DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi all,

My house is 1930s semi. The roof tiles are red and visible from inside the loft and there is no felt or anything like that. A couple of years ago I put a new loft hatch and some boards on loft legs up there so I can store a few boxes.

The boxes feel quite damp. There is condensation on some of the tiles and rafters which concerns me.

Is there anything I can do to improve this? I've read better air circulation or insulating the loft hatch can help. I have a few boxes up there so I wonder if that is causing a problem.

Also, the mortar keeps dropping off the tiles, I guess it's been there a while. I would like to cover this up but I don't want to make air circulation worse - when we moved in to the house there was some thin plastic sheeting pinned in to the rafters which was all torn and weighed down with chipped off mortar so I removed it. Is there anything I can do about the mortar or do I have to put up with it falling on me every time I open the hatch? I assume it is there for a reason so don't want to just chip it all off.

Here are some pics for those interested and also a bonus pic of a small wasps nest I found (I'll try to work out how to embed these)

https://ibb.co/rp826gJ
https://ibb.co/DtDzz1s
https://ibb.co/5r4DTgK
https://ibb.co/C7Rnjk4

Hi gazhendrix,
Because your roof does not have any underfelt the loft will be subject to the same conditions as outside and may be more damp due to moisture from your living areas.
Assuming you do not want a re-roof, temporarily store boxes in the dry part of your house, seal them in plastic bags and then put them in the loft.
There will always be condensation on the underside of the tiles when it is cold outside. Frost action leads to spalling of the tiles which tends to be worse on the tile nibs. Once this happens some owners apply mortar to the underside of the tiles to keep them in place, as has been done with your roof.
Short term cover everything and form an ‘umbrella’ over the loft hatch to catch the mortar droppings. Longer term it will be a re-roof - you’ll know by the number of tiles slipping down the roof.
Regards S