Insulation removal
Open and closed cell foam removed, with a removal certificate to follow.
Spray foam removal is one of the services we specialise in. We take out both open cell and closed cell foam, and we do it taking as much care of the existing roof structure as the job allows.
Spray foam was sold hard as a loft insulation upgrade. What a lot of homeowners found out afterwards is that most lenders will not offer a mortgage on a house with foam sprayed onto the underside of the roof, and surveyors regularly down value or refuse. Whether you are dealing with a sale, a mortgage condition, a concern about the roof itself or simply want it gone, we will inspect the property and tell you where you stand.
Foam does not automatically mean the roof is damaged. But depending on the type, how it was applied and how the roof is built, it creates complications:
To be straight with you, plenty of the roofs we inspect turn out to have no significant structural damage. That is not the point. Insulation is meant to reduce heat loss, but a roof still has to be correctly built, ventilated and capable of being inspected and maintained, and a surveyor who cannot see a roof will not sign it off.
Before any removal begins we carry out a detailed inspection of the roof space. We are working out how the foam was applied, what condition the roof structure is in, and whether the foam can be taken off safely without unnecessary damage to the roofing membrane.
If the foam has bonded heavily to the felt, penetrated through the laps, or removal would risk the roof itself, we explain that to you before we start and talk through the options. Our aim is not simply to get the foam out. It is to leave you with a roof space that can be properly inspected and maintained from here on.
Once the agreed works are complete you get a spray foam removal certificate detailing the work we carried out, along with photographs and a written record of the condition of the roof afterwards.
That is the paperwork a surveyor or a lender will ask you for, and it is worth keeping with the property documents. It is usually what gets a stalled mortgage or sale moving again.
Photographs from lofts we have inspected in Norfolk. None of this was visible until the foam came off. Click any of them to enlarge.
Because it covers the roof timbers so a surveyor cannot inspect them, and because closed cell foam in particular can trap moisture against the rafters. Lenders vary, but a lot will decline or require removal before they will lend.
Often, yes. It depends on the foam type, how well it bonded and what state the felt and timbers are in underneath. Some roofs come out fine and need a new membrane at most. Others were already failing under the foam. We will not know until we have inspected it, which is why we inspect before we agree to remove anything.
That is exactly what the inspection is for. If the foam has bonded heavily to the felt or gone through the laps, taking it off will damage the membrane, and we will tell you that before we start rather than halfway through. Then we talk about what the roof needs and what it costs.
A typical loft is a few days. It is labour intensive work and the time depends on the area, the foam thickness and how well it stuck.
Where it is in the quotation, yes. The loft insulation is topped up to the required standard once the foam is out and the roof space is clear.
Yes. Once the agreed works are finished you get a spray foam removal certificate documenting what was carried out, along with photographs and a written record of the condition of the roof afterwards. That is usually what gets the mortgage or the sale moving again.
Straight answers to the questions that usually come before a spray foam removal job.
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.
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Materials and systems we work with
