ᐅ Is Renovating an Old Roof Worthwhile?

Hello everyone, I’d like to hear your opinions on the following issue:

I’m asking on behalf of a friend:

They are currently renovating their house, and the facade company has just applied the insulation. The same company was supposed to do roof renovation as well (cleaning and sealing). The roof is about 50 to 60 years old, and some of the tiles are already broken in several places, with moss and lichens growing on them. The battens underneath seem to be in good condition as far as we can tell. There is no underlay membrane, so wind-driven rain can get through and end up on the fiber cement boards or within the insulation between the rafters. However, it dries out again there, and there are currently no mold issues—also no vapor barrier or similar. The roof space is mostly used for storage. Everything is fairly open except at the dormers and the sloped ceilings on the upper floor. Only one dormer had problems—there we replaced the beams because they had rotted. A gas boiler chimney was apparently incorrectly installed there; it has now been replaced, and everything looks clean again.

Roof pitch is 48 degrees, slightly less—about 20 to 25 degrees—at the dormers.
Roof covering: red tiles.

Now the company is recommending reroofing because the tiles have weathered so much. Cost would be 10,000 to 15,000 euros. The money just isn’t available at the moment, no chance.

Now there is a disagreement:
One party wants to have the roof sealed (around 4,000 euros) and get a 10-year warranty on that. During those 10 years, they want to save money for a new roof.
The other party claims the warranty only covers the paint and doesn’t significantly extend the roof’s lifespan. This party would rather save the money and wait 5 years to have enough for a full reroof when it starts leaking.

What do you think?

I'll keep it brief, option 2.

If there are any damages or places where water can penetrate, sealing the bricks won't help you.

Will the roof last another 5 years, even if minor repairs are needed?

If yes, then applying a sealant is a waste of money.

Yes, I don’t see any problems with that. There are still a few roof tiles left.

A few informal thoughts:

• What exactly is meant by roof durability?
• If there is no money now, there might still be none in 5 or 10 years.
• Warranty issues can be addressed objectively and documented in the contract.
• New roof tiles are only beneficial for appearance. Don’t do this if there is no budget.
• I would only apply sealing now if, despite repairs, moisture is an urgent problem and sealing will definitely solve it.

Shadowblues schrieb:
Some of the bricks have chipped off in places, and moss and lichens are growing on them. The counter-battening seems fine as far as we can tell.

In that case, I would just go up in the summer with a safety harness and a stiff brush to remove moss and lichens, and replace any cracked or broken bricks if necessary. A new coating won’t improve waterproofing at all; it’s only for appearance. If the roof is watertight now, why would that change in five years? Once a year, preferably in summer, go up, clean it, replace any damaged parts, and keep living.

We had our roof, which is now 60 years old, inspected by two roofers. Of course, both wanted to reroof it. One eventually admitted that, technically, it’s not necessary. The connection points should be watertight (chimney, dormers), the bricks free of moss, and everything secure. If anything gets loose, replace it and check it yearly. The real problem is when it leaks and you don’t notice it, causing lasting dampness like what happened to your house once.