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Is it safe to cut a hole into a precast concrete roof

  • 31-05-2016 5:47am
    #1
    Jammie_dodget
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭


    The house was built in the 1980s with a concrete precast flat roof and the council subsequently added a tiled roof. The problem is that there is no access to the water tank without going through next door! I'm told that it could weaken the structure if I put in an access hole. How would I identity the best place to cut the concrete if there is one at all :-)


Comments

  • #2
    PMBC
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,112 ✭✭✭PMBC


    That's an unusual roof construction for the 1980s. Does the concrete roof cover the whole house or is it an apartment. Is the roof now the floor of the attic, so to speak. Are there any internal walls up to the underside of this roof? What sizes are the rooms underneath. Is there anything in the roof space? Is the roof water tank shared between you and your neighbour? How does the neighbouring house have access to the roof space/attic?


  • #3
    Calahonda52
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,889 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    As well as what PMBC says,
    Very strange, especially from a fire regs viewpoint.

    How exactly does the neighbour route provide access?

    Again, precast concrete roof sound strange, maybe it was cast in place, but in any event, it will have steel reinforcing though it and you will need a professional opinion as to if you can cut an access hole through it, especially if it is carrying any other loads.

    What do your other neighbours do?

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



  • #4
    PMBC
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,112 ✭✭✭PMBC


    Calahonda52 wrote: »
    As well as what PMBC says,
    Very strange, especially from a fire regs viewpoint.

    How exactly does the neighbour route provide access?

    Again, precast concrete roof sound strange, maybe it was cast in place, but in any event, it will have steel reinforcing though it and you will need a professional opinion as to if you can cut an access hole through it, especially if it is carrying any other loads.

    What do your other neighbours do?

    Agree with Calahonda on that - precasting rc work in Ireland in the 50s?!
    Also I know of local authority housing from that time where, although there was individual attic access - a tight squeeze - there was no separation in the attic and only one shared water storage tank between up to four and six houses. In fact, before remediation, the roof tank even supplied drinking water!! So, a neighbour could access another house through the attic spaces. On enquiry, it doesn't seem to have ever happened or at least not frequently. I can recall also seeing such a situation in UK television soaps/ programmes, if they were to be believed. However I hadn't heard of concrete roofs in such situations.


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