Spray Foam Removal London
Spray foam insulation removal has been around for over 30 years, but it is becoming more popular as a means of insulating attic and roof spaces. However, this can significantly affect your chances of getting a conventional mortgage or equity release lifetime mortgage.
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What is Spray Foam Removal?
Also known as spray foam, or spray polyurethane foam (SPF), this is an alternative to traditional building insulation such as fibreglass, wool or mineral fibre rolls. It can be used to insulate your roof, loft, walls and floor – but it is the roof installation that particularly causes problems for UK mortgage lenders.
There are two types of spray foam insulation to choose from:
- Open cell spray foam insulation – this has cells that are not completely encapsulated. This makes the foam a more spongey, softer and more flexible material.
- Closed cell spray foam – cells in this form are completely closed. This means air and moisture cannot get inside the foam, and it sets much more rigidly and is more stable.
Spray foam insulation is more expensive than other forms of insulation material. For example, a client of ours paid almost £4,000 to have the foam professionally applied under the roof of her 3 bedroomed detached home in Lincolnshire.
It can also cause health issues, as harmful fumes are given off during installation and could linger afterwards. This can affect those with existing breathing or respiratory complaints, including asthma.
Why Its is a Problem for Mortgage Lenders
By sealing the roof space with this material, air circulation can be restricted to the roof and timbers. This can lead to condensation, which in turn can eventually lead to the rotting of the wooden roof supports.
The closed cell foam version also sets very hard. This can put stresses onto the supporting roof timbers too, causing distortion of the roof itself. Naturally, these are major concerns to lenders who might be looking to arrange a mortgage on the property for 25 years or more.
Removing the foam material is likely to be more expensive than having it installed in the first place, as the sprayed material penetrates all of the crevices and gaps behind timbers, making them difficult to access and remove. Even having done this, not all lenders will then be happy to accept the property for a mortgage.
When to contact an Spray Foam Removal Expert?
If dampness is found in a roof, professional advice should be sought from a chartered surveyor as to whether it is penetrating or a condensation issue.
Spray foam Removal should never be used on an older building. These commonly have stone flag, slate or hand-made clay tile roofs. A percentage of the flags, slates and tiles can often be reused when these older roofs are re-covered but not if spray foam has been applied as a quick fix. There is no substitute for having a roofing contractor properly repair or re-cover an aged period roof.
Know more about SPF
Frequently Asked Questions for your project.
Where to apply Spray polyurethane foam?
Is SPF Expecsive?
What types of SPF is there?
SPF might be mis-sold as a long-term energy saving investment, lasting for more than 80 years, which will stop tiles and slates from slipping and will strengthen the roof by holding them in place. An installer may also advise that it not only increases the insulation and may lower energy bills by up to 20%, but will also protect water tanks and pipes from freezing and create a dry, clean and useful loft space. Such claims are all very debatable.
Is there any problem with SPF?
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