Loft maintenance

[jambojambo]

Hello, our loft ceiling is looking a bit sad (see photos). The brown board stuff is peeling away from the roof and crumbling. It's been like this since we moved in 2015. I guess this board stuff has been in there since the house was built in 70s. Should it be replaced like-for-like or something more modern?
Any help appreciated.

I'm also looking at eliminating damp up there by following these tips, if that affects things. Obviously the damp has appeared since loft insulation was dramatically increased 2 years ago.

CONDENSATION IN LOFT (ANSWERS)

This seems to be the time of year for condensation in lofts, so instead of replying to lots of queries I though I would write this "one-size-fits-all" post. Please also see //www.diynot.com/wiki/Building%3ACondensation-in-Houses Condensation in lofts occurs when the amount of water...

www.diynot.com

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You shouldn't have the board at all, I guess a previous owner did it to reduce dust or as some peculiar attempt at insulating or other futile idea. Do you have open vents at the eaves which have been kept clear of insulation?

 

[jambojambo]

Thanks for the response.
There doesn't seem to be open vents. I guess I would see them on the outside if there was. Can this be a DIY job to retro-fit them or best to get the roofer? They installed upvc soffits over the existing wooden board which was in good condition (i queried this at the time - 2016).
Insulation has been kept clear of the eaves on the inside, but that's probably the easy part!

With hindsight I would have asked the roofer for the vents, but at that time (pre loft insulation) the ventilation obviously wasn't a problem as we were wasting energy keeping the loft warm!

I'm also thinking that vapour from the bathroom up to the loft could be a big factor. My wife likes a hot bath...

 

[JohnD]

Look at the eaves. Can you see daylight, or has the insulation been pushed right to the edge?

Roll a bit back and photograph it.

Are there holes in the bathroom ceiling? Doesn't the bathroom extractor work?

 

[jambojambo]

The attached pic shows the gap in insulation next to the eaves. You can just about see the downlighter which used to poke out and illuminate the house (lights since covered over with new soffits).
I can't see anything that would provide ventilation at the eaves, either inside or out. There seems to be vent products available for exactly this kind of thing.
In the photo you can also see where that brown board stuff is sagging and possibly getting in the way (at right).

As for bathroom, yes the plan is to seal off bathroom downlighters and get better ventilation.