Dear Donny

QI have recently been in my loft and all the felting underneath the roof tiles has started to tear. Is there any way that this can be replaced/repaired without having a new roof or is it going to be a big job?

Steve Topliss, by email

The underlay felt is a second layer of protection for any rainwater that might get through a broken roof tile or slates and has to be fixed in place before the roof tiles/slates are layed. If the roof is not leaking then it’s OK. Torn and brittle underlay suggests the roof is old. When you need a new roof get the felting changed too, but if the tiles/slates are fine I’d just leave it for now.

Q

We live in a bungalow and the damp coming through the walls is horrendous. We also get black mould and even the skirting boards are wet. We are at a loss how to solve this problem. Phil, Cornwall

A

It sounds as if the bungalow has rising damp issues or no DPC. I would get a damp specialist to inspect the property (sometimes they charge for this report). I would be surprised if they did not recommend some form of internal tanking. I’d also be surprised if your floor joists didn’t have some form of rot in their ends that are supported by the wet/damp wall. Best to get it checked out.

A