In short
Spray foam is cut and scraped off by hand, rafter by rafter, so the time is set by how much loft there is, how thick the foam is, and whether it is soft open cell or hard closed cell bonded to the timber. Nothing is left on the rafters when we finish: the timbers are exposed, photographed and written up in the report your surveyor or lender asks for. You do not need to move out.
This is a job for our Spray foam removal service.
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Why there is no fast way
There is no machine that takes spray foam off a roof. It is cut back in slabs, then scraped and wire-brushed off the rafters and the underside of the felt, and bagged as we go. RICS's consumer guide says plainly that once applied, spray foam is not easily reversible and removal can damage what it was sprayed onto, which is exactly why it has to be done slowly and by hand. Anyone quoting a morning for a whole loft is either not removing all of it or not being careful with your roof.
What decides how long it takes
| Factor | Quicker | Slower |
|---|---|---|
| Foam type | Open cell: soft, comes away in pieces | Closed cell: rigid, bonded hard to timber and felt |
| What it was sprayed onto | Onto the felt or a membrane, which we can cut away with the foam | Straight onto bare rafters and the back of the tiles |
| Thickness | A thin skim | Filling the full rafter depth |
| The loft | Bungalow with a large hatch and clear floor | Two-storey with a small hatch, water tanks and stored belongings |
| The roof afterwards | Felt intact under open cell | Felt removed with the foam, needing a membrane or a re-roof |
The House of Commons Library briefing on spray foam explains the difference between the two types: open cell stays soft, closed cell sets rigid and acts as a vapour barrier. It is the closed cell jobs on the older bungalows around Dereham and Fakenham that take the longest.
What it is like while it happens
- We work from the loft. The hatch area and the landing are sheeted, and the bags come down through the house or out of a window to the van.
- It is dusty. Bedroom doors stay shut and anything in the loft is either moved by you beforehand or moved and covered by us.
- You do not need to leave, and you keep water and power throughout.
- If the felt comes off with the foam, the roof is still covered by its tiles. It is not open to the weather, but it does need a membrane or a decision about the roof before winter.
What is left when we go
Bare timber, with the foam gone rather than trimmed flush. We photograph every rafter run with the foam off, and you get a written removal report with those photographs. The Commons Library briefing records that in November 2024 a quarter of the biggest mortgage lenders it surveyed, and every equity release lender, would not lend on a home with spray foam in the roof, and RICS says a surveyor who finds it may ask for a specialist report. The report we leave is what answers that. If the removal has shown the roof needs work, the report says that too, and you decide what to do next with the facts in front of you rather than a sales pitch.
How we approach the whole job, from the survey to the report, is on our spray foam removal page, and there are photographs of a loft we stripped. To book a survey, ring 07307 928751 or ask for a written quote.
