removing all the tiles/slates. They wouldn't have gorn to that trouble if the timbers were weak.

So, almost certainly there isn't a structural issue here, but an SE or even a decent chippie should be able to put your mind at rest.

The timbers look straight? There is no visible sagging noticeable from the outside?

If you are paranoid, you could always have additional timbers stitched/sistered on the the sides of the existing ones.

But, I doubt very much it's necessary.

 

Good luck in looking for fire records. You will spend more effort on it than on looking for more pespective offer.

Anyway this damages don't look so old and heavy. So if the fire service will dont have any clues about in my opinion you should give up.

 

Yep, I'd be very surprised if you could find any records of this - it must have been many years ago.

And what good would it do anyway? You know there was a fire. You can see the light damage as a result. You can tell the roof's been recovered.

(Any chance of a photo of the outside?)

Looks like a cracking issue to negotiate a discount on, tho'...

 

Once you get charing on the wood, it will protect the unburnt wood underneath for a while.
Though the ridge board is one area that I would thoughly check.

 

Doing sis's wall opening recently, I was totally surprised that a timber lintel required only a single layer of p'board to protect it from fire but a steel would have needed intumescent paint and a double-layer.

Blimey.

As you say, the charred surface does a cracking job of protecting the inner timber.

 

Timber does that, the outside carbonises and protects the inner.
It's lasted